By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
A political party, Action Alliance (AA) has accused the Federal High Court, Abuja of unnecessarily aiding and abetting injustice by deliberately delaying its cases filed against the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a statement signed on Thursday in Abuja, and made available to journalists in Kaduna, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Rev. Dennis Iheanyichukwu Ubani, urged the the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to resist the temptation and give the party right to fair hearing.
The statement reads; “Recent events in the portals of the Federal High Court, Abuja have led us to the inevitable conclusion that there is water tight conspiracy to ensure that the pre-election cases of Action Alliance filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja to ensure the disqualification of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a Presidential Candidate of the APC will never be heard until the effluxion of the time within which the matters ought to be expressly determined.
“For the records, we instituted the following suits:
“Action alliance vs independent national electoral commission (INEC), APC and senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu (FHC/ABJ/CS/954/2022).
“Action alliance vs. independent national electoral commission (INEC), APC, Ibrahim Kabiru Masari and senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu (FHC/ABJ/CS/1097/2022).
“By Section 285 (9) of the 1999 Constitution, pre-election cases must be filed within 14 days of the happening of the event and determined within 180 days of the filing. The clear implication of this is that by the 15th day of December, 2022 the court would have lost the requisite jurisdiction to hear the matters and the cases would be struck out without a determination on the merits.
“Our observation is that the judicature of the Federal High Court is not relenting in ensuring the frustration of the two cases. We are convinced that the conductor of the bizarre orchestra is doing the bidding of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, we are determined to ensure the failure of this heinous scheme.
“It is on record that about three weeks ago the Honourable, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, against all known legal customs and practices, recalled the two case files of the two cases for reassignment”.
The opposition AA expressed shock over the alleged recall of the files.
“Expectedly, when we heard of the recall of the files we knew that the serpent had slipped into the hallowed chambers of justice. Not surprisingly since then the cases have been stalled.
“Arising from all the foregoing we hereby urge the Honourable the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to resist the temptation of aiding and abetting injustice by denying us our right to fair hearing. We have no hesitation in stating that what is happening is a personal agenda and cannot enjoy judicial immunity.
“Finally, we want to assure Nigerians that our avowed determination to enthrone a new Nigeria cannot be diminished by the Political chicanery of anti-people agents. We are thus determined to ensure that we are not going to sheath our swords until the victory for Nigerians is attained. In this historic war for the birth of a new Nigeria we call on the Judicature to stand on the side of justice”.
