- Pix above: PBAT
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“Who wrote the judgments of the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Nigeria? When, where and how were they written?”
These are the questions a coalition of human rights activists based in the United States of America, United Kingdom and Nigeria are posing following the controversy that trailed a copy of the judgment printed in Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council letter headed papers. The groups in a statement made available to newsmen in Awka demanded answers from the five Justices of the Court within seven days or “face international lawful campaigns”.
In a statement jointly signed by eight leaders of the groups, namely: Prof Justin Akujieze of Ekwenche Research Institute, USA, Nze Amadiebube Mbama of Global Igbo Leaders, United Kingdom, Chief John Gregg, an American, Bernhard Wanner, a Swiss, Prof Jerry Chukwuokoro, South-East Based Rights and Democracy Coalition, Engineer Ikenweoke Nwandu, a South-East based Human Rights and Democracy Coalition, Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah, leader of Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) in the South-East and Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi board chair of International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) based in Enugu, they called on the Justices led by its Chairman, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani to publicly tell Nigerians and the world “who actually wrote the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal Judgments and when, where and how they were written”.
The groups wrote: “Our joint demand and its urgency had risen following controversies from the delivered judgments of Sept 6, 2023.
It must also be pointed out that the PEPT Five Justices are inexcusably obligated as public officers maintained with public funds from taxpayers to provide concrete answers to the above-mentioned question in a world press conference within seven days; failure of which will most likely leave us with no other option than to commence international lawful campaigns including letter writings and diplomatic engagements, among other lawful steps, with international democracy compliant countries in Americas, Asia, Middle East and European Union.
“By condemning, discarding and expunging the EU Election Observer Report from the records of the PEPT, for instance, the Five PEPT Justices have morally disqualified themselves and members of their nuclear families from having anything whatsoever to do with the EU and its democratic agencies or institutions including holidaying, residing, studying, medical traveling and attendance of international conferences and fellowship/exchange programs, etc on European soils and those of their allies in Americas, ASEAN countries, and Oceania.
“Therefore, unless the above demand of ours is credibly and timely met; otherwise strong international lawful campaigns are most likely going to be put in place to ensure that the Five Justices and members of their nuclear families (wives and children) are denied access to democracy-compliant countries of Europe (England, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland inclusive), Canada, US, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, etc”.
They said that apart from the judgments being received by the majority of lovers of democracy in Nigeria and the world with reservations and rejections; they have also been mired in controversies especially as it concerned the independence and impartiality of their writers and writings.
“Controversies leading to the delivery of the judgments”, they continued “had started with rumors that went around on August 5, 2023 that “the Abuja facilities of a former Lagos Governor and Federal Minister have been barricaded by military personnel for purpose of compromising the PEPT judgments.
“The camp of the said former Lagos Gov and Federal Minister not only denied the allegation but also filed petitions against some persons before the country’s security establishments and Government-owned communication commission./SHARE THIS
–Five PEPT judges
