‘Leave Justice Odili Out of Rivers Election Verdict’
Justice Mary Odili[/caption]
The Centre for Good Governance and Accountability, CGGA, has dismissed reports accusing Justice Mary Odili of influencing the Supreme Court verdict on Rivers State governorship election petition, describing it as a calculated effort at discrediting her credibility.
It particularly warned against further dragging of her name into any orchestrated controversy on the matter, describing the development as false, wicked and baseless.
A statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the Lead-Advocate of the accountability group, Prof Nasiru Gomwalk, said the insistence on linking Justice Odili to the Supreme Court verdict on Rivers State was an indication of desperation to discredit her by every means.
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The statement reads: ”This platform is inclined to make this statement on the strength of the concorted narrative making the rounds online to the effect that honourable Justice Mary Odili allegedly facilitated perceived questionable act in the run up to Supreme Court ruling on Rivers State governorship election petition.This surreptitious and well scripted act was birthed by Sahara Reporters and it is being passionately driven the same medium. While we are not averse to conventional and acceptable attempt aimed at curbing corruption in every facet of Nigeria’s life, the mission to demean the hard earned credible professional and public integrity of Justice Odili is what we strongly condemn in every term.
”It is on record that she has been contributing positively to the growth of the judiciary in the country through display of unquestionable professional practices over the years. In all these, there had not be any incident of abuse of the best practices in the profession against her, as her career had been marked excellence and credibility. Therefore, one wonders why the authors of the aforesaid allegation would resort to blackmailing and deconstructing her person.
”It is instructive to state herein that Justice Odili was never a member of the Supreme Court panel that adjudicated on the Rivers Election matter and was only a spectator like every other citizen that was not part of the legal persons involved. It is on record that attempts by the same medium to discredit Justice Odili when the apex ruled on the matter failed given that it was as baseless and misleading as the latest effort.
”Now, let it be categorically stated that the report by the online medium is fraught with falsehood, wickedness and mischief just to get Justice Odili for reasons known to its initiator(s). There had never been a time in history when injustice triumphed over good, even it happened momentarily, the truth takes prominence in the fullness of time. That is why we urge the authors of this sinister script to invest their time in things that could strengthen our institutions and avoid pulling down those committed to making the institutions work.”
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Youths under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress, APC Progressive Youth Leagues (PYL), have described the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, as a liar and a betrayer.
A statement issued by their spokesman Adeleke Abdulhakeem which accused the APC chairman of betraying their confidence on him and fooling Nigerians with his response to the statement by the APC National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu reads: “Last Friday (October 7), the National Chairman of APC, Pa. Oyegun, responded to the allegations levelled against him by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But, sadly after about a fortnight, Pa. Oyegun could not come up with clear, detailed and cogent statements or even accept the fact that he made a grievous mistake. He tried to refute those allegations with his well articulated ‘facts’ but in a truthful sense what he called ‘the facts’ are actually the fallacies.
“Perusing Pa. Oyegun’s response to the allegations levelled against him by Asiwaju, a lot of fabricated and specious statements were uncovered and these have successfully aroused questions that only Pa. Oyegun can entertain.
“Pa Oyegun claimed that he did not use prayer interlude to secretly excuse himself from the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting for the purpose of submitting Rotimi Akeredolu’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the fact is he left the meeting after he vetoed the Appeal Committee’s recommendation. Come to think of it: the primaries took place on September 3. Why did the party wait till September 19 before holding the meeting that ended on September 22, the last day for the submission of the party’s candidate?
“Pa Oyegun even brushed aside brilliant suggestion by the National Youth Leader, Dasuki Jalo, that the party should submit an interim name to INEC, pending the time a political solution would be found to the matter. This singular suggestion by the National Youth Leader would have saved the party from the crisis it is experiencing.
“Pa Oyegun fallaciously said: ‘Voting on the issue became unnecessary and never took place in view of the NWC’s rejection of the Appeal Committee’s report.’ But the South-South Vice Chairman Eta Hilliard has relayed the true picture of what transpired in the Ondo primaries by saying in a report: ‘(At) that meeting, there were two reports before the NWC: that of the Appeal Committee was voted on.’
“That Pa. Oyegun claimed that there was no voting during the NWC meeting is a blatant fallacy, because the last two NWC meetings were clearly recorded and the record shows the contributions of each and every member of the NWC present at the meetings.
“The Southwest National Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure, also confirmed the statement by Hilliard that the NWC actually voted. The well orchestrated lies by Pa. Oyegun, in a bid to redeem his personality that has been defamed with a lot of anti-party actions and in actions and gross misconducts in the Ondo APC primaries, cannot hold water because we are not fools. That will fall for every cooked-up cheap fallacies.”
Source: https://thewhistler.ng/story/you-are-a-betrayer-apc-youths-blast-oyegun
