BENIN CITY – The State Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Francis Omo-Osunde Iyasere has described the claims and counter-claims being made in the media by the opposition Action Congress,(AC) on the impending Appeal Court ruling on the Governorship Election, as a sign that the party is in total confusion.
Prince Iyasere made the remark yesterday while reacting to a statement credited to the AC’s gubernatorial candidate, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who confirmed that the delay in the Appeal Court judgment was due to the annual vacation of the Judges, which was contrary to a statement earlier made by the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
Alhaji Mohammed, in a news report on page 8 of Vanguard Newspaper of September 8, 2008 had accused the PDP and the judiciary of conniving to manipulate the electoral process because of the delay by the Appellate Court’s President to constitute the panel.
According to Prince Iyasere, “from Oshiomhole’s statement, it is now clear that they are confused because some of his followers believe that the court is delaying in constituting the panel but he is now saying something else.
This means that there is confusion and his statement is just meant to launder his image”.
The state PDP publicity scribe also debunked claims that Oshiomhole, who returned to the state on Tuesday, brought social and economic activities in Benin City to a stand still as claimed in some newspaper reports, stressing that it was a “gross exaggeration” by journalists on the payroll of the former Labour leader.
He disclosed that the PDP’s case at the Appeal Court was different from that at the tribunal where the party was the defendant. “At the Appeal Court, the PDP is the complainant and has prayed the court to upturn the verdict of the lower court based on the flaws identified in the judgment by our legal experts and I am very optimistic that we will get victory”, he said.
Governor Oserheimen Osunbor is challenging the March 20, 2008, ruling by the Edo State Elections Petition Tribunal which declared Adams Oshiomhole as winner of the April 14, 2007 election.
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