Press Statement
The attention of APC Alliance Network for Democracy has been drawn to the baseless and misleading statement attributed to the opposition People’s Democratic Party; cautioning the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), not to attend, monitor or observe the March 26 national convention date of the party.
In a statement released to newsmen in Abuja on Friday by the Director-General of the group, Hon. Joe Ozurumba, the body accused the PDP of still exhibiting the arrogance of power, cluelessness and worthless braggadocios that made Nigerians to sack them from office in 2015.
Noting that the opposition party overstepped it’s boundary by appropriating the powers of the Judiciary to itself even when no court of competent of jurisdiction has declared the APC as a non existing party.
The group further noted that instead of misinterpreting Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to suit it’s whims and capricis and using it to caution the electoral body not to do it’s job when no court of competent jurisdiction has said so, the opposition party should concern itself with the threat of extinction facing it as recently warned by a leading chieftain of the party.
Finally, the group warned that the said Section 183 of the Constitution of Nigeria as amended is not a ‘stare decisis’ and therefore would not hesitate to take appropriate action against individuals, groups or anyone who would rely on the section to denigrate, instigate or ridicule the party in any capacity whatsoever.
Nonetheless, this statement is not to gag the freedom of expression as we are not against anyone or group expressing their opinions, but such expression must be within the ambit of the law because where their rights stopped is where the right of our party begins.
Therefore, we call on INEC and members of our great party not to be dismayed by the statement of the PDP because it has no legal basis in the eyes of the law.
The March 26 date of our convention remains sacrosanct and can never be changed by the wild imagination of anybody or group.
Signed:
Hon. Joe Ozurumba,
Director-General,
APC Alliance Network for Democracy.