A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) comprising Lawyers in Defence of Democracy (LiDD), Center for Judicial Integrity Monitoring, and others, have called on the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, to urgently look into the alleged leakage of names of Judges that will hear Imo State Election Petition Appeals to Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu, an alleged loyalist of the State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who is also the APC Vice Chairman for South-East zone.
The groups in a joint statement condemned what they called a malicious and fabricated petition written against the newly constituted Judges of the Appeal Court sitting in Lagos and billed to hear State and National Assembly election appeals from Imo State, by the said loyalist of Governor Uzodinma and APC chieftain.
The groups wondered why accusations of compromise were levelled against the Judges who are sitting for the first time without any evidence and also falsely accusing Damian Dodo, SAN of being a lawyer to one of the Appellants and compromising the Judges even when the senior lawyer is not party or representing anyone in the case.
The Director of the Center for Judicial Integrity Monitoring led by Barr. Achi Andy urged the Appeal Court to investigate how a frivolous petition against the panel of justices was fabricated as far back of October 13, 2023 even when the judges didn’t even know who will be on the panel.
The groups alleged that by writing a petition against a panel that have not met meant an insider compromised the secrecy of the panel by leaking their names after all efforts to compromise or change them into a panel that will allegedly do Uzodimma’s bidding failed.
The group urged the Appeal Court President to investigate the petitioners for blackmail against the judges and ensure that the petitioners who fabricated fake allegations of corruption should be arrested and prosecuted for criminal defamation.
Recall that the newly constituted Appeal Court panel was billed to start sitting in Lagos but surprisingly mid-way the APC through its Lawyer, Echezona Etiaba, SAN, brought a petition accusing the judges who are just seeing themselves sit for the first time on Monday, accusing them of corruption, bribery and for coming from PDP-controlled state.
They also accused them of working for one Damian Dodo, SAN, who they erroneously claimed to be lawyer to one of the Appellants, a position that is false.
The groups lambasted the petitioners behind the falsehood and called for serious action to be taken against them in the interest of the sanctity of the judiciary.
