The directive by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban- Mensem, for the transfer of all election petition cases pending before the various divisions of the court to Abuja and Lagos was influenced by allegations of compromise against judges of the tribunals by some aggrieved political parties.
The decision, Daily Sun learnt, followed petitions by some major political parties including the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) and their candidates in the various elective positions.
The aggrieved petitioners specifically alleged that judges of the tribunals were induced and influenced by the affected sitting governors who doled out logistics and other comfortable materials to support their assignment.
A competent source at the court told Daily Sun that Justice Dongban-Mensem who was not comfortable with the numerous petitions, decided to act to boost public confidence in the election tribunals.
Justice Dongban-Mensem believed the action would guarantee the independence and integrity of the judiciary, especially the appellate court.
“After a preliminary inquiry into the allegations, the President of the Court of Appeal thinks there is some element of truth in some of the allegations and the National Judicial Council may likely go after some of the judges involved,” the source disclosed.
The affected appeals are in respect of gubernatorial, national and state assemblies’ elections, which have the court of appeal as the last bus stop.
Consequently, all the 1,209 appeals arising from the judgments of the 2023 election petitions tribunals had been assigned to Abuja and Lagos for hearing and determination.
Already, all political parties and their candidates, having pending appeal cases have been directed to comply with the order by moving to either Lagos or Abuja as the case may be to prosecute their cases.
The petitioners, according to our source, had alleged that all the judgments delivered by some of the tribunal judges were not only fraudulent but were “outrightly purchased” by the governors in favour of their parties and candidates in the election.
“The three major political parties are involved in the petition writing against the governors. In a state controlled by APC, PDP and LP parties would petition the court of appeal, alleging that the governor bribed the judges to obtain fraudulent judgments in favour of APC and its candidates.
“In the same vein, in the state where PDP and LP are in power, APC and its defeated candidates were writing petitions against the governor and the ruling party. There have been petitions and counter petitions by the three political parties but thank God that the President has resolved the imbroglio in favour of common sense.”
