2023: Rivers APC Candidates Protest against Federal High Court Judge

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

National Assembly candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State for 2023 general elections yesterday staged a protest against a Federal High Court Judge, Justice Stephen Daylop-Pam, over his refusal to recuse himself from a suit against them by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The APC candidates had pleaded with Justice Daylop-Pam to recuse himself from the matter registered in suit No: FHC/PHC/CS/127/2022 on claims that they do not have confidence in his decision on the case.

The candidates alleged that the state Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike was in close relationship with the judge, saying they would not get justice from the court under such circumstance.

However, when the matter was mentioned in court yesterday, counsel for PDP, Den Nwigwe (a Senior Advocate of Nigeria) informed of service of court process.

But one of the respondents in the matter and the candidate APC for Ikwerre-Emohua federal constituency of the APC, Ezemonye Ezekiel-Amadi, who appeared for himself and party in the suit against the NASS candidates reminded the judge of their petition against him, on the call to recuse himself from the matter.

Justice Daylop-Pam reacting on the submissions by the parties, adjourned the matter till September 20, 2022 for hearing.

Speaking to journalists outside the courtroom, Ezekiel-Amadi said the action of Justice Daylop-Pam refusing to recuse himself from the matter proved their earlier alarm that the judge was in a mission to allegedly destroy their political destinies.

Ezekiel-Amadi who is the 12th defendants in the suit said: “I brought to the attention of His Lordship my pending petition and supported by the other defendants asking him to recuse himself and he refused to entertain it at all, instead he adjourned the matter to someday in September for hearing. That is distasteful to me, both as a litigant and as a lawyer

“We have been saying that he is on a mission to destroy our political career. He has some vested interest in the matter. Everyday this matter comes up in court, those who have been following will see the sign of what we have been saying.

“Usually, when a judge has a matter and he was asked to recuse himself, that petition must be attended to because just like the issue of jurisdiction, it goes to the root of the jurisdiction to hear the matter. If I don’t have confidence in a court to hear my matter, then there is nothing the court should do other than recuse himself and send back the file for reassignment if there is no vested interest.”

On his part, the APC Candidate for Rivers West, Asita Honourable said they would resist every attempt by the federal high court judge to hear their suit, alleging that they were aware of his alleged relationship with governor of the state.

“We have respect for the institution. A judge should stop this continuous adjournment, what is he adjourning for, we said leave our matter because if he hears the matter now and he decides in our favour the ordinary impression will be because we petitioned, if he rules against us we will not take it because it justifies the suspicion we have had.

“We are saying that he should leave our case, there are so many judges in the Federal High Court. We are not saying give us judgement but that we do not have confidence in you. We are begging him now to remove his hand from our case,” Honourable added.