A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Daniel Onjeh, has raised alarm over what he describes as an escalating trend of conflicting court rulings in Nigeria. He cautioned that such judicial inconsistencies could lead the country toward instability.
In a statement issued on Monday, Onjeh criticized what he termed the reckless abuse of legal orders. He emphasized that the judiciary, as the last hope of the common man, must protect its integrity and avoid actions that could erode public trust.
He warned that undermining confidence in the judicial system could push society toward lawlessness, echoing Thomas Hobbes’ concept of the State of Nature, where only the strongest survive.
Onjeh accused the Benue State Local Government Election Petition Tribunal, established under the leadership of the embattled Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, of attempting to subvert justice.
“The Appeal Panel, which serves as the final arbiter in the 2024 Benue State Local Government Elections, appears determined to render judgments that will make a mockery of the law,” he asserted.
The former Chairman of the Governing Board of the Projects Development Institute (PRODA), Enugu, alleged that Justice Ikpambese was exploiting his jurisdictional control over the Tribunals and Appeal Panel to manipulate the outcome of election cases.
He maintained that the judicial crisis surrounding the relocation of the Election Petition Tribunals and the Appeal Tribunal was a calculated effort by powerful individuals to control political power and financial resources in Benue State at the expense of Governor Hyacinth Alia and the people.
“These power-hungry actors have no regard for public perception or the consequences of their actions. Their desperation to dominate the Benue local government system has tarnished the image of the judiciary,” Onjeh stated.
He dismissed as laughable the notion that some political figures could manipulate the system without being exposed.
“They believe they are operating undetected, but to those who understand their political games, they are as visible as goldfish in an aquarium. They may deceive a gullible public, but their activities are clear to us, and we will continue to expose them,” he added.
Onjeh also condemned a recent injunction by the FCT High Court ordering the relocation of the Benue State Election Petition Tribunal to Abuja. He argued that the decision was legally and procedurally flawed, particularly because the applicants who secured the injunction had no legal standing in the case.
“Even more absurd is that they falsely included the APC as a party in their application, despite the party having no involvement in the matter,” he said.
He further explained that interim injunctions are meant to maintain the status quo, not to enforce an action.
“In this case, the FCT High Court went beyond its jurisdiction by issuing an order that mandates action rather than preserving an existing situation. If we allow such questionable rulings to stand, we could one day see someone securing a court order demanding that the President relocate his office to their village,” he warned.
Onjeh insisted that the Chief Judge of Benue State lacked the authority to move the Election Petition Tribunal from Makurdi to Abuja. He emphasized that local government elections are governed by state electoral laws, not the Nigerian Constitution, which applies to national elections.
He also rejected claims that insecurity in Makurdi justified the tribunal’s relocation, arguing that no official complaint had been made to the Governor, who is the Chief Security Officer of the state.
“Governor Alia has issued directives restricting non-interested parties from approaching the tribunal’s sitting. Moreover, the NBA Headquarters in Abuja, where Justice Ikpambese relocated the tribunal, does not meet the requirement of an open court as stipulated in Section 83 of the Benue State Electoral Laws on Local Government Election Petitions,” he argued.
Onjeh described as troubling the fact that some APC members who obtained the controversial injunction were also supporting the petitioners at the tribunal, despite not participating in the 2024 Benue State Local Government Elections.
He urged the judiciary to exercise caution and avoid becoming a tool for political manipulation.
“If conflicting injunctions continue unchecked, the judicial system will become an instrument of political warfare rather than a dispenser of justice. The courts must resist being used as pawns in the schemes of desperate politicians,” he warned.
The former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to review the Benue State House of Assembly’s recommendations on Justice Ikpambese, as well as the petition filed against him. He urged the NJC to act swiftly to resolve the lingering legal disputes and uphold the credibility of the judiciary.
Onjeh also called on the appellate court to immediately overturn the FCT High Court’s ruling, stressing that the judiciary must remain neutral and committed to the rule of law.
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