PDP ATTRIBUTES DEFEAT TO INTERNAL CRISIS, AC HAILS RULING

By MIKE ODIAKOSE

Abuja- As reactions trail the ruling of the Court of Appeal upholding the nullification of the election of Governor Oserheimen Osunbor of Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has attibuted the poor showing of the party in court to the internal crisis that has bedevilled the Edo state chapter of the party in the last one year.

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PDP National Chairman, Prince Vincent Eze Ogbulafor, told newsmen in Abuja atfer the landmark ruling that the it was unfortunate that the party lost the case in court and gave indication that the outcome of the case did not come as a surprise to the national leadership of the party as a divided house can never stand.

According to him the party leader made several efforts to reconcile the warring factions in the state to no avail and this deep rooted animosity affected the handling of the case by the party leaders in Edo state.

His words:"It is unfortunate we lost Edo state, we tried to reconcile the misunderstanding in Edo (PDP state chapter, a house divided can never stand and it is unfortunate we lost Edo".

The PDP National Chairman further declared that the party has accepted the ruling in good faith in line with its respect for the rule of law.

"The PDP as a party believes in the rule of law, we must comply with the ruling. If we lose one out of 27 it is not bad, the court has spoken and the judges have spoken".

Also reacting to the ruling, the Action Congress, whose candidate is now the governor of Edo state, has hailed the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City for doing the right thing by upholding the nullification of the election of Governor Oserheimen Osunbor and confirming the declaration of its candidate, Adams Oshiomhole, as the duly elected governor of the state.

In a statement issued in Abuja after the ruling its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the Court of Appeal ruling confirmed the widely-held belief that the judgement of the lower court, delivered in March, was sound and beyond reproach.

It said there is no doubt that the judgement will go a long way in shoring up the image of the judiciary, which seems to have taken a battering in recent times over some curious and inexplicable judgements on the 2007 general elections.

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AC thanked the people of Edo State for persevering and for staying calm, despite their palpable frustration over the unusually-long period it took for them to finally get justice.

The party assured them of great days ahead, as Governor Oshiomhole begins the hard work aimed at ensuring that the good people of Edo State enjoy the much-awaited dividends of democracy and the lost glory of the state is restored.

"Now, the people of Edo will begin to have a taste of what Lagos residents have been enjoying under the AC administration: Good governance!" it said.

AC spokesman thanked all the party supporters nationwide for their continued belief in the party and its leadership, urging them to continue to keep the faith and to remain calm until the party achieves victory in its presidential election petition at the Supreme Court.

"We are committed to the enthronement of genuine democracy in Nigeria for the benefit of our long-suffering people, no matter how long it takes to achieve. We have absolute confidence and faith in the people to join us in bringing about the much-desired change for the better in our dear nation. We know we can, and we will".