National Judicial Council, NJC, has cleared Justice Okon Abang of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court of any wrong doing in the judgments he delivered sacking governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.
NJC also cleared the judge in the judgement he delivered in favour of the factional leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff, saying no proof of misconduct was found against the judgement.
This was contained in letters obtained by National Mirror to Chief Oyedele M. Ibini with Ref no. NJC/F.3/FHC.44/V/131; Charles Esonu with Ref. No. NJC/F.3/FHC.44/v/129 and Emeka Eze with Ref.no.NJC/F.3/FHC.44/V/125 and finally to Chief Henry Balogun with Ref. No. NJC/F.3/FHC.44/v/127 all dated 18 October 2016.
The documents revealed that Chief Henry Balogun of Henry Balogun and company had petitioned NJC that Justice Abang abused judicial powers and meted injustice to the PDP and Dr. Ikpeazu in the judgment he delivered in suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/71/2016 between Dr. Samson Okechukwu Ogah vs PDP.
However, NJC stated in its letter of clearance that at the end of its deliberations, it found no proof of any misconduct against Justice Abang and had dismissed the petition for lack of merit.
Also, in the petition written by Chief Ayodele Ibini, PDP secretary in Ondo State, where he accused Justice Abang of misconduct in suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/439/2016, in the judgement he delivered recognising the Ali Modu Sheriff faction in Edo and Ondo states, the council discountenanced the petition as it found no misconduct established against the judge.
NJC also exonerated Justice Abang of any wrong doing or misconduct in the petition written by Esonu of the PDP.
He had alleged that the court order on Ikpeazu to leave office immediately was reckless.
He also alleged that the court withheld the judgement files so that they will not appeal.
In the same breath, NJC said the complaint, lodged by Mr. Emeka Eze of Emeka Eze and Associates, that the court wouldn’t have issued the roll order on suit number FHA/ABJ/CS/71/2016 to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, immediately after the judgement was delivered has no merit, as the judge “was able to prove that the judgment complained of was released to the parties after 4 days of delivery.
It would be recalled that Abang had annulled the election of Governor Ikpeazu and ordered INEC to issue certificate of return to Dr. Oga.
The court also ordered Ikpeazu to vacate office immediately.
The order was based on the allegation that Ikpeazu submitted false information to his party, the PDP, for the governorship primary in December 2014.
Justice Abang had also upheld Modu Sheriff as the authentic National Chairman PDP.
The court nullified the appointment of Ahmed Makarfi as chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the party.
Abang said the purported convention held in Port-Harcourt on May 21 by the Makarfi caretaker committee was a total violation of court orders.
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