A political pressure group in Ekiti State, the Goodluck Sambo Alliance (GSA) has described as uncharitable, claim by a chieftain of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Mallam Naisr el-Rufai that former President Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami was removed from office to pave way for the PDP victory at the tribunal.
The group also hailed the judgment validating the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo, describing it as; “victory for democracy and the millions of Nigerians, who gave their votes for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the presidential
election.”
Mallam el-Rufai, had said after the judgment that; “we are going to appeal, not because we think we can win but we want posterity to judge everybody, we all know this is the reason they removed Salami from office.”
However, GSA in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Mr. Femi Akinyemi said with that statement coming from Mallam el-Rufai immediately after the judgment, no one should be in doubt as to the existence of a conspiracy and working arrangement between the
opposition CPC and Justice Salami.
“The question Nigerians should now begin to ask Mallam el-Rufai and his party is whether or not; Justice Salami would have declared the CPC candidate, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) winner of an election he did not win at the polls?
“Again, isn’t it now also clear that Justice Salami was used to steal people’s mandates in Osun and Ekiti State at the Appeal Court, and it was to achieve this same sinister aim that he (Salami) made himself Chairman of the five-man Presidential Election Tribunal?
“Most importantly, with Mallam el-Rufai’s statement, isn’t it also clear that the reason the opposition parties rose in defence of Justice Salami, in spite of his proved professional misconducts was because they already had an understanding with him (Salami) on the
presidential election petition and other election petitions involving the PDP?
“We therefore, wish to urge Nigerians to ask questions as to how Salami’s Appeal court had awarded judicial victories to people who never won elections at the people, the way victory would have been awarded to Buhari and his CPC,” GSA said.