The Centre for Credible Leadership & Citizens Awareness (a Coalition of Civil Society Organizations) have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to prevail on Prof. Yakubu Mahmood to obey the Judgement of the FCT High Court Bwari, which clearly stated that Chief Edozie Njoku is the National Chairman of APGA.
The leader of the group, Dr Nwambu Gabriel, told reporters on Friday, 26th January 2024 in Abuja, that, “evidently, on November 9, 2023, the Court pronounced its judgment thus: ‘It is well-established in legal jurisprudence that court orders must be obeyed and respected. Parties to litigation are duty-bound to adhere to the directives of the Court.
“Disobedience of court orders undermines the sanctity of the judiciary and the rule of law. The 1st Respondent (Victor Ike Oye) and 2nd Respondent (Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of INEC) have committed contempt by disobeying the subsisting order of this court made on 10/5/2023 and I so hold.’
“Furthermore, Hon. Justice M.A Madugu stated; ‘having established the disobedience of the 1st Respondent and 2nd respondent to the order of this court made on 10/5/2023 and since the purpose of committal proceedings is to ensure that the orders of the Court are upheld and respected, I hereby adopt a lenient view and order that the 1st and 2nd Respondent should purge themselves of contempt within 14 working days effective from today, the 9th day of November 2023. The case is hereby adjourned till 29/11/2023, to enable the Respondents to purge themselves of the contempt or face the wrath of the Law’, the court held.
The coalition however said its concern is, why didn’t Mahmood explore the 14-day window offered to him by the Court to purge himself of the contempt of the Court?
“This trend is worrisome. Perhaps, this informs why a judge of the Anambra State High Court, Justice Promise Otti, has threatened to stop sitting if the disobedience to her court’s orders continues. Visibly angry when she entered the court on Thursday (25th January 2024) Justice Otti of High Court 3, Awka Judicial Division, told lawyers and litigants that she had come only to announce that she had decided to stop sitting until proper explanations were given for the non-compliance with orders made by her court, Dr. Nwambu said.
He further reiterated that “a society in which Court Orders are treated with levity is doomed. It doesn’t matter whom the law favours, therefore, beneficiaries of any court judgment should be protected by the law and supported to enjoy the dividends arising therefrom.
Recall that on March 25, 2023, the Supreme Court upheld Edozie Njoku as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said on Friday that it made a mistake in a judgement it delivered in 2021, where the court erroneously wrote the name of Victor Oye as APGA national chairman.
In its ruling on Friday, delivered by Mohammed Lawal, the Supreme Court restated its power to review its judgement and correct such an “accidental error,” when its attention was drawn to it.
Consequently, Mr Lawal ordered the removal of Mr Oye’s name as the national chairman of APGA.
