From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi State chapter, and the state government are bickering over the recent court judgment which quashed the local government elections held on July 30, 2022 in the state.
The PDP, yesterday, raised the alarm over alleged plot to undermine the judgment of the Federal High Court Abakaliki, which nullified the just conducted LGAs election in the state.
The main opposition party claimed that the move was to bring a judge of the Ebonyi State High Court to give an order to set aside the judgment earlier delivered by Justice Riman Fatun, on the matter.
The state Public Secretary of the PDP, Chika Nwoba, in a statement, said: “The attention of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State has been drawn to a plan by the Ebonyi State Government led by His Excellency, Engr David Umahi, to undermine the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abakaliki, delivered yesterday, 25th of August, 2022 nullifying the local government elections recently held in Ebonyi State by the Gov. Umahi administration.
“This attempt to disobey the judgment of the Abakaliki Federal High Court is billed to be carried out using Justice H.A Njoku of the Ebonyi State High Court in Abakaliki. The information we have is that the Ebonyi State Government has perfected plans to approach Justice H. A Njoku of the state High Court who doubles as the Vacation Judge/Court to obtain a counter judgment in form or an order to undermine the judgment of the Hon. Justice Fatun Riman of the Federal High Court in Abakaliki which rendered the recently conducted local government elections in Ebonyi State nullified on the ground that due process as captured by electoral Act wasn’t followed by the EBSIEC and as EBSIEC Laws regulating the conduct of the said elections were not made known to anybody or the public regarding the organisation and conduct of the 2022 chairmanship and councillorship elections in Ebonyi State.
“It is on this ground that we are letting the judiciary and general public to be aware of the plot hatched by the Ebonyi State Government to connive with Justice H. A Njoku who has always been a willing tool for disobedience of judgments of courts of competent jurisdiction as was carried out against the Judgment that declared His Excellency, Chief Dave Umahi’s seat vacant by the Same Judge, moreover as it affects Ebonyi State Government. We are urging Justice H.A Njoku to steer clear of the plot as we would be taking every necessary legal process against him if he yields to such an irresponsible overture.”
But, the Ebonyi State Government, debunked the allegation, saying the PDP spokesman, Nwoba, merely exhibited, “a poorly conceived legal inference lacking a sound basis and depicting overzealous party loyalists bereaved of legal minds”.
It added that the PDP should “Be blamed for allowing overzealous politicians of legal novice sense to make unguided press statement in respect of a highly incongruous legal decision that cannot stand the furnace of the law”.
Commissioner for Information in the state, Uchenna Orji, in statement, said: “We have an option of allowing the PDP and its media managers to wallow in the mud of legal shortsightedness, but for the sake of posterity. We posit that the judgment having the propensity of being adjudged VOID, we have taken a step that has put us on a right track in our commitment in defending the extant provisions of the Laws that govern the conduct of Local Government elections in Ebonyi State.
He said: “It is unfortunate that the legal representatives of PDP did not tell their spokesman that interpretation and application of the law is not a child’s play. They are to blame for allowing overzealous politicians of legal novice sense to make unguided Press Statement in respect of a highly incongruous legal decision that cannot stand the furnace of the law.
“We have studied the reason for the judgment of the Federal High Court in respect of the duly conducted Local Government elections and we state categorically that we have consummated the constitutional processes of making the judgment-effect dead on arrival. We have sound legal minds that cannot deceive the State Government in their legal opinion and all our actions are based on legal convictions.
“The filing of the case against the conduct of the State 2022 Local Government elections abinitio suffered a still birth as the litigants who though lack locus standi, filed their processes in a Federal Hugh Court that was already on vacation and the learned Judge knowing full well that he was NOT a vacation Judge heard the litigants during the period of the annual vacation and gave them judgment, even when the matter is not of “Extreme Urgency” as contemplated by the Federal High Court circular on notification of Federal High Court Annual vacation for year 2022.”