Judicial Powers Existed In Your Tenure As President, Obono-Obla Reminds Obasanjo
Mark IDRAH
An APC Chieftain in Cross River State, Obol Obono-Obla has reminded former President ,Olusegun Obasanjo that the judicial powers he is quarrelling about today started in his tenure.
Recall that earlier this week, Obasanjo had described the powers vested in judges to remove elected leaders as totally unacceptable.
The former President's statement was however voided by Chief Obla who said Obansanjo should not forget that the powers was vested in judges by law and has been in existence right from 1999 to 2007.
Obla asked Obasanjo to remember that it was this same law that was invoked by the Supreme Court to remove Dr Chris Ngige as elected governor of Anambra state in 2006 and replaced with Peter Obi.
The same law was invoked by the Supreme Court to back Celestine Omahia of Rivers State in 2007 and replaced with Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi (whom he vowed would never be governor).
Is president Obasanjo not aware that Dr Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State (a minister in his government whom he stoutly opposed his gubernatorial ambition) became governor of Ondo when the court removed late Dr Olusegun Agagu from office? Obla asked.
Is former president Obasanjo oblivious to the fact that the mandate given to David Lyon to be governor of Bayelsa State was annulled by the Supreme Court after invoking the full tenor of this law?
Is the former president not aware that Senator Liyel Imoke was removed from office in 2008 as governor of Cross River State by the Court of Appeal through the instrumentality of the law?
According to Chief Obla, this same law has been invoked by the court on several instances to remove elected officials from their positions in this country from 1999 to date; including Emeka Ihedioha who was removed from office as governor of Imo state in 2019 and replaced with Senator Hope Uzodima.
There is nothing wrong with law reform, as law reform is the process of making changes and updates to existing laws to improve their effectiveness, clarity and relevance.
However, Obla said that the advocacy by Chief Obasanjo is partisan and ill-timed.
According to the human rights lawyer it would have been otherwise if former President Obasanjo had remarked after the conclusion of all the pending election litigations in the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Nigeria.
He added that it is wrong for Obansanjo to make such statement now, as it doesn't enhance the smoothness and fair administration of justice.
"I think it is smacks of contempt and disdainful to make such insidious remark when election cases are pending in various courts." Said Obla.
