Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary
PDP says invasion of Justice Odili’s residence ‘part of APC’s plot to hijack 2023 elections’
Main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has claimed that the invasion of the private residence of Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court in Abuja by security operatives, last Friday, was ‘a renewed plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to hijack the 2023 election as it did in 2019.’
The party said it is a similar method he ruling party adopted in ‘yanking off’ the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen prior to the 2019 General Elections.
The party called the attack on Justice Odili as ‘horrendous, rascally, irresponsible, completely unjustified and should not be swept under the carpet on the guise of misleading whistleblower operation.’
Security operatives stormed the private residence of Justice Odili claiming to be executing a search warrant issued by a Magistrate’s Court in Abuja, on the grounds of an allegation by whistle blower. The search warrant was later revoked by the judge, who claimed that he was misinformed by the security operatives.
However, while the Department of State security (DSS) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have both denied involvement in the raid, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, it was discovered, approved the order.
However, reacting to the incident, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party said the assault bore ‘the pawprints of the APC,’ which it said ‘are visible in the incident, in its desperation to cow the judiciary and subvert the cause of justice ahead of the 2023 elections.’
“It is clear that the attack on Justice Odili is part of a renewed script by the APC. Nigerians will recall how, ahead of the 2019 election, former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, was clandestinely yanked off from his hallowed chamber, preparatory to the massive rigging that characterized the 2019 Presidential election.
“Nigerians can equally recall how respected judges were assaulted by the APC administration through obnoxious sting operations in a bid to arm-twist the judiciary and set the stage for the endorsement of a culture of impunity that characterized the 2019 elections.
“The PDP however cautions the APC and its Presidency apparatchik to know that times have changed. Nigerians are not ready to stomach a repeat of APC’s coordinated assault on our institutions of democracy, but will firmly resist them with every means available within the ambit of the law,” PDP said.
The party, therefore, urged ‘the judiciary to remain firm and not be deterred by the suppressive proclivities of the fizzling APC, that has since been rejected by Nigerians.’
It also called on Nigerians to ‘stand in defence of our democracy by continuing in their demand that the real perpetrators of the attack on Justice Mary Odili be exposed and brought to book.’
