Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed and the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate what he described as “irreparable injustice” meted on him by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division.
On June 28, Justice Abang annulled Ikpeazu’s election over alleged falsification of tax receipts following which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued a certificate of return to Dr. Samson Ogah, who contested the gubernatorial ticket with Ikpeazu.
But, in a letter to the CJN and NJC, Ikpeazu said the judge, among others, “surreptitiously” enrolled a seven-page order and delivered same to Ogah, so as prevent an appeal against the judgment.
He also accused the judge of failing to release the court file to the registry of the Federal High Court for compilation of records and failing to make “available signed copies of the judgment to us despite repeated demands.”
Ikpeazu described the judge’s actions as “abuse of office and denial of justice which had thrown Abia into turmoil, grave political uncertainty and total breakdown of law and order,” and urged the NJC to “investigate and take necessary disciplinary action against the judge.”
The petition titled: “Abuse of judicial power and injustice meted to Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu by Hon. Justice Okon Abang of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/71/2016,” was signed on Ikpeazu’s behalf by one of his lawyers, Mr. Emeka Eze.
He said: “On June 27, 2016, Hon. Justice Okon Abang delivered oral judgment in the said suit with a pronouncement in court that copies of the judgment will be made available to parties within seven days.
“A few hours after delivery of the judgment, we sent formal requests for the written copies of the judgments, filed a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution of the orders of the court.
“The filed copies of the notice of appeal and applications for stay of execution were duly served on all parties, including INEC, on the same day.”
Ikpeazu added that on receipt of his notice of appeal and application to stay execution of the orders of the court, “Justice Abang surreptitiously and without our knowledge enrolled a seven- page order signed by him and delivered same to the plaintiff.
He said this was to enable Ogah enforce the orders contained in the judge’s enrolled judgment “thereby truncating the petitioner’s rights to appeal against the judgment.”
