Okorocha to Uzodimma: Stop Insulting Judges over APC Imo West Senate Verdict
Alex Enumah in Abuja
A former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has asked his successor, Hope Uzodimma and his aides to desist from further insulting judges over the recent judgment of a Federal High Court, Abuja, that sacked him as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Imo West Senatorial District election slated for January next year.
The ex-governor advised Uzodimma and his aides to, instead concentrate their efforts to pursuing their appeals up to the Supreme Court instead of denigrating the Judiciary over a lost case.
Okorocha spoke yesterday at the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he said he attended to sign some documents at the court’s Registry in relation to the appeal filed by Uzodimma against the October 26 judgment by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which upheld Okorocha’s claim to being the APC candidate for Imo West.
Okorocha said: “I listened to that news yesterday and it was so horrible, so terrible, that Governor Hope’s aide, in the name of his Deputy Chief of Staff, and the National Vice Chairman of APC, could berate a judge, insult a judge.
“To use his words, he said the judgment was rubbish, procured, and that the judge should go and look at himself in the mirror. I think that is terrible. And, the other one, who is called his Deputy Chief of Staff, whose wife is even a judge, could all be insulting the judge because of a judgment.
“So, it means that whenever the judgment is for Hope then, it is good but, whenever it is against him then the Judiciary is evil. I think this is very uncivilised. I want him to caution his attack dogs and his people to refrain from insulting judges. It doesn’t represent this nation well, and I feel particularly hurt.
“I was made to understand that he has called all his aides and commissioners and everybody to go on as an attack dog. You see, they are doing all that. Can’t he wait patiently again to try and get the appeal through? At least the Supreme Court is there.
“So it is very shocking and very surprising. I don’t know what they expected; that the judge should have said that the election was done on the 16th for Hope, when that actual date is 18th?
“Or, he would have said that Hope emerged by consensus, which is not true? Or the paper signed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Imo State, the National Chairman was signed only by him, saying that it was by consensus and saying that Hope’s election took place two days before the time?
“I don’t understand what their quarrel is all about. I want to, once more, say: let us protect the sanctity of the Judiciary and let us allow justice prevail in all matters. Hope has been a very big and unusual beneficiary of the court and I think he should have respected it,” he said.
