Judiciary
Supreme Court Must Uphold Justice In Atiku, Obi’s Suits Challenging Election Outcome
…says apex court must redeem self-image in Atiku, Obi’s suits challenging election outcome
CIVIL rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), on Friday, said it is very unfortunate that the Supreme Court has lost its credibility and sanctity and has now resort consistently to deliver favourable judgements allegedly to the highest bidder, especially as seen in recent cases involving featherweight politicians and heavyweights and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the apex court should be conscientious and live up to its expectation as the hope of the common man and deliver pure justice in the suits by opposition candidates, particularly Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party challenging the outcome of the February 25 poll wherein the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress as the President-Elect despite the many electoral irregularities and malfeasance that marred the poll last Saturday.
The group charged the Election Tribunal to hear the Presidential petitions as the last opportunity to save Nigeria from imminent uprising because people are generally angry with the electoral heist by INEC that gave it to Tinubu.
Historically, the Supreme Court has portrayed that its verdicts are by the highest bidder, especially in the case of Senate President Ahmed Lawan and Bashir Machina in the legal tussle for the authentic Candidate of Yobe North Senatorial District in the buildup to the February 25 National Assembly polls.
In the lead judgement, Justice Centus Nweze faulted the approach of Machina in commencing the suit at the Federal High Court Damaturu division by way of originating summons and without oral evidence to prove allegations of fraud. The judge said Machina ought to have commenced his suit by a writ of summons going by the allegations of fraud levelled against the APC in transmitting Mr Lawan’s name to INEC.
The apex court delivered a similar contorted judgement in the case between ex-minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; and a retired deputy inspector general of police, Udom Ekpoudom in the intra-party legal contest for the Akwa-Ibom North-West senatorial seat election in the just-concluded NASS polls.
In the two cases, the Supreme Court affirmed Lawan and Akpabio as winners despite that they never participated in the original primary for the senatorial seats as they were frolicking and daydreaming to get the APC presidential ticket in Abuja last June.
In January 2020, the Supreme Court sacked Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo state, affirming Hope Uzodimma as winner of the March 9 election despite that Uzodimma of the APC came fourth in the election and Ihedioha had over three times of the votes of Uzodimma.
Also, former Senate President Bukola Saraki lost initially in the Onnoghen-led Supreme Court but ultimately won when the matter came back again on appeal to the Supreme Court.
Today, some APC governors secured judgement in their favour at the apex court on the naira redesign policy because these governors allegedly have old notes stored up to buy votes and rig the March 11 governorship election.
HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “The courts in Nigeria have lost their credibility due to some inexplicable judgments that are outright politically tainted. Sadly, the Supreme Court has lost its honour as the hope of the common man and most Nigerians now believe that even the Supreme Court of Nigeria is suffused with thieves and the people have lost trust on them as the last hope of the common man.
“HURIWA charges the Election Tribunal to hear the 2023 presidential petitions as the last opportunity to save Nigeria from imminent uprising because people are generally angry with the electoral heist by INEC that gave it to Bola Tinubu. The court will make or mar the peace and harmony we have depending on how just or unjust their judgments are.
“The justices of the Supreme Court should remember that the United States imposed travel ban on the justices that produced Uzodinma and should know that those who hear the post-election litigation if they compromise will face similar ordeal.”
A.I
Tags: Bola Tinubu. Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko HURIWA
