Group Rejects A’Court’s Judgment Sacking PDP National Assembly  Members

Alex Enumah in Abuja

A civil society group, the Coalition for Justice in Africa (CJA)  have rejected  the judgments of the Court of Appeal, ordering the sack of some members of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) from the National Assembly on the basis of pre- election matters.

The group through its Convener, Daniel Okwa, at a press conference in Abuja, described the action of the court as a rape on democracy.

The group argued that since pre-election matters are decided before elections, there is no locus standi under the law for it to be used to form a judgment.

He said: “Ironically, this played out during the Appeal Court judgment that removed from office some members of the PDP in the National Assembly. It is indeed worrisome that the judgment of the justices of the Appeal Court was in contradiction of the position of the Supreme Court”.

Okwa said  the CJA was at a loss as to how and why an internal party affair should be in the interest of another party and on which basis a judgment was passed. It is disturbing and distressing that the revered justices of the Appeal Court would turn the law against its head, he added.

He said the implication of the decision of the justices of the Appeal Court was that the judgment would set a dangerous precedence and a gateway to endless litigation in the future.

The wisdom of dealing with pre-election matters before polls has now been undone, he said, with the consequence that those who contested and won political office will now be spending the time they should have committed to delivering their mandate in court.

“The CJA in Africa frowns on such a miscarriage of justice. It is our conviction that the internal affairs of a political party do not have anything to do with winning elections.

“This is a rape of democracy that tends to discredit the reputation of the judicial arm of government. The judgment is political and not on its merit. The assumption that the judiciary is the people’s hope has been grossly eroded.

“It is also evident that some powerful forces have taken control of the country’s judiciary. These vested interests would spare nothing in their insatiable desire to continue to rape democracy in Nigeria,” the group added.