A new week dawns in Abia State without the people knowing who is in charge of their state. The crisis triggered by the sacking of Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu by an Abuja Federal High Court on June 27 is yet to be resolved. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami indicated yesterday that he was yet to offer any legal opinion on the impasse in Abia State.
The AGF, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Salihu Isah, asked both parties, Ikpeazu and Uchechukwu Ogah, who was issued a Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday, to wait for the courts to resolve the crisis.
The motion for a stay of execution of the judgement, filed by Ikpeazu before Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja, who delivered the judgement that sacked the governor, will be heard today.
Justice Abang had ordered Ikpeazu’s removal for allegedly disclosing false information in relation to his tax clearance details to INEC in his form nominating him as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2015 governorship election in Abia State.
The judge, also ordered Ogah, who was the first runner-up in the primary that produced Ikpeazu as the candidate of the PDP, to be sworn in as the state governor.
The judge was of the view that Ikpeazu was not qualified to be the PDP’s candidate, having disclosed false information to INEC in violation of his party’s election guidelines and the Electoral Act.
However, a few hours after INEC presented the Certificate of Return to Ogah on Thursday in Abuja, an Aba High Court issued an order, stopping the State Chief Judge or any other judge from swearing-in Ogah as governor.
Ikpeazu also maintained that he remained in charge of the state.
Malami, in the statement, also denied that he had a hand in INEC’s decision to issue a Certificate of Return to Ogah.
The statement said that INEC was yet to seek the minister’s opinion on the issue and that the minister had yet to offer any advice.
The statement described as “crass lies” alleged insinuations “being peddled and disseminated by a cross-section of Nigerians that “the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation is behind the legal logjam over the Abia State governorship seat.”
It added, “Of particular concern are those who have peddled ill-natured rumours with a view to misinforming our discerning populace that the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, and by extension, the Federal Government of Nigeria, gave directives to INEC to issue Certificate of Return to Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, declaring him governor-elect.
“He (AGF) has definitely not taken any action either by spoken words or body language as far as this Abia governorship crisis is concerned.
“I wish to, therefore, on behalf of my principal, declare that these rumours are untrue and a figment of the imagination of those pushing these selfish, shameless and irredeemable lies into public space, which only translate to partisanship on the side of its purveyors.
“As far as the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation is concerned, the constitutional powers for the legal opinion of his office have not been invoked on this issue. So far, nobody has approached him to proffer any legal opinion to it.”
While urging parties to the case to await the courts’ decisions, the statement said the AGF will allow the law to take its course.
“The parties involved should await the decision of the courts.
“In fact, we wish to, by this statement, advise those in the habit of dragging the highly esteemed Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice into knotty issue of this kind even when it is yet to take a position, to desist from these unwarranted presumptions henceforth.”
At he meantime, the Chief Judge of Abia State, Justice Theresa Uzokwe, has frowned at insinuations that she has absconded from her duty post so as to avoid the inauguration of Ogah as governor.
Justice Uzokwe described the reports as “allegations of cowardice by mischievous politicians” who did not mean well for the state.
She said contrary to the allegations, she was in her office from 8.30am to 4.30pm on Thursday.
In a statement on her behalf by the Acting Chief Registrar, Abia State Judiciary, Mrs. Vicky Analaba, on Sunday, Uzokwe said the facts were verifiable and in the records of the court for the everyone to see.
The statement read, “For the avoidance of doubt, on Thursday, June 30, 2016, the Chief Judge was in her courtroom performing her lawful duties, including the delivery of four rulings on that date.
“The particulars of the ruling in question are HU/35CM/2015 FRANCIS AKOR vs THE STATE; HU/ICM/2016-Johnson Aseigbu vs. Commissioner of Police, HU/42CM/2016-Onyekachi Samuel vs. Commissioner of Police; HU/34CM/2016-Lucky Sampson vs. the State.
“These facts are verifiable and in the records of the court. The various lawyers, who appeared in the respective suits listed above, are also living witnesses.
“This press release has become necessary in order to avoid further mischief and to set the records straight.”
cpcnews.org 