Supreme Court Grants Sen Nwaoboshi Reprieve

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State yesterday trooped out to celebrate the Supreme Court’s reprieve to Senator Peter Nwaoboshi.

The court in Abuja reversed the downward hearing date in the appeal challenging Nwaoboshi seven years’ imprisonment for corruption.

At lbusa, Oshimili North local government area, the home place of the senator, the people trooped out while at the APC secretariat, party members and loyalists sang victory songs.

The chairman of APC in the state, Engr Omeni Sobotie, said they were happy because justice is about to prevail, stating that his predicament was a set up by enemies of democracy.

Though the hearing date in the appeal against the conviction was slated for November 24, 2024, the court, however, brought it down to February 9, 2023, following an application to that effect.

Nwaoboshi, through his counsel, Kanu Agabi (SAN), a former attorney-general of the federation, had made a passionate appeal to the Supreme Court to fast-track the hearing of the case against his client’s imprisonment.

Agabi informed the panel of justices of the apex court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola that his client is a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The senior lawyer pleaded for a quick hearing of his client’s appeal challenging the imprisonment slammed on him on July 1, 2022, by the Court of Appeal in Lagos.

Agabi predicated his fast-track hearing request on the ground that the convicted Senator may be made to complete the jail term before his innocence or otherwise could be decided by the apex court.

He cited cases of some Nigerians whose convictions and jail terms were set aside after they had completed their terms of imprisonment, adding that such cases are worrisome.

However, following the no objection to the request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other parties, the chief justice in a brief ruling, reversed the earlier November 24, 2024, to February 9, 2023, to determine the innocence or guilt of the Senator in the corruption charges against him.