By CHARLES IWUOHA

Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) to influence the relocation of the Ebonyi State Election Petition Tribunal currently sitting in Abuja back to the state.

The party, in a statement issued on Thursday in Abakaliki by its acting state Chairman, Barr Ifeanyi Nworie, alleged that the outgoing government had lobbied powerful judicial officers in Abuja to ensure that the tribunal’s sitting is relocated back to Abakaliki, the state capital.

According to PDP, Ebonyi State Government on May 13, 2023, at a burial ceremony at Amangwu Edda in Edda Local Government Area of the State, where he was quoted to have allegedly said that nothing on earth can stop the Election Petition Tribunal from being relocated back to Ebonyi state.

The opposition PDP, however, urged the election petitions authorities, especially the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen, to ignore the antics of the Ebonyi State Government in the interest of peace, justice, fairness and equity.

“Based on this development, the PDP in Ebonyi State hereby wishes to alert the Election Petition Authorities, especially the President of the Court of Appeal on the need to ignore the antics. We urge the Judicial Authorities to remain steadfast and sustain the Relocation of the Tribunal from Abakaliki to Abuja.

“We are convinced as an interested party that the sustenance of the tribunal at Abuja would guarantee justice, peace, equity and fairness. We are equally convinced that the decision to relocate the tribunal to Abuja was a welcome decision as it provides a level-playing ground for all the parties involved in the cases before the tribunal. The decision was hailed and celebrated by all the parties and the politically conscious citizens of Ebonyi State and beyond,” Ebonyi PDP said.

It alleged that Ebonyi State Government is notorious for masterminding violence and terror-related acts, insisting that allowing the elections petitions tribunal to be relocated back to Abakaliki as allegedly boasted would open a new window of opportunity for the reign of impunity and terror.

The party further said: “The Ebonyi State Government is notorious for being a mastermind of violence and terror-related acts. For instance, the State Chairman of APC, Mr. Stanley Okoro Emegha is also the Security Consultant of Ebubeagu Militia and at the same time doubles as the Chief Security Consultant to the State Government.

“All efforts made by forward-looking citizens of the State to get to see reason as to why he should separate the office of the State Chairman of APC from the Ebubeagu Consultant/Security Consultant conundrum fell on deaf ears because of the role which the APC boss plays in the state as the mobilizer and deployer of militant youths and other harbingers of terrorism in the state.

“For instance, on 14th of February, 2023, when the Federal High Court in Abakaliki delivered a very popular judgement disbanding the notorious Ebubeagu Militia for extra judicial killings and harassment of political opponents in the State, APC Chairman was quick to mobilised hired thugs and miscreants to barricade the Federal High Courts and the State High Courts in Abakaliki.

“As we speak, the security agencies like Nigerian Police, Department of Security Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), etc, can attest to the rate of insecurity in Ebonyi State as there have been continues crisis in the State and any Judicial Officer who fail to adhere to their bid, will always have himself to blame.

“Ebonyi State is not the only state affected by the decision of President of Court of Appeal to relocate Election Petition Tribunal to Abuja, other state like Rivers State and Zamfara State are not complaining, even other petitioners in Ebonyi State are happy over the decision though we are aware of the plot by APC led Government to get some people who claim to be opposition party to connive with them in their antics.”

Reacting to the allegation, Governor David Umahi through his Special Assistant on Media and Strategy, Mr Chooks Oko, described the allegation as unfortunate, noting that the Governor could not have said that, either privately or publicly, to anyone as such an action was not in his character

News Expressreports that on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, the Secretary of Ebonyi State Election Petition Tribunal, Mr Nyior Henry Sekulla, announced the directive of the Appeal Court President for the relocation of the Tribunal to Abuja, a development that has generated mixed reactions from political actors in the state.

•Appeal Court President, Justice Dongban-Mensen