Appeal Court President Transfers All Election Petitions To Abuja, Lagos Over Governors’ Alleged Interference

The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has transferred all the election petition cases pending before the court in the 36 states of the federation to the Abuja and Lagos divisions of the court.

With the Dongban-Mensem’s order, all appeal cases arising from the judgment of the various election petition tribunals in the 36 states would be heard and determined in the Abuja and Lagos divisions of the appellate court, hence, only two of the 20 divisions of the court would determine all appellate cases emanating from the judgments of the elections petition tribunals from across the country.

It was gathered that the order affects governorship, national and state assembly elections which have the court of appeal as the last court of adjudication.

LEADERSHIP reports that sources in the Court of Appeal headquarters in Abuja revealed that all appellate cases arising from the judgments of the election petitions tribunals on the 1,209 cases filed against the conduct and the outcome of the 2023 general elections had been assigned to Abuja and Lagos for hearing and determination.

All political parties and their candidates having pending appeal cases have therefore been directed to comply with the order by moving to either Lagos or Abuja as the case may be to prosecute their cases.

It was gathered that the Court of Appeal President, Dongban-Mensem acted in response to petitions and protests by political parties and their candidates, who allege that the judges of the tribunals at the state divisions were indiscriminately compromised by the governors during the trial stage, hence, they compromised their judgments.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), and their aggrieved candidates in their various petitions and protests to the leadership of the appellate court had alleged that the judges of the tribunals became vulnerable as governors generously provided logistics and other support for them.

The aggrieved parties and their candidates protested that various judgments pronounced by some of the tribunal judges were not only fraudulent but were “purchased” outright by the governors in favour of their parties and candidates in the election.

Sources reportedly said that the appellants in the various cases expressed apprehension that the same fate might befall them if their cases were allowed to be determined by the other divisions of the Court of Appeal in states under the watch of the governors.

A source said the leadership of the appellate court was persuaded to move against the governors by relocating the cases to Abuja and Lagos where the judges could be effectively monitored by the president of the appeal court.

Dongban-Mensem had reportedly launched discreet enquiries into the allegations against the governors and the judges of the trial tribunal, and it was gathered that enquiries established the veracity of the allegations to the extent that a compromised alliance was established between some governors and judges of the tribunals.

Some judges of the tribunals were reportedly indicted and might face trial by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

An unsigned statement reportedly sent to an appellant in Delta State by the appeal court notifying him of the relocation of his case to Lagos, reads, “Please take note that the venue of the election petition fixed for Monday, 16th October, 2023 is no longer Court of Appeal, Asaba. The venue has been changed to the Court of Appeal, Lagos. Thank you.”

Members of the National Assembly from Delta State, whose appeal cases are pending before the court, have confirmed to LEADERSHIP the report on the relocation of the cases to Abuja and Lagos.

The lawmakers including Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta Central) and Hon. Thomas Ereyitomi, representing Warri Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, as well as his Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency counterpart, Hon. Benedict Etanabene, confirmed receipt of relocation notice of their cases to Lagos.

Ereyitomi, though he welcomed the decision of the appeal court, however, lamented its financial implications, saying, “We have the notice transferring the cases from Delta State to Lagos and we have complied. Its financial implications are huge but no sacrifice is too much to get a fair and impartial judgement.”