Chief Yomi Alliyu SAN has said the Action Peoples Party (APP) erred by condemning judgments by the Federal High Court, Abuja over the local government election, ongoing in Rivers State.
The learned counsel gave an advise in a statement on Saturday that court judgments must be read before any comments can be made.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Abuja Federal High Court had, on Monday, delivered a ruling halting the local government election in Rivers State.
Justice Lifu had also, in the judgment, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to release the 2023 Voter’s Register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the election.
However, APP National Chairman, Mr Uchenna Nnadi, addressing a press conference, described the judgment as “judicial rascality”. He said it was in contradiction with a previously ruling by Justice Lifu on the state leadership rights of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Chief Alliyu said it was unfair for the APP leadership, along with alleged “emergency NGOs” to condemn Chief Judge Tsoho, Justices Lifu and James Omotoso (all of the Federal High Court) for deciding cases on the basis of the evidence before them simply because the judgment was in conflict with that of the Rivers State High Court.
“The reputation of these FHC judges go before them as incorruptible, apolitical, impartial and very thorough in their decisions, contrary to assertions and innuendoes of these politicians at the said press conference,” Alliyu stated in the statement.
He also held that it was on record that almost 99 per cent of the previous decisions of the aforementioned judges in complex cases were upheld by the appellate courts.
“It is calling a dog a bad name to hang it to say that their decisions were against the Supreme Court Judgment on the autonomy of local government areas in Nigeria.
“This is nothing other than appeal to sympathy! The Supreme Court never held that elections to local government areas should be held in violation of extant laws of the land.
“Rational people should understand why a state High Court decision will favour the state government and be in conflict with that of the FHC. May be the problem is with Chief Nursing Wike [a former governor of Rivers State] being a minister too
“The worst scenario is the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) taking position that apparently condemned the FHC judges who are incapacitated in defending themselves. They can only be seen and not heard.
“The Police can, also, in no way be condemned as long as they have a judgment supporting their stand. However, they have an innate power to maintain law and order in Rivers State.
“The actors are to ensure that there is peace on Saturday (today) to prevent the Police from using force in maintaining peace in Rivers State by use of reasonable force,” Chief Alliyu added in the statement dated 5 September, 2024.
