A group of lawyers on the auspices of Judiciary Integrity Defenders (JID) led by Barr. Tijani Ahmed, has condemned the malicious attack allegedly launched by the zonal vice chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and loyalist of Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbu, in collaboration with an APC lawyer, Echezona Etiaba, who in an open court and written documents attempted to defame the integrity of the judges selected by the President of the Court of Appeal to hear National/State Assembly election appeal cases arising from Imo State.
The lawyers particularly called for the debarment of the APC counsel, Echezona Etiaba (SAN), by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) over his alleged malicious attacks on the three-member appeal panel.
They frowned at the commotion caused on Monday at the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal venue for the hearing of the State and National Assembly appeal cases from Imo State when Etiaba presented two petitions allegedly written by his clients accusing the three-member panel that have Justice Peter Affen from Yola Division and Justice Asmau’u Musa Mainoma of alleged compromise.
The lawyers said the action of Arodiogbu, who doubles as the APC Zonal Chairman for South-East and close confidant of Governor Uzodinma, was a display of the highest level of desperation being carried out for and on behalf of the Imo Governor and a huge disrespect to sanctity of the judiciary, hence the need for sanctions.
They said: “The attack which was aimed at discrediting the wonderful measures put by the reform minded President of the Court of Appeal (PCA) Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem who secretly kept the names and posting of Justices secret to help avert pressures from desperate politicians, surprised the public and the judicial community as to how did Uzodinma got to know the Justices who will seat in Imo Appeals days even before the justices got to know their own positing.
“The information leak showed the desperation of those desperate to tarnish the image and undermine the efforts of the PCA to save the judiciary which desperate politicians wants to destroy in pursuit of petty interests. It’s so painful the attack on Mainoma who is few months old as appellate justice haven been sworn- in few months ago and was sitting on her first case which these blackmailers wanted to taint a career of a great mother and eminent jurist.”
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