May 14, (THEWILL) – The Ebonyi South senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 3, 2024, bye-election, Barrister Silas Onu, has said he would appeal the ruling of the Tribunal that struck out his petition that the Judges should be sacked over alleged bias, injustice and lack of fair hearing in his election petition.
The ruling was a sequel to a petition filed to the President of the Court of Appeal and copied to the Tribunal Panel seeking their recusal from the bye-election Tribunal by the PDP candidate.
The three-man panel headed by Justice H. N Kunaza dismissed Onu’s petition for lack of merit.
Delivering the ruling by the Tribunal sitting in Abakaliki, Justice Kunaza, who was flanked by Justice Bassey Bassey Nkanang and Justice M.O Agboola, said that the PDP candidate failed to prove allegations of lack of fair hearing, bias and injustice in his petition.
Meanwhile, the petitioner noted that he would immediately appeal the ruling, insisting that he had lost confidence in the ability to dispense justice in the election petition by the panel.
Onu queried why the panel didn’t suspend all actions to await the decision of the President of the Court of Appeal, saying: “I will also make a personal letter to the panel to know why they are more interested in the election petition than me and why they aren’t staying all actions to await the decision of the President of the Court of Appeal. We will also appeal their ruling. I don’t have any confidence in the panel. They have to go for justice to prevail in our election petitions.”
Onu’s counsel, Barrister Caleb Onwe, said he would immediately apply for the certified true copy of the ruling and study it for urgent actions.
Meanwhile, counsel to Senator Anthony Okorie and second respondent, Barrister Roy Nweze, commended the ruling but expressed dissatisfaction that no cost was awarded against the petitioner to serve as a deterrent to anyone who tries to malign the integrity of Judges.
Nweze said: “Even if the tribunal had chosen to recuse itself, that is nothing to me because there’s a type of case you will have you wouldn’t even mind your enemy to decide it. The petition is like a used toilet tissue.”
The counsel to APC, Barrister Jerry Ezenyi, said the ruling was excellent and perfect, adding that he wouldn’t have felt bad even if the tribunal had decided to recuse itself as petitioned.
Barrister Ezenyi said: “The ruling is perfect and excellent. The tribunal’s reason was sound both in law and facts.”
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
