By James Adeniyi
A non governmental organization under the aegis of Northern Initiative for Defense of Democracy and Justice (NIDDJ) has urged the Apex court of the country, Supreme court to give a fair trial on the petition pending before her in respect of the dispute arising from 11th November governorship election in kogi state .
The president of NIDDJ , Ambassador Nurudeen Musa Sadiq disclosed this in Abuja on Sunday at a press conference as the supreme court is set to commence proceeding on the case.
Ambassador Sadiq stated that a fair judgement at the apex court will end the ugly trend that had been trailing proceedings at the lower courts over the said petition, resulting in alleged miscarriage of justice in the eyes of the public .
Also, he said the firmness of the apex over the petition could reaffirmed the integrity of judiciary as avowed defender of the rule of law as enshrined in the constitution of the country.
“The proceedings at the governorship tribunal hardly gathered momentum when the chatter box supporters of one of the litigants in the case started celebrating an acclaimed victory.
“The community of the confluence was awash with the news on how the judgement was allegedly “secured” at the tribunal, describing the then ongoing proceeding as a mere formalities to fulfil all righteousness”, he said .
The president of NIDDJ stressed that initially they took such political behaviour by supporters of litigants in such a case as a mere flying of kites,and inconsequential to justice and principle of fair hearing.
Then, he added that the organisation could not be swayed to think otherwise by alleged unwholesome practices that was household news in kogi during the proceeding at the tribunal.
“Again, in the midway into the proceeding at the Appeal court , the same “lullaby of our judgment have been secured and sealed ” rented the air of confluence.
“The same litigant and his chatter bots supporters went wild into victory celebration before judgement was eventually delivered by the court, and as usual , in their favour.
“The Appeal court aligned in totality with the tribunal’s judgement ,without shedding more light to grey areas, particularly the abandoned records of BVAS in the said election by the tribunal , which is of public interest and the kernel of the case .
“Again, we were dumb struck when the same Appeal court in its ruling threw out the appeal of a litigant in the case of governorship election petition in Bayelsa state on the ground of no report of BVAS records of the election”, he added
Ambassador Sadiq stressed further that kogi petitioner presented the records of BVAS in consonance with the procedure of the enabling law , electoral act and the constitution, yet the same court upheld the stand of the tribunal in its judgement over kogi petition.
“We are all waiting for the supreme court to clear the air on the legality or constitutionality of the lower courts judgment on kogi petition, particularly the documented and abandoned BVAS records on the said election.
“Last week, the chatter box supporters of the same litigant trooped out celebrating yet, “our victory, secured and sealed”, creating Impression that something is amiss and an another charade in loading at the supreme court”, he said .
He said the news no doubt jolted everyone, particularly as the court has not commenced proceeding on the said case pending before her.
Ambassador Sadiq stressed further that this most recent “victory song” has made the people of the state and admirers of democracy to become worry warts, screaming of yet another blue murder in the offing .
“We, the members of NIDDJ view these trend as an attempt to smear the judiciary with bad names and drag it in the mud of public justice, including sending spanner to highly secured current enduring democracy .
“We therefore appeal to supreme court ,for the sake of the survival of democracy, rule of law, image of judiciary and the suffering people of kogi to treat the petition before it on principle of fair play , devoid of technicality for true blue leadership to emerge in kogi state .
