APGA founding Chairman, Okorie ask NJC, NBA, others to defend Apex Court

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The founding National chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Chekwas Okorie, has asked the National Judiciary Council (NJC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), among others to rise up and defend the Supreme Court over incessant attacks on the institution by politicians.

Okorie made this call against the background of the controversy surrounding who is the authentic APGA Chairman, between Edozie Njoku and Victor Oye, in which there was confusion over who should benefit from the suit decided by the Apex Court.

In the statement issued yesterday by Okorie, he said “The mad ambition to control the soul of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at all cost has led

Chief Victor Oye and his sponsors to induce the Nigeria Police to throw all cautions over board to drag the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the apex court of the land to an unprecedented opprobrium and disgrace.

“This irregular action of the Police landed Chief Njoku and Mr Nwoga in an unwarranted and unfair incarceration at the Suleja Correctional Centre. Two days after, Chief Njoku and Mr Nwoga were granted bail by the Federal Capital Territory High Court at Bwari and the matter was adjourned to 14th February, 2023.

“On the resumption of hearing on the adjourned date, the Police amended its charges against the defendants to now include Mrs Ogunseye Adebiyi who was Secretary to Justice Mary Odili at the material time as an accused person and Hon. Justice Mary

Odili (retired) and Hajo Sarki Bello, the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court as witnesses.

“The Police in its amended charges unashamedly alleged that it was Mrs Adebiyi that forged the judgment at the behest of her boss, Hon. Justice Mary Peter-Odili (retired).

“This summersault by the Police effectively transferred the offence of forgery from their earlier victim Chief Njoku to a new victim Mrs Adebiyi.

“This is a new twist and an abominable act in Nigerian jurisprudence where the presiding Justice of the Supreme Court, the Chief Registrar and a staff of the Court will be dragged to a trial court on a “criminal” charge for merely carrying out their statutory function as Judicial Officer and staff of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“The Supreme Court of Nigeria has been embattled in recent times on multiple allegations including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that referred to it as one of the most corrupt institutions in Nigeria. But what the Police is reducing the Supreme Court to in this APGA controversial case is unprecedented. It poses the danger of destroying the Nigerian Judiciary.

“We therefore call on the leadership of the Supreme Court to protect itself. We call on the Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to rise to the occasion and save our Judiciary from destruction by the inordinately ambitious politicians who have access to State Treasury and use same to bring Nigeria to local and international ridicule”.