A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State led by Godspower Umejuru Ake has said that the torching of court records at a State High Court at Okehi, Etche local government by suspected arsonists, will not hinder the January 15 ruling by the Appeal Court in Abuja.
The appellate court is expected to give judgment on the disputed leadership of the PDP in Rivers State.
The party asserted that except the arsonists also burn the Appeal Court records, the fate of Messrs Felix Obuah and Ibibia Walter who parade themselves as Chairman and Secretary, respectively, in stolen mandate, would be decided.
In a statement on Tuesday signed by the Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, George Ukwuoma-Nwogba, in Port Harcourt, the Ake-faction of the PDP described as unfortunate, the resort to destruction of judicial evidence by those it said are jittery at the reality of the tide of proofs against their falsehood and forgery.
“Afraid justice would soon slap them in the face over their treacherous, deceitful and false claims to the offices of the Chairman and Secretary of the PDP in Rivers State, Obuah and his cohort, with age-long penchant to violence, lies and brigandage, resorted to their latest option just to hold on to power no matter how illegitimate.
“We would prefer they allowed the Appeal Court decide their fate rather than engage in self-help of this magnitude, obviously couched in shame and opprobrium,” the statement added.
The Ake faction, however, said its members were not surprised that Obuah and his followers would descend so low in their search to evade justice, questioning the basis for their fear when after all, they had claimed the party delegates had elected them into the respective offices they stole by deceiving an Abuja High Court.
“We wonder at their fear when they had claimed in the High Court that they were duly elected Chairman and Secretary by party delegates to the State Congress held on March 17, 2013,” the statement said, adding that lies may endure for a day, but truth lives forever.
While urging the party faithful to continue in prayer for the total restoration of the mandate freely given to Ake and Barr. Adokiye Oruwari as Rivers State PDP Chairman and Secretary, respectively, the statement further called for vigilance on their part “as enemies of democracy may not rest from their desperado mission.”
“We call on party faithful to remain vigilance and prayerful as enemies of democracy and Rivers State may not rest in their desperado mission. But we trust in the power of the living God to give us the victory.”