Politics
APC Launches Attack Against Court Of Appeal
The battle for places at the House of Representatives at the judiciary has taken a bizarre dimension, with ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) launching a frontal attack on the justices of the Court of Appeal looking into the petitions on the for the state and national assembly for Imo State.
Counsel to APC, Echezona Etiaba, (SAN), on Monday in Lagos presented two petitions purportedly written by his clients in which they accused the three-member panel of being compromised.
The court witnessed a level of uproar when presiding Justice, Danjuma Mohammed, of the Makurdi Division read the petition alleging that Damian Dodo (SAN), was holding the brief of one of the appellants contrary to the ethics of the legal profession.
Consequently, the justices, after declaring their innocence, recused themselves from the appeals of Imo State.
However, the justices maintained that it was just before the court sitting that all of them were made aware of who they would be sitting with and which cases they would preside over.
The lawyers present at the sitting expressed displeasure at the turn of events, as all the appeals went unheard.
They frowned at their colleague for using his status as a SAN to present such implausible and defamatory petitions.
One of the lawyers, Ajuonuma Stanley urged the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) to look into the matter and also urged the President of the Court of Appeal to ensure the case is heard by men and women who can’t be compromised to complete their assignment.
He said, “The LPPC should immediately look into this kind of unprofessional conduct.
“He (Etiaba) cannot accuse a fellow SAN of being in a matter when the records show that the said SAN was not anywhere involved in the matter.
“He accused justices of the Court of Appeal of having received bribes and such allegations should not go without proper investigation.
“I also call on the President of the court to be more vigilant.
“He accused the PDP of compromising the justices but the appeal that was called was that of Okigwe North Federal Constituency filed by LP candidate Chikwem Okafor.
So, what was the PDP’s connection in that?”
Other members of the panel are Justice Peter Affen from Yola Division and Justice Asmau’u Musa Mainoma. The latter is one of the newly appointed justices to the Court of Appeal.
From the court records, though, Dodo was not counsel on any of the matters, either for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or Labour Party (LP) at any stage of the pre-election cases or the main tribunal in Imo State.
Dodo was also not listed as counsel for any of the parties at the tribunal and even before the Court of Appeal.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has explained that the persistent crisis and legal disputes within the Peoples Democratic Party compelled him to defect to the All Progressives Congress.
The governor’s defection was formally announced on Monday by his deputy, Mani Mummuni, after a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Gusau.
In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the move was described as a necessary step taken in the interest of the state and supported by political stakeholders across Zamfara.
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According to the statement, Governor Lawal had remained committed to the PDP despite the ongoing leadership crisis and had made several efforts to reconcile factions within the party.
However, attempts to achieve peace and unity reportedly failed, leading to prolonged legal battles.
The development followed a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court.
The earlier judgment had restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The governor was said to have informed political stakeholders during a series of meetings that he would make a final decision about his political future after the appellate court delivered its ruling.
Following the judgment, Lawal concluded that joining the APC would better position him to continue what he described as the “Zamfara Rescue and Rebuild Mission.”
His defection marks a significant shift in the political landscape of Zamfara State and could influence political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has handed a significant setback to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dismissing his appeal challenging a Federal High Court ruling that questioned his eligibility to contest the upcoming governorship election.
A three-member panel delivered a unanimous judgment on Monday, affirming that the trial court acted correctly when it allowed Dr Akindele Egbuwalo, the plaintiff, to amend his originating summons.
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Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the lead judgment, said the governor failed to show that the High Court’s decision caused any miscarriage of justice or denied him a fair hearing.
The appeal was therefore dismissed for lacking merit, and the court awarded ₦2 million in costs against Aiyedatiwa.
The ruling reinforces the November 24, 2025, Federal High Court decision in Akure, which granted Egbuwalo permission to challenge Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility for re-election.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal also rejected an application by Aiyedatiwa to set aside a January 27, 2026, order staying proceedings in the case before the Federal High Court.
The appellate court clarified that the stay was a lawful exercise of its jurisdiction aimed at protecting the integrity of the proceedings.
The panel further emphasized that attempting to overturn its own order would be akin to sitting on appeal over its own decision.
The governor’s remaining option, the court noted, is to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court. Another ₦2 million in costs was awarded against Aiyedatiwa.
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party has deepened following a ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja which upheld a ban on the party’s proposed national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A three-man panel of the appellate court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear a suit concerning the controversial convention.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the Court of Appeal after a Federal High Court barred the party from holding its planned national convention scheduled for November 14 and 15, 2025.
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The lower court also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or validating the proposed convention.
However, delivering judgment, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court had the authority to entertain the case, rejecting the argument that the matter was purely an internal affair of the party.
According to the court, the appellants could not present what it described as a clear violation of the party’s constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as merely an internal party issue.
The panel subsequently dismissed the appeal and awarded a cost of N2 million against the appellants.
The ruling is part of judgments delivered in nine harmonised appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction over the dispute surrounding the convention.
The latest court decision is expected to further intensify the internal wrangling within the opposition party as it continues to grapple with leadership disputes and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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