LAGOS, NIGERIA (VOICE OF NAIJA) –The Labour Party candidate for the Edo State governorship elections, Olumide Akpata, has criticized Governor Godwin Obaseki for being selective in the appointment of judges recommended for the Edo State High Court.
He chided Obaseki for appointing only five out of the eight new judges recommended by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
He expressed his displeasure in a statement shared on his official X handle on Saturday.
Akpata, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), described the decision as a tragedy that has further subjected the three remaining judges and their families to a dilemma.
He stated that the judges had been languishing in āan unconscionable career limboā for nearly a year, suffering immense financial hardship due to the governorās refusal to perform his constitutional duty to swear them in without any plausible justification.
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He wrote, āI condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the reprehensible conduct of Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Governor of Edo State. Firstly, for the unconscionable delay in swearing in new judges for the Edo State High Court 11 months after they were recommended by the National Judicial Council as far back as June 2023. Secondly, for the inexplicable decision to unilaterally select and swear in only five out of the eight recommended judges.ā
āFor nearly a year, these eight legal professionals languished in an unconscionable career limbo, with those previously in private practice suffering immense financial hardship through loss of earnings as they could not practise law as private practitioners having been recommended for appointment to the Bench, To subject any human being or public servant, let alone prospective guardians of justice, to such indignities is totally unacceptable.ā
The Labour Party candidate described the governorās action as āa reprehensible conductā that has ārubbed salt on the injuryā and āridden roughshod over another arm of government in clear violation of the principles of separation of powers.
āAnd now, by swearing in only five out of the eight recommended judges without any reason or explanation, Governor Obaseki has further rubbed salt into the injury, riding roughshod over another arm of government in clear violation of the principles of separation of powers and in the process, leaving the other three Judges and their families in a precarious dilemma.
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āAs a senior member of the Bar and a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the reprehensible conduct of Governor Godwin Obaseki, who willfully failed and refused to perform his constitutional duty to swear in all eight recommended Judges for nearly a year without any plausible justification. The fact that he has now proceeded to unilaterally select and swear in five out of the recommended eight Judges is simply a tragedy and a travesty,” he added.
Akpata called on the National Assembly and the newly constituted Constitution Review Committees to initiate constitutional amendments that will insulate the judicial appointment process from political interference.
He also urged the citizens of Edo State to demand accountability, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to upholding the sanctity of institutions from those who would presume to lead the state.