Ahead of the judgement of the Court of Appeal in the Plateau state election on Sunday, the Coalition of Middle Belt Groups has recanted on the viral video of a House of Representatives member, Rt: Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, where he was accused of boasting about getting favourable judgements from the courts on Plateau election.
Last week, the Court of Appeal sacked some lawmakers from Plateau state from the National Assembly.
The group had at a press conference in Abuja, accused the All Progressive Congress, APC, including the Hon member of influencing the Court decision.
But at another seperate briefing in Abuja, at the weekend, titled, “Understanding the Perspective of Rt. Hon Yusuf Gagdi, Issues and Our Stand”, said It is succinct to state that the emphasis of our position was on a statement credited to Rt: Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, an APC member of the House of Representatives from Plateau State and we must admit that our earlier position was a hasty one and was hinged on a video that was thought to be recent.
The convener of the group, Dr Ben Omale said after extensive deliberations and scrutiny of material evidence, we have realized that the statement of Rt. Hon Yusuf Gagdi was misconstrued and blown out of proportion.
He said we have also had cause to scrutinize other videos in line with the perspectives of Rt. Hon Yusf Gagdi and realized that our earlier position did not reflect reality on the ground.
He said, “It is also instructive to state that the Coalition of Middle Belt Groups was misled by a single narrative propagated by the Peoples Democratic Party without recourse to the fact that every coin has two sides.
“To this end, we offer our unreserved apologies to Rt. Hon Yusuf Gagdi for the misleading press conference on the allegations of the Plateau State chapter of the APC procuring judgment from the courts.
“This position is highly regretted, and we must state that from the avalanche of evidence at our disposal, the PDP in Plateau state has, for some inexplicable reasons, elected to twist facts to mislead members of the unsuspecting general public, including the Coalition of Middle Belt Groups.
“The position of the PDP in Plateau State amounts to a crying wolf where none exists. That it elected to twist the narrative of Rt. Hon Yusuf Gagdi, that was made even before the composition of the Elections Petitions Tribunal, is indicative of a sinister plot by the PDP to cause disaffection in the polity.
We must also admit that the unsubstantiated position of the PDP necessitated our earlier press statement. This is highly regrettable on the heels that as a Coalition of Middle Belt Groups dedicated to the entrenchment of credible governance in the Middle Belt, it ought to have been circumspect.
“The earlier slip implies that people of Plateau state must have been misinformed, which, by and large, placed the reputation of Rt—Hon. Yusuf Gagdi is at risk in the state and the country.
“The Coalition of Middle Belt Groups is using this medium to tender an unreserved apology to Rt. Hon Yusuf Gagdi and the people of Plateau state for any inconveniences that must have occurred due to our earlier press statement.
“May we also use this medium to exonerate Rt. Hon Yusuf Gagdi from any involvement or influence in the outcome of the Court of Appeal rulings on the elections in Plateau state.
“The PDP in Plateau state must do well to desist from its campaign of calumny against the judiciary. The PDP has elected to be insensitive to the effect of their actions and inaction regarding the outcome of the Court of Appeal rulings”, he said.
