NASS: Alleged bid to compromise appeal court judges by Uzodimma leaks

Ugochukwu Onyenomnachi & Ambrose Ocha

A trove of alleged secret document emanating from Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State to pervert justice at the ongoing Appeal Court Election Petition Tribunal, to lobby for blanket sack of all opposition members of the national assembly from the state and beyond has leaked.

According to the report making the rounds on social media, the lead counsel of the All Progressives Congress(APC) for Imo State at the Elections Petition Tribunal going on in Lagos for the entire southern states, Emeka Etiaba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN) mistakenly posted the compiled list on a WhatsApp group.

The leaked list alleged to contain names of honourable members of opposition parties to be denied justice and sacked by the court and also those that lost they intend to install notably among those for sack are the Ideato North/South House of Representatives member, Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere (Ikenga) whose election was annulled at the tribunal on a pre- election related issue.

Ugochinyere appear presently a thorn in the flesh of Governor Hope Uzodimma for his criticisms of some of his policies and politics.

The report stated that all other opposition members at the national assembly from Imo state except one Chinedu Emeka said to be on his good book.

The list according to the report went beyond Imo State to Abia where he wants to sack Labour Party(LP), Amobi Oga and install Nkeiruka Onyejiocha of the APC who lost at the election.

Further to his warped plans, he is desperately pushing to put one Chike Okafor who lost the election, that he be declared winner against Jonas Okeke who is already in the house, (even when chike had congratulated him) to enable him remove the Tinubu camp backed Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and put Chike Okafor or onyejiocha as part of his power play in sync with some APC renegades against President Tinubu.

The report read, “he wants the LP candidate who defeated one Chinedu Obidiegwu removed and fresh election ordered in Anambra east constituency.
he wants one chikwem Onuoha denied victory in Okigwe South of the state and Merian Onuoha who allegedly stole his victory with votes not accredited upheld.”

According to the report, the list was mistakenly shared inside the whatsapp forum of the lawyers representing all APC plaintiffs and respondents by Emeka Etiaba before it was deleted.

It revealed that despite earlier false accusation of complicit on the Appeal Court Justices by Uzodimma that made the earlier appointed judges to the cases to recuse themselves, all that seems to have turned smokescreen aimed at blackmailing and intimidate the justices.

As part of his grand design to cow them to bow to pressure and accept his terms.

Steps taken include deploying head of a security agency and top
official of the Nigerian Judicial Council(NJC) to force the panels presently led by Abraham Gorgewill and Ali Gumel as constituted to accept his list