A rights group, the Pilex Centre for Civic Education Initiative, has faulted the inauguration of the Local Government Election Petition Tribunals in Rivers State, accusing the state Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, of lending credibility to what it described as an “illegal” electoral process.
Justice Amadi had on Tuesday sworn in chairmen and members of the tribunals for the state’s three senatorial districts ahead of the August 30 local government elections.
He charged the appointees to be fearless, firm and impartial in discharging their duties within the 30 days provided by law for determination of petitions.
But reacting shortly after the inauguration, Pilex Coordinator, Courage Nsirimovu, said the action of the Chief Judge amounted to endorsing an election already tainted by legal controversy.
“The action of the Chief Judge in setting up the tribunal is tantamount to endorsing illegality. He has just attempted to clothe an illegal process with legality, but it won’t work. The judiciary should have resisted this capture by the executive,” Nsirimovu said.
He argued that Justice Amadi ought to have boycotted the exercise or even resigned, insisting that his involvement eroded the moral authority of the judiciary.
“Outside this country, people resign to protect the rule of law. Here, the Chief Judge knows the law yet still went ahead. There is no moral justification for all of this,” he added.
Justice Amadi, however, defended his action, stressing that the establishment of the tribunal was a statutory duty under the Rivers State Local Government Elections Tribunal Law 2000 (as amended). He dismissed suggestions that he acted under political pressure.
“What I have done is the statutory duty of the Chief Judge. That is what the law provides — when there are local government elections, the Chief Judge must set up a tribunal. I didn’t do it under pressure,” he said.
Justice Amadi reminded the tribunal members that, unlike before when tribunals had three months, they now had only 30 days to conclude petitions.
“Many lawyers will come there and start objections to delay. You have to be firm,” he told them.
