IMO: GROUP ALLEGES PLAN TO SUBVERT JUSTICE

Ikedi Ohakim

A Socio/Political group based in Owerri, the Imo State capital, Imo Democratic Congress said it has uncovered plans by operatives of Imo State Government to subvert the cause of Justice stating that the Governor and his aides have launched full scale plan to bribe the Court of Appeal Judges on an Appeal brought before the Justices by Senator I. G. Araraume against the confirmation of the Governor by the Tribunal.

A statement signed by its Executive Secretary Mr. Maximus Uba made available to newsmen said part of the plan is to induce a first class traditional ruler with over 250million naira who in turn will put pressure on the judges most of whom are from the Northern part of the country. Already and according to the Group, the chairman of Imo State’s Traditional Rulers council have been mandated to get the Northern big Emir at all cost and this has seen the man take a quick trip to London where the Northern Emir is holidaying. The statement read in Part “It has come to the knowledge of Imo Democratic Congress that operatives of Imo State Government have perfected plans to bribe the Court of Appeal especially after woefully failing to defend the results with which they appropriated power. That’s not we have on good authority that the Chairman of Imo Council of Elders as well as the Governor himself are all on the field at the moment with tax-payers money shopping for whoever will take them to the judges while the Governor is in London, the chairman of Imo Council of Elders is shuttling between Benin and Lagos while the Traditional Ruler is now permanently based in Sokoto where the First Class Emir resides. Already and according to reports the Emir has refused to be involved but the operatives have refused to leave him, infact even followed him to London where the Emir is the guest of Prince of Wales”.

The Group said it smacks desperateness that a man who was offered the platform of the Law to defend himself but could not is carrying bags of tax payers’ money around the globe to perpetuate himself in power. Annoyingly, it is alarming to note that Imo Government is willing to offer as much as 25billion Naira to subvert justice and perpetuate itself in Power at the expense of the people who since 2007 having been under the yoke of dictator. Further the Group enjoined the Judges to stand up to their calling as umpires not to dent their name or image while trying to save a man who claimed he won an election with results on photocopies. “We are waiting and watching to see how the Eminent Justices who are the custodians of truth will allow a situation in which Ohakim is confirmed as Governor with results on photocopies, a man who could call any witness to buttress his case, a man who refused to frontload both his witness and documents, the world is also watching and waiting” the Group concluded.