Daily Independent (Lagos)
Rafiu Ajakaye (with Agency Report)
3 November 2008
Lagos — Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, warned in Ibadan at the weekend that it is dangerous to concentrate powers in the President of the Court of Appeal because it could delay justice delivery.
The President of the Court of Appeal constitutes members of tribunals who decide appeal made against the judgment of the lower courts, therefore, Akeredolu argued, "he cannot be the one to determine who hears a matter at the tribunal and also determine when an appeal should be heard.
"I think that is over-concentration of powers."
He cited the appeal filed by Abiola Ajimobi, the Oyo State Governorship candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) last year, against the election of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala.
"The unnecessary delay from June till October in hearing the appeal is uncivilised and uncalled for," and the NBA would continue to criticise the delay by the appellate court in hearing appeals as "unnecessary, unjustifiable and indefensible," Akeredolu maintained.
To him, the constitution of membership of panels to hear election appeal should be part of the deliberation of the current electoral review process.
He said efforts should be made to determine whether the powers vested in the President of the Court of Appeal should be ceded to the Chief Justice.
Those vested with the power to hear appeal do not recognise the enormity of their responsibilities. They don't know the effect the delay in justice will have on their integrity and the Court of Appeal."
Akeredolu, however, said the citizens should not lose confidence in the judiciary, stressing that the situation in the Court of Appeal regarding political litigations is induced by administrative factors, not judicial ones.
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