Seek redress, lawyer tells PDP, Ihedioha’s supporters

An Abuja based constitutional lawyer, Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu, has advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and supporters of the former governor of Imo state , Emeke Ihedioha to shun protests and seek redress in appropriate court of jurisdiction for review of his remover from office. 

The apex court recently removed the former governor in office and declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Hope Uzodimma as the winner of the election.

Barrister Orji Nwafor-Orizu gave the advice while speaking to Blueprint in Abuja, recently.

He said he noticed with concern, the reaction of politicians and their supporters in respect to recent decisions of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

He said   those calling the Supreme Court justices all kinds of names or calling on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN) to resign or be removed are not doing justice to the nation.

 Nwafor-Orizu said the critics, among others went too far to refer to the SCN as an APC court, adding  that in particular, the PDP and other Nigerians are worried about the decision in the Imo governorship case that removed Governor Ihedioha.

“I am of the firm view that if the PDP and Govermor Ihedioha are aggrieved, they should rush to the Supreme Court for a review. If their case is that there was fraud or the decision was reached per incurriam, the only place to ventilate same is at the SCN and not demonstration in the streets.

 “But seriously speaking, from decisions of cases, can it be said that the Supreme Court is an APC court? Let us see. PDP won its governorship cases in the Supreme Court in Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Benue, Oyo, Zamfara, while the APC won in Kano, Plateau and Imo, I can say SCN favored the PDP more than the APC.

“That is the bitter truth. The apex court may have made mistakes, but they are surely not partisan,” he stated.

He said  aside legal  matters,  political parties rig election, each according to its ability and location, even as he added that rigging might not have been ruled out in Imo state governorship election. He therefore said the SCN having not placed secret cameras in both camps during the election but only used the documents before it to reach its judgement.

He said criticisms without seeing the copies of the judgements was based on mare sentiments.

 He urged politicians and Nigerians not to drag the SCJ to the arena of partisan politics and to leave the justices alone.

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