BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
A group, Lawyers in Defence of Democracy in Imo State, has condemned in strong terms and its entirety the attack on President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem over there relocation of the National/State assembly petition tribunal sitting in Owerri, Imo State capital.
The body also condemned the blackmailing of the Judges presiding over the tribunal cases in the state.
According to Barrister O.G. Obe, the spokesman, LIDD’s stand on issues of democracy and law has always been constant.
He said, “We represent and promote the highest ideals of democracy and would always stand for due process entrenched in the rule of law.
“It is against this backdrop that Lawyers in Defense of Democracy (LIDD) condemn in its entirety, the nocturnal meetings, consultations and wicked conspiracy by agents of the Imo State government to stage a state-sponsored protest with the sole aim of smearing the reputation of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem and blackmailing the tribunal Judges for the Imo State Assembly/National Assembly election petitions panel.
“Uzodimma and his cronies may not have factored in the reality that a new President has taken the saddle and the old order is gone for good.”
Obe said if the governor had, his agents plotting to brow-beat the Imo Election Petitions Tribunal Judges and blackmail the President of the Court of Appeal to silence and inaction, through their derailed protest march and media assault, would not have wasted state resources on such errands.
He said after all the concerted efforts by the same agents of government to frustrate the tribunal’s hearing in Owerri failed, suddenly, out of the blues, a threat to attack the Judges if they continue to sit emerged.
“Any responsible institution will swiftly ship its personnel out of the danger zone, and that was exactly what the President of the Court of Appeal did by relocating the Imo Tribunal from Owerri to Nasarawa State for the safety of the officers of the law and the litigants,” he added.
He maintained that the planned protest march is Uzodimma’s response to the relocation of the tribunal to a neutral ground where the Judges will be under less pressure to do the right thing, with no governor or individual threatening brimstone and fire if they did not play ball.
“Uzodimma’s agents may still be under the illusion that their candidates, who polled the least votes in election, can be arbitrarily declared winners and nothing will happen, just like Uzodimma who came from his 4th position in the Imo governorship election in 2019 to become governor in the worst case of judicial robbery in Nigeria.
“In the new administration, not many Judges want to be identified with such a stigmatizing judicial stunt.
“Who would want to gamble his life and safety in the state where the governor’s aides violently attacked judicial officers of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Owerri, forcing the Court Judge to flee the state for the safety of his life, just because the court entered a judgment the governor and his goons felt was not in the interest of the governor.
“What kind of Judge will stake his neck in a state where governor Uzodimma’s men will storm a church in session, open fire inside the church and abduct Hon. Uche Nwosu whose only crime was that he is the son-in-law of former Governor Rochas Okorocha, one of Uzodimma’s political rivals?
“A government that holds nothing sacred will not think twice about attacking the tribunal and battering any judge whose disposition appears not to support their political interest.
“So anyone attacking the judges or the President of the Court of Appeal for relocating the tribunal is an enemy of Imo people who has no interest in seeing that justice is served on all the electoral rogues that truncated the will of the people of Imo State during the legislative elections in the state.
“We therefore wish to assure the governor and his cronies that it would be a vain effort attempting to discredit the Judiciary, arm-twist the President of the Court of Appeal and intimidate the Imo Election Petitions Tribunal through their poorly planned protest march.”
One stressed further that, “If they choose, his protesters can march from Government House to Omuma, the course of justice will not be derailed to serve his interest and his ilk alone. We urge him to advise his lackeys to save their energy and rather work towards defending the stolen mandate they flaunt.”
Meanwhile, the media team of the governor has described the allegations as a figment of imagination of those accusing the governor of sponsoring attacks on the President of Court of Appeal and the Judges of the Imo state Elections Petitions Tribunal.
The media team leader, Ogu Bundu Nwadike said after the 2023 general elections in Imo State, the defeated opposition in the state has resumed violence against the political, electoral and legal system.
“Consequently, the election petitions tribunal set up to hear petitions arising from the 2023 general elections has been relocated from Imo State to Nasarawa State following a threat letter to the tribunal by agents of the opposition in the state.
“Governor Uzodimma ensured that the 2023 general elections in Imo State was very free, fair and credible, conducted under over 90 percent safe, secure and peaceful atmosphere and environment, fortunately, APC swept the polls, winning with a very wide margin, securing two Senate seats, five House of Representatives seats, and 25 house of assembly seats,” Nwadike said.
He argued that the election petitions tribunal was set up for aggrieved political parties and their candidates who suffered loss, defeat and failure in the election to seek redress.
“The tribunal wasn’t set up for the declared winners, who are 95 per cent APC. Simple logic will support the argument by reputable pundits, who are always anonymous, saying there wasn’t any logical way or reason the declared winner will turn to harass and threaten the tribunal,” he said.
