Andy Ubah, Oduah: Why the Supreme Court kept mute

Nigerian media had its April fool galore on January 29th, 2016 instead of usual globally recognized first day of April, when joke and misinformation are allowed as part of fun. On that fateful day, some media platforms broke the news of Supreme Court sacking of Senators Andy Ubah, Stella Oduah, and others from their seats as a result of the Apex Court’s affirmation of Ejike Oguebego-led State Executive of the PDP in Anambra State. The irony of the entire falsehood is that, Supreme Court Justices never made mention of party primaries let alone sacking of elected Senators, House of Representatives and State Assembly members from Anambra State.
The media conspiracy was instigated by political desperadoes who wanted to gate-crash into Nation¬al and State Assemblies without passing through painstaking vetting process of electioneering. The revered Jurists of Supreme Court resisted the temptation of granting unsolicited relief by the appellants, who used sponsored stories in the media to misinterpret the Judgement that dealt solely on the authenticity of State Working Committee of the PDP and not the list submitted to INEC. The learned Jurists of Supreme Court could not play the role of Father Christmas by instructing INEC to with¬draw Certificates of Return given to Senators Andy Ubah, Stella Oduah, and others, which was not the meat of argument according to stipulations of the Electoral Act.
Those who could not win elections in the field are putting untold pressure on INEC to withdraw hard-earned Certificates of Return issued to Senators Andy Ubah, Stella Oduah and Others, and re-issue same to them when the Supreme Court did not make such unpopular order, instead kept mute and maintained a meaningful silence which is better than meaningless words.
The Supreme Court judgement in respect to Chibuike Amaechi vs. Celestine Omehia, which some ignoramus are anchoring their already punctured arguments on, had been overtaken by event amendment of 2010 Electoral Act which clearly stipulated that any candidate that did not participate in the general election should not be declared winner or sworn-in by the court or election tribunals. In the light of the foregoing postulations, anyone demanding Certificates of Return from INEC as relates to offices being occupied by Senators Andy Ubah, Stella Oduah, and Others, when juxtaposed with recent Supreme Court profound silence on the candidacies of the Defendants when Ejike Oguebego-led SWC was affirmed by the Apex Court, can be best described as a rabble nincompoop engaged in unwarranted shenanigans and grandstanding.
The conscience of the Judiciary cum society which Supreme Court represents should not be dragged into partisan politics by forcing it to clear “ambiguity” where there was none. Supreme Court never sacked Senators Andy Ubah, Stella Oduah, Others, or declared their seats vacant and should maintain its stand against media pressure emanating from well-oiled propaganda machinery to influence it into granting frivolous orders.
In other to checkmate the desperation of the Appellants, the Defendants: Senators Andy Ubah, Stella Oduah, and others recently secured an order from Federal High Court restraining President of the Senate, Speakers of House of Representatives and State Assembly and INEC from taking any decision injurious to the interests of the Defendants pending the clarification proactively sought from the Supreme Court by the Defendants.
Mandate snatchers are at it again to intimidate Supreme Court to nullify the candidatures of Senators Andy Ubah, Stella Oduah, and Others who are defendants in this case. Even when the Apex Court in its respected counsel, had refused to question the candidacies of the Defendants by remaining mute in this regard when the only issue of State Working Committee of the PDP in Anambra was determined by the imminent Jurists, Appellants are doing everything possible to arm-twist the honourable court into granting unscrupulous orders against the Defendants.
It is time for lovers of democracy to embrace peace in the state and give it a chance. All of us cannot be Senators, House Representatives and State Assembly members at the same time. The Apex Court being the ceiling of judicial voyage in election adjudications cum jurisprudence in the country has decided on this contentious matter once and for all. Those trying to create ambiguities where there is none should exercise patience and try their luck in 2019, which is already beckoning.
Chidiebere Nwobodo wrote in from Abuja via: [email protected]