The Federal
Government, yesterday, distanced itself from the governorship crisis currently
rocking Abia State. This came as Governor Okezie Ikpeazu alleged that there was
a plot by "desparate politicians" to kidnap judicial officers in Abia
State to swear-in Dr. Uche Ogah, who was issued a certificate of return last
week by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. But Uche Ogah said
the fight to swear him in as governor of Abia State was still on and expressed
hope that God would see him through. However, the Federal Government, through
the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice,Abubakar
Malami, SAN, said it never influenced the INEC to issue certificate of return
to Ogah. The AGF, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity,
Salihu Isah, urged all the parties involved in the governorship tussle to await
the “decision of the courts” on the matter. Malami maintained that so far,
nobody had approached him to proffer any legal opinion on the crisis. He said:
“The attention of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice has been drawn to the insinuations and crass lies being peddled
and disseminated by a cross- section of Nigerians and the various media
platforms that the Honorable Attorney General of the Federation is behind the
legal logjam over the Abia State governorship seat and wishes to clarify that
those canvassing this position have no basis to do so. “Of particular concern
are those who have peddled ill-natured rumours with a view to misinforming our
discerning populace that it was the Attorney General of the Federation and by extension,
the Federal Government of Nigeria, which gave directives to the Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC, to issue Certificate of Return to Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah declaring him
governor-elect.“He has definitely not taken any action either by spoken words
or body language as far as this Abia governorship crisis is concerned. “I wish
to, therefore, on behalf of my principal, declare that these rumors are untrue
and a figment of the imagination of those pushing these selfish, shameless and
irredeemable lies into public space which only translates to partisanship on
the side of its Purveyors.“As far as the Attorney General of the Federation is
concerned, the constitutional powers for the legal opinion of his office have
not been invoked on this issue. “So far, nobody has approached him to proffer
any legal opinion to it. As a strong believer in the rule of law, it is his
belief that the law should naturally take its course .“The Honourable Attorney
General of the Federation will not be dragged into this controversy and
mind-games being played out by the various legal mindsand spin doctors of both
camps at this point.“The parties involved should await the decision of the courts. “In fact, we wish to,
by this statement, advise those in the habit of dragging the highly esteemed
Office of the Attorney General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice into knotty issue of this kind even when it
is yet to take a position. They should desist from these unwarranted
presumptions henceforth.” Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja
had on June 27, sacked Governor Ikpeazu of Abia State from office over alleged
tax fraud. Aside ordering him to immediately vacate his office, the court
further directed INEC to issue a fresh certificate of return to Dr. Ogah, who
came second in the primary election of
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that produced Ikpeazu. Though INEC had since
issued certificate of return to Ogah, another court in Abia State, however, restrained
the Chief Judge from swearing him in. Plot to kidnap judge Meanwhile, Governor
Ikpeazu has alleged that there was a “plot to kidnap judicial officers in Abia
State” to swear-in Ogah. Ikpeazu’s allegation came on the heels of the position
of Ogah that the refusal of the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Theresa Uzokwe, to
swear him in as the duly elected governor of the state was an affront on the
rule of law. I never absconded from office —CJ But the judge has said that she
neverabsconded from duty to avoid swearing in of Ogah as governor of Abia
State, insisting that she was in office on Thursday, June 30, 2016, till 4.30
pm. A statement by the Acting Chief Registrar, Abia State Judiciary, Mrs.Vicky
Analaba, said: “The attention of the Chief Judge of Abia State, Justice Theresa
Uzoamaka Uzokwe, has been drawn to various spurious and mischievous reports
alleging that the Chief Judge absconded from her duty post on Thursday, June
30, 2016, to avoid swearing in Uche Ogah as Governor of Abia State. “ Contrary
to the allegations of cowardice by mischievous politicians, the Chief Judge,
was in her office throughout the working hours on Thursday, June 30,2016 from
8:30 a.m. till 4:30 p.m.
“For the
avoidance of doubt, on Thursday, June 30, 2016, the Chief Judge was in her
court room performing her lawful duties, including the delivery of four rulings
on that date. “The particulars of the ruling in question are: HU/35CM/2015
Francis Akor vs the State; HU/ICM/2016-Johnson Asiegbu vs. Commissioner of
Police, HU/42CM/2016-Onyekachi Samuel vs. Commissioner of Police; HU/34CM/2016-Lucky
Sampson vs. the State.
“These facts are
verifiable and in the records of the court. The various lawyers who appeared in
the respective suits listed
above are also living witnesses.
“This press release has become necessary
in order to avoid further mischief and to set the records straight.” Raising
the kidnap alarm, Ikpeazu in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Enyinnaya
Appolos said: “The state government has uncovered plots by desperate
politicians to kidnap judicial officers in the state. “We call on security
agencies in the state to increase surveillance and protection services around
all judicial officers in the state.
“We wish to warn those involved
in this plot to desist from their nefarious activities as the government will
not hesitate to apply the full weight of the law against them. “We also call on
Abians to be vigilant and report any suspicious movements around them to the
security.” Ogah had accused the Chief Judge of Abia State, Justice Theresa Uzokwe
of constituting “an affront on the rule of law” by refusing to swear him in as
duly- elected governor of the state,” saying the action was capable of
undermining the peace and stability of the state. According to him, the stay of
execution of order secured from an Abia High Court in Osisioma has no force of
law as the court has coordinate jurisdiction with a Federal High Court.
“A High Court in Abia is a court
of coordinate jurisdiction with a Federal High Court and so any order given by
such court to contradict an earlier order of the same court is ipso facto null
and void. It is only a higher court that has the legal capacity to reverse the
earlier order or judgment,” Ogah was quoted as saying through his Special
Adviser on Public Communications, Monday Ubani. Abia PDP accuses Ogah of
nursing unbridled ambition On its own, Abia State chapter of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, has accused Ogah of nursing “unbridled ambition” and
alleged that he was plotting to kidnap judicial officers to swear him in as
governor of Abia State. A statement by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Chief
Don Ubani, stated: “The Peoples’ Democratic Party in Abia State has frowned on
the reports making round in the state that a certain desperate politician in
the state, whose illegal efforts to seize power from the back door which has
been frustrated by decent application of the rule of law, is now directing his
evil machination towards kidnapping judicial officers in the state with the
hope of intimidatingthem in order to have access to power that he did not
canvass for.“The party has equally taken cognizanceof the inordinately
ambitious politician’s plot to kidnap some top functionaries of the party in
the state. According to intelligence available to the party, the political
desperado is embittered with the state executive of the party for not coming
out to support his acts of illegality.
“The party,
therefore, cautions the politician that is involved in this sacrilegious and
bloody shenanigan to quickly retrace his nefarious steps as the likely
consequences of his devious desires and
mischievous plots would compound his imagination and would only leave him with
regrets that may not be redressed or even corrected in his life time. “The
party wishes to remind him that he who throws stones into a crowded market
should not forget that his loved ones could end up being the victims of his
action.”
The fight is
still on —Ogah But speaking, yesterday, on developments in the state, Ogah said
the fight to swear him in as governor was still on. Ogah said he was hopeful
that God would see him through the fight, adding that this was not the time to
talk much.
THE Niger Delta Avengers, NDA,
