Rights Body Threatens to Drag Judge before NJC over Ubah

Rights Body Threatens to Drag Judge before NJC over Ubah

A Human Rights body, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has threatened to drag  Justice Bello Kawu of an Abuja High Court before the National Judicial Council (NJC) over what it called travesty and miscarriage of justice over itas position on the case of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah who represents Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the Senate.

A statement by the Rights body alleged that the judge overreached himself when he made an order for a contestant not on the ballot paper to be sworn-in which it insisted was tantamount to awarding a seat to one who never contested for it.

“HURIWA recall that  the court, in a ruling by Justice Bello Kawu, nullified Ubah’s election, for allegedly using a forged National Examination Council (NECO) certificate to contest the senatorial election that was held in the state on February 23, 2019 just as the judge had on April 11, 2019, ordered that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to withdraw the Certificate of Return it issued to Ubah and issue a fresh one to Obinna Uzoh of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second in the poll. Ubah polled a total of 87, 081 votes to emerge, winner of the Anambra South Senatorial District. Senator Ubah then approached the same court to ask for a review since there was a manifest display of unfairness but the Court restated her earlier ruling. 

“Ubah said he was neither served with the court processes nor hearing notice with respect to the suit before the court proceeded to deliver the judgment against him.

“HURIWA  recalled that following his application for a stay of execution, Justice Kawu, on December 4, restrained the Senate president from swearing-in Uzoh, pending the hearing and determination of the motion challenging the verdict just as the court equally ordered all the parties, including the INEC to maintain the status quo until it decides the merit in Ubah’s contention.

“However, the judge has just held that Ubah’s application to vacate its judgment lacked merit and accordingly dismissed it just as he also dismissed a motion another claimant to the PDP senatorial ticket, Chief Chris Uba, filed to be joined as an interested party in the substantive suit marked CV/3044/2018, which was filed before the court by an electorate in the state, Anani Chuka.

“By not joining the actual PDP Senatorial Candidate Chief Chris Uba the Abuja High Court has clearly demonstrated an unnatural interest in midwifing a predetermined outcome in the suit. We will ask the NJC to investigate the Judge to ascertain his special interest in the matter,” HURIWA said in a statement. 

 

The statement by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf said that on good authority the decision was wrong a several grounds and cited a plathora of authorities to support its position.

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