By Judiary Correspondent in Abuja
A Gwagwalada in Abuja-based legal practitioner, Richard Olusegun Esq, has said the judgements that ousted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress, (ADC), and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State as the APC Senatorial Candidate for Imo West Senatorial District, were in line with the law.
Olusegun, who is the Principal Partner of Olatunde Chambers, Gwagwalada, and also a Notary Public and Arbitrator, said the ruling APC has no hand in the judgements.
He spoke in an interview where he reviewed the political developments in the country, particularly the two judgements that have generated heated debate.
On Atiku, he said the former Vice President failed to do due diligence before defecting to ADC, noting that there were persons on ground who were managing the party before he came, including the 36 state chairmen and the Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
He recalled that in 2022, Honourable Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, FCT, nullified the tenure of the then National Chairman of ADC, Ralph Nwosu, who had spent about 16 to 17 years in office.
According to him, the ADC constitution provides that the Deputy National Chairman should step in and take over after such removal, which placed Nafiu Bala Gombe as the rightful leader of the party.
He said Atiku’s greatest mistake was to align himself with Nwosu, who had been sacked, instead of guiding himself by the legal position on ground, all because he wanted to become presidential candidate.
He said Bala Gombe later went to court with the support of about 27 state chairmen, and later the 36 chairmen, who asked INEC to enforce the judgement and recognise Bala Gombe as authentic chairman of ADC.
He said part of the latest judgement rendered null and void all actions taken by the David Mark-led ADC, and ordered INEC not to recognise any candidate that emerged from those steps, but to recognise the candidate of Nafiu Bala.Gombe.
On claims that APC influenced the judgements, Olusegun said it would not be fair to blame APC, noting that the foundational judgement was delivered in 2022 when Muhammadu Buhari was President and Bola Tinubu had not yet become President.
On Uzodimma, he said he was satisfied with the judgement, because Uzodimma is still a sitting governor whose tenure is supposed to elapse in January or February 2028, and should therefore wait for his tenure to elapse before contesting for Senate.
He argued that Uzodimma’s case is different from that of the President, whose tenure ends on May 29 next year, or senators who are not holding another executive office, warning that allowing Uzodimma to contest would create a vacuum and constitutional crisis in Imo State.
He advised politicians to play by the rules and deliver on campaign promises, urged the electorate to scrutinise candidates and not sell their votes, and called on INEC to follow the Electoral Act strictly and check corrupt staff.
He also advised the judiciary to ensure that justice represents what the law says, not what the society wants, and to deliver judgement based on evidence tendered before it, without bias.