PDP seeks removal of Rivers tribunal judge
AUGUST 17, 2015 : ADE ADESOMOJU
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The Peoples Democratic Party has asked the President of the
Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, to remove Justice
Victor Okorie, as a member of one of the tribunals of the Rivers
State National/House of Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal
sitting in Abuja.
Justice Okorie was redeployed as the chairman of one of the
tribunals and was subsequently made a panel member of
another tribunal – following a petition by the PDP.
The PDP had, in its petition to Justice Bulkachuwa, contended
that Justice Okorie, by the virtue of his status as a judicial
officer in the Customary Court of Appeal of Imo State, was not
qualified to act as the head of an election petitions tribunal.
The party said making Okorie the chairman of a tribunal violated
the provisions of Paragraph 1(1) and (2) of the Sixth Schedule to
the country’s constitution.
However, in a fresh petition to the Justice Bulkchuwa, dated
August 12, 2015, counsel for the PDP, Godwin Obla (SAN),
insisted that Justice Okorie should not be allowed to serve on
any election petitions tribunal’s panel on the grounds that he
was likely to be biased against the party.
Obla urged Justice Bulkachuwa, who appoints judges serving in
the election petitions tribunals in the country, “to take the
necessary step to address our concern and that of the PDP and
remove Justice Victor Okorie from all the election petitions
tribunals currently sitting nationwide, in which the PDP is a
party, seeing that he is not ready to disqualify himself.”
The party said its fear of Justice Okorie’s likely bias was based
on the role it (the PDP) played in his removal as chairman of the
former panel.
Obla said, “We write to express our grave concern that
immediately after the reconstitution of Panel One, which
removed him (Justice Okorie) as chairman, the latter was
constituted into Panel Three, before whom the PDP will appear
in all the pending petitions before it.
“The net effect of the above is that the PDP will continue to
appear before the very one, against whom it had successfully
raised an objection in respect of his capacity as the chairman in
the earlier panel.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that his present position as a
member of Panel Three is a ‘demotion’ as it were, from his
earlier exalted position of ‘Chairman’ of Panel One, a fact that
will definitely continue to play out in his mind; needless to
further point out the inevitable or likelihood of human passion of
bias and prejudice awaiting the PDP as a party.
“It, therefore, stands to reason from the above that the
continued inclusion of Justice Okorie in the panel where the PDP
is appearing as a party against another adversary, will
inexorably compromise the integrity of the structure of justice
system before whom our client has been made to appear in
defence of its mandate in the electoral process.”
Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital
content on this website, may not be reproduced, published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior
express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com
Leave a Comment
The Peoples Democratic Party has asked the President of the
Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, to remove Justice
Victor Okorie, as a member of one of the tribunals of the Rivers
State National/House of Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal
sitting in Abuja.
Justice Okorie was redeployed as the chairman of one of the
tribunals and was subsequently made a panel member of
another tribunal – following a petition by the PDP.
The PDP had, in its petition to Justice Bulkachuwa, contended
that Justice Okorie, by the virtue of his status as a judicial
officer in the Customary Court of Appeal of Imo State, was not
qualified to act as the head of an election petitions tribunal.
The party said making Okorie the chairman of a tribunal violated
the provisions of Paragraph 1(1) and (2) of the Sixth Schedule to
the country’s constitution.
However, in a fresh petition to the Justice Bulkchuwa, dated
August 12, 2015, counsel for the PDP, Godwin Obla (SAN),
insisted that Justice Okorie should not be allowed to serve on
any election petitions tribunal’s panel on the grounds that he
was likely to be biased against the party.
Obla urged Justice Bulkachuwa, who appoints judges serving in
the election petitions tribunals in the country, “to take the
necessary step to address our concern and that of the PDP and
remove Justice Victor Okorie from all the election petitions
tribunals currently sitting nationwide, in which the PDP is a
party, seeing that he is not ready to disqualify himself.”
The party said its fear of Justice Okorie’s likely bias was based
on the role it (the PDP) played in his removal as chairman of the
former panel.
Obla said, “We write to express our grave concern that
immediately after the reconstitution of Panel One, which
removed him (Justice Okorie) as chairman, the latter was
constituted into Panel Three, before whom the PDP will appear
in all the pending petitions before it.
“The net effect of the above is that the PDP will continue to
appear before the very one, against whom it had successfully
raised an objection in respect of his capacity as the chairman in
the earlier panel.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that his present position as a
member of Panel Three is a ‘demotion’ as it were, from his
earlier exalted position of ‘Chairman’ of Panel One, a fact that
will definitely continue to play out in his mind; needless to
further point out the inevitable or likelihood of human passion of
bias and prejudice awaiting the PDP as a party.
“It, therefore, stands to reason from the above that the
continued inclusion of Justice Okorie in the panel where the PDP
is appearing as a party against another adversary, will
inexorably compromise the integrity of the structure of justice
system before whom our client has been made to appear in
defence of its mandate in the electoral process.”
Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital
content on this website, may not be reproduced, published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior
express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com
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