…asks AGF to investigate
The United World Congress of Diplomats (UN-WCD) has called on the international community to place visa ban on certain individuals allegedly involved in judicial interference in Benue state.
The call is on the heels of face off between the Benue State government and the embattled Chief Judge of Benue State, Chief Judge, Maurice Ikpambese.
The Benue Chief Judge was accused of granting waver to petitioners of local government election tribunal.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Ambassador Tunji Ashaolu, Professor of Politics and International Studies who doubles as Secretary of UN-WCD) recalled similar incidents of conflicting Court pronouncement in Rivers and Osun states.
He noted that such incidents “are completely against the core objectives of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) which are to: Promote adherence, by each State Party, to the universal values and principles of democracy and respect for human rights; and also the principle of the rule of law premised upon the respect for, and the supremacy of the Constitution and constitutional order in the political arrangements of the State Parties; which is Nigeria in this case. “
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The Forum which noted that it has made similar calls for visa ban for those allegedly involved in jJudicial interference in Rivers declared that the impasse in Benue deserved special attention because of the security challenge in the North Central state.
It stated, “The Benue State Chief Judge, the Registrar of the court, the current Senate Minority Leader, and all those who supported the actions of the Chief Judge publicly should be sanctioned and have their existing visas canceled and visa ban issued against them just as we advocated in the case of Rivers State and INEC officials who purposely sabotaged democratic principles during elections.
“Benue State is of particular interest to the international community having been under security threats which led to Internally Displaced Persons Camp, IDPs across the state.
“The human rights community has warned that, should the world allow Judicial Officers to destroy institutions like democracy and rule of law, the state would find it more difficult to develop.
“We have it in good authority that the National Judicial Council is yet to even constitute investigative panel to unravel the allegations against the Chief Judge, a resolution passed by the Benue State Legislative Arm of Government which recommended outright removal of the Chief Judge from office.
“We believe by now that the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria who is a proactive officer should have set up a probe panel to immediately investigate the chief Judge even if the NJC is not willing to investigate the previous petitions against the CJ, the recent one passed by the State House of Assembly and forwarded by the Benue State Government to the NJC should have been under investigation by now.
“In light of the reactions from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the National Judicial Council (NJC), we urge caution and restraint in passing judgment before a thorough investigation is conducted.
“The presumption of innocence and due process must guide our approach to addressing allegations of judicial misconduct.
“As the international community observes these developments, we emphasize the importance of upholding the rule of law and ensuring accountability for all public officials, including judges.
“Any acts of misconduct or abuse of power must be met with swift and decisive action to maintain public trust and confidence in the judiciary.
“We can assure you that we will continue to monitor the situation closely and advocate for ethical governance practices in Nigeria and beyond.
“The Forum called ” on the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation to initiate an independent panel to thoroughly investigate the allegations of financial irregularities and breaches of ethical standards attributed to Chief Judge Ikpambese of Benue State.
“It is essential to ensure that due process is followed and that justice is served in the interest of public trust and accountability.”
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