A league of lawyers have applauded the recent judgments delivered by the Supreme court on the suits challenging victory of River State Governor Nyelsom Wike and the sack of senators Andy Ubah and Stella Oduah describing it as a display of consistency and true justice in the judiciary.
Barr Chukwudi Adiukwu explained that the reason Wike’s election was nullified at the Tribunal was the lack and non usage of card reader and that the election was not conducted in compliance with the electoral act and as a result of that, appeal also followed the same judgment while supreme court said no to it as in the case of Ambode of Lagos State with Jime Agbaje where it ruled that the card reader is alien (not known) to the electoral act and that the law does not specify the use of card reader.
He said the supreme court is trying now to maintain consistency and to show independence of the judiciary because it would have been laughable for the supreme court in one instance to say that non usage of card reader is not empowered by electoral act and in another place say the non usage of card reader is an issue; since it was basically on that ground (card reader) Wike has to be returned.
Adiukwu clarified that if somebody was duely elected in the senate, the challenge has to go through electoral tribunal and the final court to determine that is court of appeal and not supreme court. So, the supreme court did not determine the election of senators Andy Ubah and Stella Oduah; what was determined was the issue of primaries in PDP where it was alleged that the Executive committee of the party was not the proper one. “The job of the judiciary is to interpret the law visa vis facts brought before it because it strengthen democracy as a lot of things that are wrong have happened to the system” he said.
call the new members back from the senate when not satisfied” he advised.It could be recalled that the Supreme Court has upheld theoutcome of the April 11 governorship election that brought Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to power, where the apex court in an unanimous judgment,
restored the declaration of Wike as the valid winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC where as Supreme Court again last week sacked
Senator Andy Ugah (Anambra South) and Senator Stella Oduah (Anambra North) from the Senate. In their place, the Senate directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue certificates of return to Chief Chris Ubah and Chief John Emeka respectively.
