PDP workers pray over election petition as appeal court rules today

• Buhari won the presidential poll, APC insists

Employees at the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have intensified their 12-day prayers for a positive verdict from the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which will deliver its verdict today.

This follows as a group of civil rights defenders announced plans to commence peaceful protest in search of enabling an environment for justice to thrive in Nigeria.

The group, which addressed a press conference under the aegis of Democratic Defenders of Nigeria (DDN), condemned a situation in which members of the judiciary are being harassed and denied the opportunity of dispensing justice independently.

Convener of the group, Vik Morrow, charged Nigerians to be bold and courageous enough to rise against attacks on the judiciary in order to restore the citizens’ confidence.

“In the light of national struggles, #JusticeNow Campaign shall begin with an urgent call to the international community and Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora and other relevant stakeholders to call for absolute independence of the judiciary, which is the last hope of the common man”

Besides, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank yesterday disagreed with the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) on the impending judgment by the presidential election petition tribunal.

Frank, who described the BMO as a Yahoo Yahoo group the presidency has been using to deceive Nigerians, restated his call on the tribunal judges not to be intimidated by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to discharge their duties.

Frank, a key ally of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, enjoined the justices to follow their conscience and give the right judgement.

“The judges should remember that Nigerians and the international community are watching and we expect them to do the right thing so as to save Nigeria from further misrule. They should give the right judgement and write their names in Gold,” he said.

Meanwhile, the APC has insisted that the tribunal would declare President Buhari duly elected in the poll.

APC’s Spokesman, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu said the PDP and Atiku Abubakar could not offer satisfactory reasons why President Buhari’s election should be upturned.

“Our party’s expectation is that President Buhari’s victory will be upheld. The PDP has helped us to prove our case beyond a reasonable doubt. And having helped to prove our case rather than prove their own case, we are hopeful that the justices will do the needful,” he stated.