PDP Congratulates Akobundu, Exposes LP Plot to Cause Mayhem in Abia

Abia PDP congratulates Senatorial candidate on victory, uncovers plot by Labour Party to cause mayhem in the state.

The Abia State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed its congratulations to Col. Austin Akobundu, the party's Senatorial candidate in the Abia Central Senatorial zone, on his victory at the Appeal Court. The PDP also revealed that it has uncovered a plot by the Labour Party (LP) to cause chaos in the state following the removal of its candidate, Darlington Nwokocha, who previously held the position of Senate Minority Chief Whip.

Previously, Mr. Nwokocha of the LP was declared the winner of the Abia Central Senatorial election in the National Assembly elections held on February 25, 2023. However, Akobundu filed a petition at the Abia State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the election of Nwokocha. Dissatisfied with the tribunal's judgment, Akobundu appealed the decision at the Court of Appeal, which ultimately overturned the tribunal's judgment and declared Akobundu as the legitimate winner of the Abia Central Senatorial zone election.

Elder Abraham Amah, the Abia PDP Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary, expressed his concern over two documents that the party has come across. One of these documents, circulating on social media, is from the Labour Party in Ikwuano, calling for a solidarity rally in black clothes to protest the Court of Appeal's judgment. Amah finds it unprecedented that a political party would call for its members to protest a court judgment.

The second document is a press conference held by the Chairman of the Abia Labour Party, Mr. Cheeky Igara, where he took on the role of a "Judge Extraordinaire" and lectured Abians, Nigerians, and the press on why the judgment of a validly constituted court should not stand due to the removal of a member of his party from office. Amah finds it extremely disturbing that the Abia LP Chairman would use derogatory words to refer to a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, such as "the rascality of the judiciary" and "divisive judgments."

Amah believes that these actions by the Labour Party are unacceptable and amount to a call for anarchy. He points out that the Labour Party is ignorant of the fact that the Abia PDP had 19 grounds of appeal, most of which the Labour Party could not defend against. Their attempt to reduce the PDP's petition to Section 77 of the Electoral Act shows a careless and unforgivable display of ignorance. The Labour Party also fails to understand that Section 77 of the Electoral Act is both a pre-election and post-election matter, as determined by the Court of Appeal. Additionally, they conveniently ignore the fact that the Court of Appeal considered the rejected votes in some polling units, which was part of the PDP's petition.

Amah criticizes the Labour Party for their lack of transparency, as they have failed to provide a copy of the judgment to the press despite making claims of reversal. He finds it unfortunate that the Labour Party remains silent when judgments are in their favor but resorts to bullying society when a judgment goes against them.

The Abia PDP is now urging the security agencies in Abia State to be aware of the Labour Party's plans to disrupt the peace in the state. They believe that the Labour Party's actions demonstrate a disregard for the law and a tendency to push the state into the hands of autocrats. The Abia PDP calls on the security agencies to prevent any breakdown of law and order by restraining the Labour Party from engaging in activities that could disturb the peace of the state. They also urge members of the PDP to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding, while appealing to the people of Ikwuano to prevent their children and wards from participating in activities that may lead to a crisis in the state.