Labour Party Defends Supreme Court’s Failure To Produce Certified Copy Of Ruling On Peter Obi’s Petition
The Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) has scolded a former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof Chidi Odinkalu, for describing the Supreme Court’s failure to present a documented judgment on the appeal of Peter Obi, as a “Supreme scandal and height of judicial malefaction.”
It could be recalled that Odinkalu had on Thursday described the apex court’s action on Obi’s appeal as “Supreme scandal and height of judicial malefaction” while reacting to the controversies trailing the apex court’s failure to release the Certified True Copy (CTC) of its judgment on Obi’s case after over a month it dismissed the appeals of Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for lacking in merit.
Also on October 26 the Supreme Court had affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), after it upheld the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that dismissed Obi and Atiku’s appeals for lacking in merit.
While the apex court released the CTC of its judgment on Atiku’s case almost a month after it delivered its ruling, the court has not released the same document on Obi’s case, prompting Obi and the Labour Party to raise an alarm over the court’s action.
Reacting to Odinkalu’s comment, the Apapa-led faction of the Labour Party on Friday in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, said that the comment by Odinkalu, a professor of law, was an “explicit exhibition and display of manifest ignorance of judicial jurisprudence.”
The party stated that “For the benefit of the general public, the Apapa-led National Working Committee of our great Party wishes to set the records straight as this political hawks are trying their best to impugn on the credibility of the justices of the supreme Court
“The Supreme Court held that the judgment in the appeal filed by the Labour Party will abide by the judgment delivered in the PDP case.
“The reason for this is very simple. The Supreme Court, having carefully considered all the issues raised by both parties in the two appeals, saw that they were the same.
“The facts were the same and the arguments were even substantially the same. It will serve no utilitarian value for the court to write two judgments on facts and issues that are entirely the same.
“The Supreme Court does not have to conduct special proceedings first to be able to do that. It’s a matter of procedure and having held that the Obi’s appeal will abide by the decision of Atiku’s case, this implies that the judgment delivered in Atiku also qualifies as Obi’s judgment.
“There is no need in law for the court to prepare a different judgment for Obi or the Labour Party. It will be cosmetic surplusage for the court to prepare a different judgment for LP or Obi.
“Please, Peter Obi and his followers should please be guided.”
Read the Statement below
LABOUR PARTY PRESS STATEMENT
RE : SUPREME COURT SCANDAL AND JUDICIAL MALEFACTION ALLEGATIONS BY PROF CHIDI ODINKALU IS AN EXPLICIT EXHIBITION AND DISPLAY OF MANIFEST IGNORANCE OF JUDICIAL JURISPRUDENCE
The attention of Labour party was drawn to a disparaging comments credited to the former chairman of Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof Chidi Odinkalu, where he allegedly described the Supreme Court’s failure to present a documented judgment on the appeal of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, as a “Supreme scandal and height of judicial malefaction.”
We wouldn’t had bothered to dignify this reckless statement from the Illegal Labour leadership and their co traveler Prof Chidi Odinkalu but because they continue to pretend and mislead members of the public with their intellectual sophistry and claims of winning the 2023 presidential election which is a false narratives that they have the Horn of a horse
With this kind of unexpected expensive insults coming from a man who ought to know , then the remnants Labour party under Julius Abure a man that has been restrained by the FCT high court for Perjury, criminal conspiracy, Forgery and impersonation on April 5th 2023 from parading himself as National Chairman of our party is trying to excel in corrupt tendencies and Setting a record that is yet be beaten by any political party
For the benefit of the general public, the Apapa led National Working Committee of our great Party wishes to set the records straight as this political hawks are trying their best to impugn on the credibility of the justices of the supreme Court
The Supreme Court held that the judgment in the appeal filed by Labour Party will abide by the judgment delivered in the PDP case.
The reason for this is very simple. The Supreme Court having carefully considered all the issues raised by both parties in the two appeals saw that they were the same.
The facts were the same and the arguments were even substantially the same. It will serve no utilitarian value for the court to write two judgments on facts and issues that are entirely the same.
