APC says PDP, Atiku planning to use foreign media to malign Nigerian judiciary

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Atiku Abubakar, its presidential candidate, are plotting to use foreign media to smear justices of the supreme court and the Nigerian judiciary.

On September 11, the presidential election petitions tribunal dismissed the PDP’s petition challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari at the last general election.

Thereafter, the opposition party filed an appeal at the supreme court. The hearing of PDP’s appeal has been fixed for October 30.

Speaking with reporters on Monday at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, Lanre Issa-Onilu, the party’s spokesman, alleged that the opposition party has contracted columnists to make “spurious and false publications” against the Nigerian judiciary.

“Among the columnists that have been contracted to make spurious and false publications include Bruce Fein, an American lawyer who served in the Ronald Reagan administration and writes articles in several notable foreign newspapers. Bruce Fein has been paid to publish an ‘op-ed’ on Nigerian Judiciary and the Supreme Court,” Issa-Onilu said.

“Since 2015, Bruce Fein has written several articles, all critical of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. In 2019, his firm, Fein & DelValle entered into an agreement with the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar to lobby the government of the United States not to recognise the winner of the 2019 presidential election, President Muhammadu Buhari, until the election petition is determined by the Supreme Court. That plan failed woefully.

“The fresh plot by the opposition PDP after being comprehensively rejected by Nigerians at the 2019 Presidential election is to cause confusion, anarchy with a view to making this country ungovernable.”

Issa-Onilu said PDP has made up its mind to pursue a destructive agenda against Nigeria “for the next four years”.

“This is no longer opposition politics. It is an unpatriotic agenda by people who do not mean well for their country. It is important we continue to alert Nigerian to the devious plan of the PDP,” he said.

“The judiciary is an important institution and its integrity cannot be subjected to political machinations. It is the responsibility of every truly patriotic Nigerian to rise against the PDP to ensure they do not succeed in undermining our corporate existence.

“The judgement of the 2019 Presidential Election Petition Tribunal dismissed in its entirety the petition filed by the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar.”

Issa-Onilu said the APC confident that the supreme court will Buhari’s election victory.

Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP spokesman, is yet to comment on the allegation.