Eight Zamfara state governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) over alleged breach of due process, alleging that the judges were bribed with $3m to influence the recent judicial pronouncement.
The aspirants who equally petitioned the Department Of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), insisted that the Court of Appeal in Sokoto which is handling the case had become complicit and therefore prayed that it be relocated to Abuja or any other neutral ground.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Tuesday, on behalf of of other aspirants, Hon Aminu Sani Jaji, said the court refused them the right to withdraw from their case when they sensed they will not be treated fairly in line with order 11 rule 1.
Jaji also said they were privy to the information that the justices were allegedly compromised with $3m by the Zamfara state Governor, Abdulazzez Yari.
In the petition made available to Blueprint stated that ” On the 8th of February, 2019 the Court of Appeal Sokoto Division presided over by Honourable Justice Ahmed Olanrewaju Belgore JCA; with Hon. Justice Amina Audi Wambai JCA and Justice Fredrick O. Oho JCA sat and directed all parties to file their written arguments and adjourned the matter to 19th February, 2019.
“Strangely however, on Saturday a non-working day 9th February, 2019, I was called and informed by my lawyers that they were called by the Registry of the Court of Appeal Sokoto Division, served with a motion on notice purportedly filed on February 8th, 2019 and required to attend court on Monday 11th February, 2019. The motion is to enforce the judgement of the High Court, when the appeal was not only still pending but already adjourned to the 19th February, 2019.
“This is despite the fact that even with the requirement that the matter should be heard and disposed within 60 days, as at 11th February, 2019 we had only exhausted 10 days from the date of filing of the Appeal.
“It is on the strength of the aforementioned that I pray that the conduct of the said Honourable Justice Ahmed Olanrewaju Belgore JCA; with Hon. Justice Amina Audi Wambai JCA and Justice Fredrick O. Oho JCA be looked into aimed at disciplining the said Justices in order to protect the integrity of the Judiciary.”
