Constituents of the Odo-Ogun/Oyun state constituency of Kwara State, where the removed Otunba Taiye Atoyebi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) represents in the state House of Assembly, have petitioned the National Judicial Commission (NJC) on the Appeal Court verdict.
Appellate court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara state capital, had on November 28, 2023, overturned the decision of the election petition tribunal that affirmed the election of Otunba Atoyebi of the PDP.
Others that were petitioned are the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR Nigeria), Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and others.
The constituents, in the petition signed by one Rauf Dele Yusuf, demanded a thorough investigation into the appeal court judgement, which they described as controversial.
The constituents claimed that state Houses of Assembly Tribunal had before then ‘rightfully’ dismissed the petition against the PDP lawmaker filed by All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Yusuf Musa in the March 2023 House of Assembly election.
The people also said that the sacking of the PDP lawmaker by the Appeal Court on the ground of certificate forgery was against the rule of law.
The petition reads: “As constituents, we ask if it was right for the court to make its ruling by imposing an issue that was not part of the petition submitted by the appellants. The introduction of new issues that were not part of the original petition before the court is highly concerning and suggests a departure from established forgery against him.
“We consider this judgement as a deliberate twist of natural law of justice and total elevations of technicalities over rule of law and natural justice which are the principles that should guide the court from arriving at any decision”.
They alleged that the decision of the appellate court had the imprimatur of external forces or influence.
“Your prompt attention to this matter is crucial to restore faith in the Nigerian judiciary and uphold the principles of fairness and justice”, they said.
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