Olumide Akpata, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has called on the president of the Court of Appeal, Monica Dongban-Mensem, to provide a “cogent explanation and clarification” on the “clerical error” in the Kano State governorship election judgment.
The call comes amid controversy surrounding the judgment, which affirmed the verdict of the Kano State governorship election petition tribunal that sacked Abba Yusuf, the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), as governor.
However, the certified true copy of the judgment contained contradictory resolutions, with the judge ruling in favor of, and against, the governor, at the same time.
In a statement on Saturday, Akpata said he had previously raised concerns about the screening process for potential justices of the Court of Appeal, warning of potential negative consequences.
He noted that he had revisited the issue of the sub-optimal recruitment process on several occasions since the end of his tenure as NBA president.
“It is for this reason that I urgently call on the PCA, My Lord, Hon. Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, as the Head of the Nigerian Court of Appeal to provide, for the benefit of Nigerians and, indeed, the world, a hopefully cogent explanation and clarification of this quagmire,” Akpata stated.
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NBA Former president emphasized the importance of the Court of Appeal taking a clear stance on the matter, given the high stakes involved and the current state of the Nigerian judiciary.
“It is the very least My Lord can and should do in the circumstances. It is imperative that His Lordship makes a categorical statement on this matter because the stakes are way too high and the current situation in the Judiciary (and indeed the country) too dire for the issue to be left in the hands of Registry officials,” Akpata added.
The controversy surrounding the Kano governorship election judgment has raised concerns about the integrity of the Nigerian judicial system. #NBA