The Police have deployed their men to strategic locations in the Federal Capital, Abuja ahead of the ruling on the validity of President Umaru Yar’adua’s election.
The Public Relations Officer, Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Moshood Jimoh, a Deputy Superintendent, said policemen have been deployed to strategic locations to ensure that peace is maintained during and after the judgement.
The essence for the deployment of policemen in different locations is keep vigil on party supporters who would troupe to Abuja to witness the judgement.
The police however warned people to be orderly as any act of disobedience will not be allowed and those arrested attempting to cause chaos will have themselves to blame.
The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) and his Action Congress (AC) counterpart, former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar have petitioned the court demanding the election be annulled because it was adjudged to be flawed both at home and abroad. Both men had contested last February’s judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal which upheld the victory of Peoples Democratic Party’s [PDP] Umaru Musa Yar’adua as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Today’s judgment of the Supreme Court will bring to an end the legal battle which General Buhari and Alhaji Atiku have waged against Yar’adua’s victory declared by the country’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the last presidential polls.
General Buhari and Atiku are specifically asking the apex court to set aside the decision of the Presidential Elections Petition Tribunal that upheld the victory of Yar’adua in the election and order fresh polls.
Atiku had in his brief of argument prepared by Emeka Ngige (SAN) said that heavens would not fall if Yar’Adua’s election is nullified, just as he asked the apex court to restrain INEC under the leadership of Maurice Iwu from conducting the re-run election should it be ordered by the apex court.