(Last Updated On: )

The Special Court of Appeal in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been secretly dissolved after upholding the Rivers State Local Government elections, According to SaharaReporters report.
The court had previously ruled in favor of the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, nullifying a judgement by the Federal High Court that barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the conduct of local elections in the state.
The panel, led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, had determined that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit, as Section 28 of the Electoral Act only applies to federal elections, governorships, and area council elections in the FCT, and not local government elections.
Sources have revealed that senior judicial officers and fixers were involved in the quiet disbandment of the panel. Interestingly, Justice Hamah Barka, who had previously recused himself from the Rivers State issue due to claims of being under attack by forces accusing him of compromise, is now part of the newly formed panel.
The new panel, which also includes Justice Adebukola Banjoko and Justice Peter C. Obiora, is now handling the matter from Abuja.
According to SaharaReporters, which TheNigeriaLawyer cannot independently verify, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nyesom Wike, who is in a protracted political war with his former godson and governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, was behind the secret dissolution of the Special Court of Appeal. SaharaReporters learned that Wike reached out to senior judicial officers and fixers to disband the panel quietly after it upheld the Rivers State Local Government elections conducted by the administration of Fubara.
The decision to disband the Special Court of Appeal has raised concerns about the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, as it appears to be influenced by political interests. The secretive nature of the dissolution, following a ruling that favored the Rivers State government, has led to questions about the integrity of the judicial process and the rule of law in Nigeria.
Governor Fubara had previously approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja to overturn a judgement that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from releasing monthly allocations to Rivers State. The governor’s legal team, led by Mr. Yusuf Ali, SAN, had argued before a three-member panel of the appellate court, headed by Justice Hamma Barka, to set aside the Federal High Court’s order, claiming that the judgement was given in bad faith.
Attempts to reach the court registrar for comments were unsuccessful, as calls to the provided number went unanswered at the time of this report. However, according to a court source who spoke on condition of anonymity, while the arrangement appears unusual, it may have been made in good faith. The source added that the court lacks communication with the public, which brings doubt to the matter.
The post Justice Barka Joins New Panel After Recusal As Justice Otisi’s Special Court Of Appeal Disbanded In Rivers Case appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.