Elders in Imo State have appealed to political parties and other interest groups not to interfere in the judgment of the Supreme Court and the review appeal.
Former minister of Information, Walter Ofonagoro, who spoke on behalf of the elders after a meeting in Owerri, noted that the apex court decision should be considered as final by the contending parties, but however, said anyone dissatisfied had the right to seek for a review.
Ofonagoro said what the elders were, however, against was for some persons to try to dictate or interfere in the matter.
However, former minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi has been criticised over his all on the apex court to reverse its judgment. Former Speaker of the Imo State Assembly, Godfrey Dikeocha, said it was mindboggling how a Senior Advocate of Nigeria would leave the venue of his case and take to press to argue his spurious matter.
“This is the highest level of professional misconduct by a very senior counsel. This is even worse by the words he used on the justices of the highest court of the land. What makes him think he is more knowledgeable, just and non-corrupt than seven Supreme Court justices? This is shameful. A lawyer is adjudged not to be sentimentally attached to a client’s case as Agabi has done here. Agabi’s usual style, as in this instance, is what is known as ambulance chasing in the legal profession. He is playing to the gallery to attract cases to himself…
“Asking the Supreme Court to review the concluded Imo case amounts to reinventing the wheel of legal justice in Nigeria . This wilderness adventure if allowed would throw up plethora of applications for reviews of concluded Supreme Court cases that were even handled by late justices of the Supreme Court from the days of justices Adetokunbo Ademola, Fatai Williams, Orojo, Chukwudifu Oputa, NikiTobi etc. Let’s not start what we can’t finish and allow sleeping dogs to be,” Dikeocha said.