A pressure group in Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State, the Warri Justice and Truth Forum, has raised the alarm over attempts to rubbish the judiciary.
The group in a statement dated July 9, 2024 stated that since the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in Appeal No. SC/413/2016 between George U. Timinimi & Ors v. INEC on December 2, 2022, ordering the delineation of new wards and polling units in Warri Federal constituency of Delta State, a group of persons representing an ethnic interest in the Constituency have been shopping for injunction from different divisions of the Federal High Court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from implementing the judgment of the highest court in the land.
The statement was signed by Comrade Arerebo Egbejule (President), French Ikada (Secretary) and Kenneth Ikoro (Public Relations Officer).
Giving specific details of the attempts, the group stated that on May 23, 2024, the Trustees of Ugbarajo Iwere Leaders Foundation approached the Federal High Court, in suit marked FHC/WR/CS/46/2024 to apply for an interim injunction to restrain INEC from going ahead with the fresh delineation without informing the trial judge, I. M. Sani that the process was ordered by the Supreme Court.
“Upon becoming aware, some interest groups led by the Ijaws and Urhobos applied to join and brought the fact of the existence of the Supreme Court order to the attention of the Court and the application for interim order was rejected on May 23, 2024.
“When the attempt to obtain an interim order from the Federal High Court, Warri failed, these same persons approached the Federal High Court, Abuja in suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/443/2024 and applied for an interim order on July 2, 2024 to restrain INEC from going ahead with the Supreme Court order.
“Again, they did not inform Justice J. K. Omotosho that the fresh delineation process was ordered by the Supreme Court. The Ijaws who obtained the judgment from the Supreme Court upon becoming aware of the attempt to obtain the interim order, filed an application for joinder and brought the existence of the Supreme Court judgment to the attention of the Court.
“When the matter came up on July 2, 2024, Justice Omotosho ruled that he would take the application for joinder since the Ijaws have indicated interest in the matter before any other further proceedings.
“Again, for the second time, the attempt to obtain an interim order to stop the fresh delineation from the Federal High Court failed,” they explained.
Surprisingly, the group noted that a few days after the failed attempt, the same persons moved to the Federal High Court, Benin, on July 8, 2024 to apply for an interim order to stop INEC from proceeding with the Supreme Court order.
They claimed that although the suit was different, the group attempted to use it to stop INEC from obeying the Supreme Court order, but Justice Quadri refused their application .
The Forum stated that all these attempts were aimed at ridiculing the Nigerian judiciary by asking the Federal High Court to sit on appeal over the judgment of the Supreme Court which is an aberration.
They added that these persons and their lawyers in all their applications have deliberately refused to inform the different divisions of the Federal High Court of the existence of the Supreme Court judgment on fresh delineation in Warri Federal Constituency.
The Forum, therefore, called on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to maintain and implement the existing policy for matters to be filed within the judicial division where the issues arise from.
“We call for vigilance by the judiciary as these desperate people representing an ethnic interest in the Warri Federal Constituency would stop at nothing to rubbish the judiciary.
“We call for proactive steps to save the Judiciary from being rubbished by these desperate people who want lower courts to sit on appeal over supreme court judgment,” the group declared.