The Supreme Court does not have to conduct a special proceedings first to be able to do that. It’s a matter of procedure and having held that the Obi’s appeal will abide by the decision of the Atiku’s case, this implies that the judgment delivered in Atiku also qualify as Obi’s judgment.
There is no need in law for the court to prepare a different judgment for Obi or Labour Party. It will be cosmetic surplusage for the court to prepare a different judgment for LP or Obi.
Please, Peter Obi and his followers should please be guided.
ON THE BLAND , EMPTY AND BITTERED ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE JUSTICES OF COURT OF APPEAL AND FEDERAL HIGH COURT OVER JUDGEMENT OF ENUGU STATE GOVERNORSHIP QUAGMIRE
The Apapa led Labour party National Working Committee is shocked by the infantile statement credited to the failed leadership under Former National Chairman Julius Abure where he said that the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, during the last Governorship Election in Enugu State, Mr Peter Mbah, should be sacked by the court, stating it clearly that Peter Mbah forged his NYSC Certificate.
Abure committed a judicial somersault and rascality with his conclusions that the Labour Party tendered the evidence that confirmed that the Enugu State governor, Mr Peter Mbah attached a forged NYSC Certificate to his EC9 form and that the Tribunal and the appeal court didn’t consider its evidence because the form EC9 tendered by INEC confirmed the said NYSC Certificate attached was forged
May we remind Julius Abure that his recent characters and comments with respect to various court judgement is worrisome and his legal qualities and qualifications as a lawyer is now in doubt and we called on Nigeria Bar Association to urgently investigate him
In an unanimous decision delivered by the three-member court of Appeal panel led by Tani Yusuf-Hassan dismissed three issues raised by the Labour party candidate
The panel held that the Labour Party (LP) and its governorship candidate failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that Mbah was not qualified to contest the election.
On the allegation of over-voting, Yusuf-Hassan held that the appellants failed to present the “voters’ register” before the lower tribunal and that the judge noted that failure to submit the voters’ register rendered the appeal inadmissible.
The court also held that the witnesses presented by the appellants did not sufficiently prove the existence of over-voting in the governorship election.
Consequently, the appeal court dismissed the suit for lacking merit and affirmed the judgement of the election tribunal which declared Mbah as the winner of the March 18 governorship election.
In another judgement delivered by Hon Justice Ekwo of the Federal High court ABUJA , the judge held that the certificate presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by Mr Mbah was authentic and validly issued by the NYSC and that evidence before the court showed that the governor, though was mobilised for service in 2001, he only completed his service in 2003.6 Nov 2023
The court this dismissed the allegation of forgery against the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah and imposed a fine of N5 million on NYSC for alleging that the corps’ discharge certificate held by Mbah was fake and also held that the certificate was authentic and validly issued by the NYSC were this guilty of misrepresentation of material facts.
The court held that with the unchallenged evidence of the plaintiff on how the discharge certificate was issued to him in 2003 by NYSC after serving in a law firm in Lagos and the inability of the Corps to come up with counter-evidence, it was crystal clear that the plaintiff served the mandatory one-year service.
Justice Ekwo held that the onus to prove forgery allegations lies heavily on the NYSC, stating that the organisation failed in that regard.
The court found that Mbah’s evidence was heavier and more believable.
Finally the National Working Committee of Labour party under the Leadership of Alh Bashiru Lamidi Apapa therefore urge the general public to dismissed this phantom and baseless Allegations Judgement of court are entirely base on constitutional provisions and has nothing to do with the justices
It is important to put the record straight that judgement of both courts and their implementations thereof are a function the constitution and not the office or person of the justices
The Honourable justices of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal can not therefore be held responsible for the ineptitude , impunity and gross incompetence of Julius Abure led illegal faction of Labour party as it is rightly known.
“It is, therefore, incongruous and antithetical to common sense to think that the Honourable Justices of Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal will relies on public sentiments , speculation or hearsay against constitutional provisions in the 1999 constitution as amended to deliver their judgement
The allegation does not represent the true position of things as far the Constitution of Nigeria is Concerned
Signed
Dr Abayomi Arabambi (FBAU)
National Publicity Secretary
Labour Party
December 1st 2023
