Group Asks FHC’s Chief Judge to Consolidate PDP’s Suits

• to stop conflicting decisions

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

Society for Global Justice and Equity Promotion has appealed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, to consolidate all the cases filed by warring factions of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The group, in a statement issued in Abuja at the weekend and signed by the National Coordinator, Elder Oluwole Adegboyega, said that allowing one judge to hear all the cases would save the judiciary from a situation where two contradictory orders on the same issues will emanate from the courts.

While making reference to the two contradictory rulings by a Federal High Court in Lagos and another one in PortHarcourt on the lingering crisis in the PDP, Adegboyega said that consolidating the suits would prevent the litigants from presenting conflicting facts that might lead the courts into issuing contradictory decisions.

He commended recent efforts by the leadership of the judiciary , especially the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, to sanitize the judiciary and said that politicians should not be allowed to use the courts to resolve issues that they could simply settle among themselves.

He pointed out that non lawyers who did not understand the ways and manner the judiciary works are already casting aspersions on the courts because of the contradictory decisions.

According to him, by assigning the cases to one judge through consolidation, His Lordship would have prevented the possibility of politicians misleading the court because all issues would be put in perspective before the trial judge.

He said: “We note with great concern the two conflicting orders emanating from two federal high courts on similar issues and hold the view that such a development does not augur well for our judiciary.

“To save the judiciary from further embarrassment, we hereby appeal to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to order immediate consolidation of the cases in Lagos and Port Harcourt and assign to a judge to determine the issues therein.

“Let us make it clear here. We are not blaming any of the judges. They have only acted on the facts presented before them. Nevertheless, a situation where two conflicting orders on similar issues will emanate from the Federal High Court, which in law is only one court, does not help the image of the judiciary.”

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