Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the area council elections, Hon Murtala Usman Karshi has appealed to party faithful and supporters to remain calm, and law-abiding, while they wait for the outcome of an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The FCT Elections Tribunal had ruled in favour of Murtala Karshi in respect to the AMAC election, ordering the FCT minister to immediately swear him into office as the substantive chairman of AMAC, but the PDP got a stay of execution to stop the order of the tribunal.
Murtala appealed to his supporters when the AMAC APC chairman, Alhaji Muktar Abubakar, led hundreds of APC loyalists to his residence after the FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Bello refused to swear him in as ordered by the election tribunal considering the appeal filed by the PDP chairmanship candidate and present chairman of AMAC, Hon Christopher Zakka Maikalangu.
Karshi said the appeal by the PDP will not deter him, expressing optimism that the appeal court judgment would be in his favour with the recent sanity in the judiciary.
“I will continue to appeal to our people to remain calm and be law-abiding with the appeal of the Tribunal judgment, because maintaining peace is our culture, let us adhere to that and wait for the appeal tribunal.
“I want to appreciate you for identifying with me over the verdict passed by the tribunal. As we are vindicated at the tribunal, so shall we be in the appeal judgment, because you cannot suppress the truth no matter how you try. It is only the guilty ones that are afraid.
“We urge our people to remain calm and be steadfast in prayers. By the Grace of God, the verdict of the appeal court will vindicate us.
“Our people should have faith in God as well as the judiciary, as they said is the last hope of the common man and believe that nothing has changed. Whatever God the omnipotent has written, no human can obliterate it,” he said.
Karshi commended his supporters for remaining calm and resolute despite the provocative and inflammatory remarks by the PDP and its members, assuring them that by the will of God, he would be crowned the winner at the end.
