By Jonathan Elendu
Victor Oye, a former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has approached the court of appeal, Abuja, to arrest sentencing on his contempt conviction by the FCT high court, sitting in Bwari.
The FCT high court, Bwari, presided over by Madugu Mohammed, is supposed to sentence Oye and Yakubu Mahmood, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on November 29th.
The court had on November 9 found Oye and the INEC chairman guilty of contempt of court.
Delivering his judgment, Madugu gave Oye and Mahmood two weeks to purge themselves of contempt.
Rather than take advantage of Madugu’s leniency to purge themselves of the contempt, the duo have been scheming to have their sentencing arrested.
They appealed the judgment of the court and somehow managed to secure tomorrow, the 23rd of November, which is the last day of the two weeks given to them to purge themselves of contempt.
Elendureports, months ago had reported that INEC lawyers had assured Justice Madugu that they would obey the orders of the court. However, Prof Yakubu Mahmood, the chairman of INEC scoffed at the lawyers commitment to the Judge.
Sources at INEC had told our reporters that Prof. Chukwuma Soludo had assured the INEC chairman that the orders of Justice Madugu Mohammed would come to nought as he had mobilized his contacts in the Judiciary through an Anambra business mogul who is notorious for his claims of his ability to compromise the Federal Judiciary.
It was a very flabbergasted Yakubu Mahmood who received the news of being found guilty of contempt by FCT High Court, 40. Our sources at INEC said a very agitated Mahmood was screaming at the Commission’s lawyers for allowing the matter ‘get that far without putting a stop to it.’
The INEC chairman ended his rant against Justice Madugu’s judgment with a statement that sent shivers down the spine of some of the lawyers with him: “If Edozie Njoku likes let him get judgment and orders from God. I will not obey it!”
Another curious element to the legal tussle of the APGA leadership crisis is that Prof. Yakubu Mahmood and INEC, rather than remain unbiased referees have continued to align with Victor Oye and Prof Yakubu Mahmood.
The INEC chairman, rather than obey the Supreme Court judgement of March 24th, procured his old schoolmate, Bar. Hajo Sarki Bello, the Registrar of the Supreme Court gave him a letter which he believed was an interpretation of the judgment. The same Registrar was also procured by Victor Oye to write to the Nigeria Police Force claiming that the correction by the apex Court was a forgery as well as the clarification letter by Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili.
Every time an order or ruling has gone against Victor Oye and INEC, rather than obey the Court’s judgement, Yakubu Mahmood and INEC would rely on Oye to appeal.
Reacting to the development, the founder and pioneer National Chairman of APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie, in a statement said: “As unrepentant contemnors, Oye, in collaboration with Mahmood, abused the Court’s magnanimous soft-landing opportunity by preferring to proceed to the Court of Appeal to mislead the Court to lend its weight and name to desecrate the integrity and sanctity of the Temple of Justice.
The contemnors have their right of appeal but plotting to arrest sentencing on a matter a final judgment has been delivered is outright mischief. Such a move should not be contemplated in any sane society. Our country is at a perilous time. All stakeholders in the Nigerian project must be vigilant and protect our systems, including the judiciary, and reject the arrogance and excesses of INEC.
Consequently, representatives of Civil Society Organizations, the Nigerian Bar Association, IPAC, concerned members of the public, and all judiciary correspondents in Abuja should spare time to be at the Court of Appeal on Thursday 23rd November 2023 to watch at first-hand how this sordid episode will play out.
