OKPEBHOLO’S ALLIES KNOCK OBASEKI FOR DROPPING THREE ASPIRING JUDGES
Project 2024, a support group for All Progressives Congress’ gubernatorial candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo has faulted the swearing in of five judges out of the eight persons cleared by the Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC) in June 2023.
The group in a statement issued and signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Hon. Theophilus Afuda, accused the governor of interfering, repressing and suppressing other arms of government.
Recall in June 2023, NJC cleared and recommended eight persons for appointment as judges in the Edo State Judiciary.
According to him, “From the list submitted by Edo State Judicial Service Commission, a list believed to have also contained Obaseki’s preferences. However, the eight persons cleared and recommended between June 14th and June 15th 2023 did not include Obaseki’s preferences.
He said “Obaseki’s action is an attempt to arm-twist and muscle the Judicial arm of government, seemingly for not recommending his preferences. A very precarious trend in this time and age.
“Paragraph 21 of part 1 of the third schedule to the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, provides NJC with the power to recommend qualified person(s) to the Governors from among the list of persons submitted to it by the State Judicial Service Commission, for appointment to the office of the Chief Judge of the State and Judges of the High Courts of the States.
“These constitutional powers and responsibilities must be honoured and respected, he stated.
“Obaseki, who during the swearing-in ceremony spent so much time talking about his phantom achievements, did not give any reason for the very protracted and painful delay in swearing in only some of the recommended persons.”
“An unreasonable and unfathomable delay that amounts to abdication; and the selective swearing in, which is tantamount to interference in the Judicial arm of Government and a violation of the Doctrine of Separation of Powers.”
He continued “the excuse by Obaseki that there are petitions against the three persons not sworn in, is a case of obvious obfuscation. When was the petitions written against them, before the NJC’s approval or after? His refusal to swear in these persons, is believed to be predicated on the failure of his preferences to sail through the screening and interview that culminated in the NJC’s recommendations.”
While accusing the outgoing governor of his notoriety for refusing to swear in legitimate persons because of narrow considerations and personal vendetta, Afuda said “Not too long ago, in his usual habit refused to swear in fourteen legitimate House of Assembly Members for similar reasons.”
He explained that separation of powers is a sacred constitutional standard of democratic government, “to keep the three arms of government in check and to confine them to their spaces, this Obaseki has contravene time and again.”
“Edo people must rise up and condemn this executive rascality that severely threatens our democratic institutions. We cannot keep our fingers crossed while we watch Obaseki destroy our institutions, the very foundation and essence of our democratic existence.”
“The doctrine of separation of powers must be respected no matter whose ox is gored,” Afuda concluded.
