The APC said this on Thursday, at a media briefing addressed by its national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, appealing to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Muhammed, to stoutly defend the independence and integrity of the judiciary at this critical moment, to avoid a repeat of what transpired in 1993 and consequent collapse of Third Republic.
It will be recalled that some elements, headed by Chief Arthur Nzeribe, on the platform of infamous Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), through the instrumentality of court was used to annul the 1993 general election, thus aborting the Third Republic and throwing the country into a deep and prolonged crisis.
Four separate court cases had been filed against Buhari, according to Mohammed, who said the party still expected that more would still be made by "desperate and election-phobic— duo of the PDP and the Presidency, using various compromised people as fronts."
Speaking at the news conference, the APC spokesperson, Alhaji Mohammed even alleged that "the rumour mill is spinning fast. Stories abound of a huge war chest of 100 million dollars being earmarked to grease the palm of any pliable judge, who can disqualify General Buhari and halt the electoral process. We do not know whether or not this allegation is true, but we do know that Nigerians do not want to return to 'Egypt'.
"We have been down this road before with disastrous consequences and we do not want to tread that path again. Never before has so much been deployed just to stop the candidacy of just one man," he added.
Mohammed, who wondered why the Presidency and the PDP were so desperate to stop Buhari from contesting the next presidential election, said the current move to stop him through the court over alleged certificate saga came about after all previous efforts had failed.
"Suffice it to say that this stop-Buhari-at-all-cost campaign is being pursued simultaneously with the push to postpone next month elections, ostensibly because of the low level of PVCs distribution, but in the real sense an implementation of the stated mindset of the presidency never to hand over to General Buhari, and then of course set up an interim government," Mohammed said.
He, however, appealed members and supporters of the party nationwide to remain calm, while also calling on them "and, indeed, all Nigerians, to be vigilant, knowing that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
Mohammed also called on the international community to take note of the multifaceted campaign to stop Buhari at all costs and scuttle next month's elections to pave the way for an interim government, which he said would benefit no one but the PDP, the Jonathan-led administration and its cronies.
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