Leadership (Abuja)
James Ume
21 November 2008
Abuja — Following the continued delay in the appeal case brought before the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt by Chief T. A. Orji, challenging the decision of the Abia State Election Petition Tribunal which declared Chief Onyema Ugochukwu the duly elected governor of Abia State, the Abia Democratic Alliance (ADA) has warned that any further delay in determining the appeal on the state's governorship election would plunge the state into deeper economic and political crises. It therefore, urged the judges "to dispense justice without further delay".
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the group's President, Hon Ndudim Uwakwe, warned that any attempt by any party involved in the case to further introduce time wasting tactics, either by way of frivolous motions or application for adjournment, would seriously erode the confidence Abians had for the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt.
"We understand the handicap of the learned justices of the Court of Appeal who in an attempt to do justice and allow each side to be heard fully, are placed in the difficult position of accepting to hear every motion filed.
"It seems INEC and Chief TA Orji have taken full advantage of the generosity of the Justices to continue a consistent pattern of delaying the case despite the fact that they initiated the appeal.
"As November 25, 2008 approaches, there is palpable fear that INEC intends to turn in yet another motion to be heard on that day while Gov Orji and the PPA are plotting all manner of actions including causing disturbance in court premises and possibly setting fire to the Courthouse all in an attempt to make sure that the case is further delayed for another long period of time.
"We want to use this opportunity to call on the learned justices not to allow themselves to be used unwittingly as tools in the hands of the appellants. Abians have suffered enough. This litigation must come to an end at some point. Justice delayed is justice denied.
"Today Abia shows all the signs of a failed state. Last Saturday the Nigerian first lady, Mrs Turai Yar'Adua, who enjoys a full compliment of armed escorts, shied away from a University Convocation ceremony in Abia State where kidnappers, bullion van robbers and killers have taken over the streets and operate with impunity.
"Last week, commercial banks in Aba and Umuahia which have been forced by bandits to transport cash with helicopters went on strike to protest the spate of insecurity, illegal levies, bad roads and government corruption.
"Presently, health workers and medical personnel in the state have also gone on strike. Workers and teachers are owed backlog of salaries while the state is indebted to banks despite the billions of naira coming from the Federation Account every month.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
