By Halimah Olamide
Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata, has called on the President of the Appeal Court to provide explanation on issues that led to the controversies over the verdict of the Appeal Tribunal that ruled over the Kano governorship election tussle.
Akpata said there are insinuations that the judgment had been intercepted by interested parties adding that the least the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongbam Mensem, can do is to clarify the issues.
Akpata, in a statement on Friday, said the Kano controversy has placed the Nigerian Judiciary in the spotlight for what he called “unfortunate reasons.”
He said the Court of Appeal’s judgement in the Kano State gubernatorial appeal has cast what he also called ‘an unflattering light on the Nigerian Judicial system, adding that the development exposed the systemic challenges it faces.
“As the Head of the Court of Appeal, it is crucial for My Lord, Hon. Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, to provide a hopefully clear and cogent explanation of the immediate and remote causes of the embarrassing situation. This will help to address the speculations and concerns of Nigerians and the global audience,” Akpata said.
Akpata said he had once warned of the poor quality of judges being recruited to the Appeal but his warnings were ignored.
He said when he made his observations public when he was the 30th president of the NBA but was reprimanded for his opinion.
Akpata said the alleged errors in the judgment of the Kano state election petition appeal tribunal is a vindication of his earlier call for caution in the recruitment process of the judges.