By Our Correspondent
Labour Party has reacted to the calls for the Judiciary not to swear in the President elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29, saying that the agitation may derail democratic process.
The Party in a press conference addressed by the spokesperson of the Party, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi said those fanning the unpopular demand may be rooting for the illegal derailment in the democratic process calling on the law enforcement agencies to beam their searchlights on the proponents.
Read the full statement below:
Following series of agitations and call for the restraining the President elect from been sworn in on May 29, 2023, Labour Party hereby allayed the fears of Nigerians that the swearing in of the President Elect may not have any impact on the ongoing legal tussle on the Presidential Election involving our party , APC and INEC
You will all recalled the television interview by a legal luminary Femi Falana, SAN, who explicitly posited the position of the law on the election matters at the tribunal and Labour Party was in agreement because issues has been properly dissected by the legal jurisprudence who affirmed that the statement credited to Cardinal Onaiyekan may not be visible as the current legal tussle may take more than three months before it could be finally disposed off.
The electoral act and the constitution of Nigeria does not give room for a vacuum, so wether the President elect is sworn in or not, there is right to remove him LEGALLY if found out that he was not dully elected.
While citing numerous examples like the 2003 election of Peter Obi and Chris Ngige, Ahmed Datti senatorial election and Masari, the Judiciary played the role it was expected of it, and those that lost at the court vacated their seats in spite of spending some time at the seat.
Mr Peter Obi started afresh likewise others, and that's why we are having stargerred elections in some States.
Constitutional provisions on when the President-elect may not be sworn in:
S. 136 (1) of the CFRN 1999 (as amended)
If the president-elect dies before taking the oath of allegiance and oath of office, the vice president will be sworn in as president. The vice president-electwho is now president will nominate a new vice president with an approval of a simple majority of the joint sitting of the National Assembly.
S. 136 (2) of the CFRN 1999 (as amended)
Where both president-elect and vice president-electelect die before their swearing in, the INEC shall immediately conduct an election for a president and vice president.
Constitutional provisions on when there is vacancy in the presidency:
S. 146 (1) of the CFRN 1999 (as amended)
Where office of president is vacant as a result of death or resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or removal for any other reason, the Vice President shall be sworn in as president.
S. 146 (2) of the CFRN 1999 (as amended)
Where the seat of both President and Vice President becomes vacant, the Senate President shall hold the office of president for not more than 3 months within which an election for a new president will be conducted to complete the remaining period.
S. 146 (3) of the CFRN 1999 (as amended)
The new president elected shall nominate a Vice President who shall nominate a Vice President with the approval of the Senate and House of Reps.
The only time the senate president can hold the office of president is where both president and vice president are incapacitated, and the senate president can only hold the office for not more than three months.
What Peter Obi is crying for is not supported by the law. Our law provides that where an election is challenged, the winner will be sworn into office and will continue to act in that capacity until the hearing and determination of the petitions challenging the election.
A refusal to swear in Tinubu as president will create a vacuum in the system, which the law abhors. From President Obasanjo to Yar'Adua to Jonathan to Buhari, this has remained the law and the system, why should the position change now, when the law has not been changed?
Our law does not provide for interim president in the circumstance, the only time we had an interim president in Nigeria was Chief Ernest Shonekan which was a military stunt, and not a constitutional procedure.
Even Peter Obi has also benefitted from the systemof being sworn into office irrespective of pending petitions at the tribunal. Peter Obi was sworn into office as the governor while Andy Uba went to the Tribunal to challenge his election, and no interim governor was sworn in nor was the speaker of the house sworn in as interim governor.
The Law has to be complied with, which is to swear in Tinubu as president, and if anybody wants to change the narrative, they will have to change the law, but with what we have in our constitution today, their demands are not backed up by any law. It is misconceived and shows a serious ignorance of the law.
Labour Party warns all Obidiots clandestinely parading themselves as LP members and others obidients who may be agitating that the President elect should not be sworn in to have a rethink as Labour Party will not support any unlawful means of agitations or change of government violently
We cannot throw the Baby away with the bath water, the same election brought in Our candidates who won in the last elections
“ Whoever wants to be judgmental must not be selective. Those who come to equity must come with clean hands. How can the election be discredited for a winner, but credible for winners among members of the opposition party?
What we should be working for is how to sincerely review our election process, so we do have a winner who will be sworn in and whom everybody would rally around.
The Labour Party will continue to pursue our matters in court with all vigour and wether Tinubu is sworn in or not, the victory will surely come our ways.
The Acting National Chairman ALh BASHIRU LAMIDI APAPA will now be representing the Labour Party at the Presidential Election petition tribunal along side Peter OBI thus any one found to disobey this instructions will be arrested in the premises of the court of appeal.
Labour Party congratulate the Governor Of OSUN State SEN ADEMOLA ADELEKE over his well deserved victory at the Supreme Court yesterday and all opposition must learn to abide by the decisions of court rather than criticizing the judiciary always when court decisions is against opposition political parties
Labour Party under the siege of political vampires bucarneers, predators and emergency democract . Some civilians in military camouflage conspires with an insider in Labour Party to stage a coup detat seize the party with and started promoting ethnic and religious bigotry, by contrasting with federal characters act as amended, this political predators from same sections of the country, same geopolitical zones suddenly and overnight turn to emergency democrats that want to join PO to savage our Country.
We urgently requested for the arrest and prosecution of the following sponsor of destabilizations projects of Nigeria and that the police and DSS need to beam their search light on the Headquarters of OBI/DATTI campaign organization in Abuja as this is where this people converge on daily bases to plans how to scuttle and bring an end to democracy.
JULIUS ABURE
KENNETH OKONKWO
OBIORA IFO
DR TANKO YINUSA
Labour Party stand with the unity of Nigeria and that we believe no one is above the Law
Dr Abayomi Arabambi
National Publicity Secretary
10th May 2023
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