Exposing Justice Suleiman Ambrosa “cooked” Judgment

COURT OF APPEAL AFFIRMED THE JUDGMENT OF THE RIVERS STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION TRIBUNAL WHICH DISMISSED THE PETITION FILED BY LABOUR PARTY CHALLENGING THE ELECTION OF GOVERNOR NYESOM EZENWO WIKE ON THE GROUND THAT LABOUR PARTY FAILED TO COMPLY WITH SECTION 85 (1) OF THE ELECTORAL ACT ON THE NOMINATION OF CANDIDATE FOR THE ELECTION .

THE APC IN RIVERS STATE ALSO CONTRAVENED THIS SECTION AND THAT FORMED THE REASON WHY JUSTICE PINDIGA WAS AXED AND JUSTICE AMBROSA INVITED TO DO THE HATCHET JOB.


The lead judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered by Justice Mohammed Mustapha (JCA) on Monday, September 21, 2015.
The Court affirmed the decision of the tribunal to dismiss the Labour Party petition because the party contravened Section 85 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended as it failed to give 21 days notice to INEC before the primary that produced its candidate. Justice Suleiman Ambrosa who was co-opted late in the day to carry out a function ignored both the earlier ruling of the tribunal and the decision of the Court of Appeal on Section 85 ( 1)


Below is the judgment of the Court of Appeal on September 21, 2015 in relation to Labour Party’s appeal on Section 85 (1).


Justice Mustapha (JCA) declared:

“Having failed to comply with the strict requirements of the Electoral Act with regard to nomination and sponsorship of a candidate, the candidate presented for election by the appellant cannot be said have qualified as candidate in that election, as such the appellant is not entitled to present a petition under Section 137 (1)(b); that being so it therefore follows that the tribunal was correct, having come to the conclusion that the appellant did not comply with Section 85 (1) of the Electoral Act to hold that the appellant did not participate in the election, as a consequence of which it lacked the locus standi to present an election petition; A plaintiff who does not have sufficient legal interest in a cause, or ventures to institute an action which has no bearing on him, cannot competently seek or be entitled to redress in a court of law. See BEWAJI V OBASANJO (2008) NWLR part 1093 at 570.
Accordingly this issue is resolved in favour of the Respondents, and against the Appellant.”.


Quoted passage found on page of the judgment :




Note: The Appellant was Labour Party and the Respondents were Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, the PDP, INEC and Rivers State Police Command.



Justice Ambrosa simply set aside the law and threw up an illegality unknown to law.

Why did Justice Ambrosa break the law just for Rivers State APC and her governorship candidate, Mr Peterside while the same law was upheld by same tribunal?



Attached are photocopies of relevant pages of the Judgment.