Protesting youths in Calabar
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
Aggrieved youths in Cross River have questioned the integrity of the National/State Assemblies Election Petition Tribunal in Cross River State and demanded for the probe and suspension of the current President, Court of Appeal in Nigeria.
They voiced their grievances in Calabar when they march along the streets of the metropolis with various placards and a mock coffin to protest the integrity of the tribunal members sitting at the Industrial Court, Calabar.
They also demanded for their probe and the immediate suspension of the President of the Court of Appeal.
They protested under the auspices of “Cross River State Diocese of Wesley Synod International African Foundation in collaboration with College of Clergies in Politics, Cross River State Chapter”.
They gathered at about 8.30am gathered at MCC Road by Muritala Mohammed Highway and marched peacefully protest march to the Industrial Court venue of the tribunal creating serious traffic snarl on the highway.
Some of the placards read, “N1billion bribery to election tribunal is that not our bail out money; Buhari save us from PDP impunity/madness; members of Election Petition Tribunal in Cross River State are fraudstars; EFCC, ICPC please probe these persons: Justices Adeniyi, Awubra and Oyomire; Chief Justice of Nigeria Suspend president of Court of Appeal; and save Cross River from judicial suicide done by the cosmetic tribunal”.
The protesters proceeded to the court premises along Murtala Mohammed Highway and dumped the casket and some banners there. A detachment of Police personnel maintaining security at the court premises later took the casket away.
The protesters who were led by the presiding Primate and Arch Bishop of Africa, Dr. Barthsy Ojoi Enebiene.
Enebiene, in a chat with some journalists, who followed the development said: “A tribunal was set to hear the grievance s of the aggrieved but only to discover that there is a political and judicial conspiracy against Cross River State. The political elements in Cross River are selfish and the PDP has helped to destroy this state. Even present administration has inherited same. We are saying no to all these.
“The tribunal and those who constituted it know that a junior judge suppose not to sit as chairman over the senior. But we have a situation that only in Cross River state did that happen. It is a shame that the tribunal sat through for six months wasting the peoples’ resources and energy only to come to discover at the last day in their submission that they are incompetent. They discovered this only in two weeks and we are saying no to it and the injustice.”
The religious leader, dressed in his religious regalia – a red cassock and white top, also said the group were “in pursuant of natural and democratic justice, protest against 2015 Election Petition Tribunal for National and State Assemblies sitting in Calabar (Panel 1) on grounds of massive bribery and corruption; abuse of democratic and judicial process; mutilation of justices and democratic system; judicial fraud, incompetence, grave error and gross irresponsibility; political/legal conspiracy, compromise and executive manipulations.
“We completely disagree and reject in totality all the crafty and wicked purported legal academic blunders perfected during their six months sitting in Calabar. We therefore demand justice and cancellation of their illegalities”.
Another protester from Bakassi, Mr. Effiong Okon said: “There was no tribunals in Cross River State known to the law and mankind. There was no tribunal of such known to civilisation or law. There was no tribunal in Cross River State. The Federal Government should bring to book Justice Adeniyi and Awubra. They came to Cross River state to conduct just an academic exercise at the expense of tax payers’ money.
“The tribunal had on October 12 sacked self and went ahead to deliver an “academic judgement” on five cases in favour of the PDP and at the same time rendering all its proceedings from day of inception, May 12 to October 6, 2015 null and void.’’
The tribunal was recomposed on Oct. 6 with Justice O. A. Adeniyi former member 1 taking over from Justice Christopher Awubra as the new Chairman following the application from Mr. Paul Erokoro, Counsel to Sen. Gershom Bassey of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal in the petition filed by Sen. Bassey Otu of the Labour Party (LP),
Otu had challenged the election and INEC’s return of Sen. Bassey of the PDP as the winner of the March 28, 2014 Cross River South Senatorial election.
At the tribunal, the security agents barred journalists from entry but earlier, on the allegations of bribe, the Secretary of the Cross River Tribunal, Mr. Peter Psok, described the allegations as blatant falsehood and declined further comments.
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