Justice Hafizu Is Ready To Expose Injustice Against Akpabio - DG GACO

Dr. Chris Akpan is the Director General of Godswill Akpabio Campaign Organization, GACO. He once served under Victor Attah-led state government as the Commissioner for Rural Development and he was later appointed into the committee on Airport Project by Godswill Akpabio’s administration. In this interview with The Sensor correspondent, UBONGABASI ISE, he reveals how one of the three members of the national assembly election petition tribunal, Justice Sherrif Hafizu, disagreed with his two other colleagues and rejected mouthwatering kickback offered by the Akwa Ibom State Government to influence the judgment against Senator Godswill Akpabio in his petition challenging the declaration of Senator Chris Ekpenyong as winner of February 23 senatorial election. Dr. Akpan hinted that Justice Hafizu might expose the underhand practices surrounding the majority judgment of the tribunal. He lauded Hafizu for his courageous, dissenting judgment and called on Akpabio’s supporters not to panic because all the wrongs would be soon righted at the appellate court, EXCERPT:

The national assembly election petition tribunal has passed its judgment, and the majority decision is not favouring Senator Godswill Akpabio, what is your reaction to this?

Few days to the judgment, we all knew what would happen. There is no doubt in the mind of any unbiased Akwa Ibom man that the panel was thoroughly compromised. Justice Hafizu should be commended. He is an honest Nigerian. He was doing national assignment, and his has discharged the obligation honestly, sincerely and to the best of his ability. Everybody is no doubt aware that the so-called majority judgment was actually purchased. All that has transpired has gone in line with what we read in the social media about what transpired between Akwa Ibom State government, the judges and everything associated with the tribunal. So we did not expect anything different from what they did. But thank God there is a provision for you to seek a redress at the upper level when you are not satisfied. This is what we intend to do.

It would interest of public interest to know how you get this privileged information that the panel would be compromising.

It was there on the social media and it was known to everybody when Barr. Leo Ekpeyong made his publication that he knew that two of the judges would compromise, and that there would be a split judgment. If he quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, then he must be a duck. So we are satisfied that Leo Ekpeyong was right in his submission. So we are not surprised at all about the outcome but thank God there is a provision for us to seek redress in the court of appeal.

The minority decision declared Senator Godswill Akpabio as the winner with the majority of lawful votes. Does this give him any advantage?

Yes! One, the judgment of the majority glossed over salient features of the matter. For example, the result was announced at Ikot Ekpene and a lot of people were celebrating in Ikot Ekpene and then came, “bring all the results to Uyo.” All the results were brought to Uyo, and at Uyo, 61,239 votes became about 6,000 votes. Nothing was mentioned about this in a majority judgment. So many issues were left untreated and silent in the majority judgment which the minority judgment brought out and provided answer to. If we have to judge as intelligent laymen, then no one would be left in any doubt that the majority judgment was so tattered. So the minority judgment will stand the test of time. The majority judgment would be thrown into dustbin of the compromised judgment.

In the majority judgment, Justice Akanbi said 61,239 votes was written by the Returning Officer of Essien Udim local government under the threat to his life. But the Returning officer, on cross-examination, said he wouldn’t want to be partisan and would not know the political party that sponsored thuggery during the election. In your own reckoning, how fair was this ruling?

To justify their pay, they had to invent all sorts of gimmicks to justify that. But all those results they claimed were not valid, we provided all their certified true copies from INEC. The certified true copies of those results were presented to INEC, and that was not mentioned in the majority judgment which has completely been treated in the minority judgment. Those are the issues that the majority wanted to sweep under the carpet but happily the minority judgment has brought those issues up. The court of appeal would look at those issues, and then use them, judge them on their own merit. That is why I believe that we would get justice in the higher court.

There is allegation in some quarters that Senator Akpabio bribed Justice Sherrif Hafizu to give dissenting judgment. How true is this claim?

Of course when somebody is caught with his hand in the jar, he would love to rope in as many people as possible. Senator Godswil Akpabio has never met Justice Hafizu. If he was to be bribed, could Godswill Akpabio have gotten more money than the state government? What could have stopped him from taking the bigger amount of money from the state? People are trying to taint the judgment of Hafizu, and every reasonable man knows clearly that Hafizu is guided by his conscience in his service to this country and we really appreciate this. He was not induced, and could have been induced. So far if there is any of the judges that should have been taken to the higher bench, that should be a man like Hafizu who has rebuffed all efforts to be induced and he was even promised the double of what it was intended initially to be given him. Rather, he rejected all and stood on the path of truth. There is no way Godswill Akpabio could have had more money to give Justice Hafizu than the state government.

Are you saying you are privy to the information that Justice Hafizu was attempted to be bribed by the state for government?

Of course. Didn't you hear what Hafizu said? He said if pushed, he is ready to divulge all that transpired, which they tried to rein in. The judge had said so. That is why so many of them are quiet. If the man is pushed to the wall, he may come out to spill what he knows about corrupt practices that went on in that place.

How do the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District receive these rulings?

What we observed was that there was no jubilation for the majority judgment. If you were in the court you would have heard the applauses when the minority judgment was given. In the court of the people, there is no doubt at all that the two judges would have been stoned. Everybody knows that Justice Hafizu is incorruptible and the judgment he gave was based on his conscience and based on the evidences that actually been adduced in court. So the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district are not worried as far as Godswill Akpabio would move to the higher level to seek justice.

Has Senator Godswill Akpabio openly declared his intention to approach the appellate court?

Well, we are his advisers. We have started that process already.

That means in no time...    

(Cuts in)... The matter will move to the higher level.

                                                                                                

Are you worried that the decision of the majority ruling has delayed Senator Godswill Akpabio from proceeding to the Red Chambers?

Sometimes it is better late than never. We are not worried at all. 

Do you think Senator Akpabio is prepared once again to cope with the rigours of the litigation at the Appeal Court after elections, tribunal case, and...

(Cuts in)... No, no. At the appellate level he doesn't needs to be there. The lawyers know what to do because he has a team of very competent lawyers. They know what to do, and they will take on the challenge. There is no problem at all. He doesn't have to abandon his job as a minister to come to the court to do this or that, no. 

There must have been frustration in your camp about the court verdict...   

No no, that to the contrary. Having known what transpired, we are not frustrated at all. Our spirit is high because we know that eventually that we are going to get what is ours which is justice. Purchasing justice is not the same thing as getting justice duly. So we absolutely have no fear in our hearts at all. The proper thing will be done; so we are not disturbed. We can only afford to waste a few more months to get justice, properly so-called. 

What would you say to calm the nerves of your followers affected by the latest setback?

I have addressed many of our supporters since this thing happened. I have been in our office in Ikot Ekpene this morning. I have told our people to go about their normal businesses. Our lawyers know what to do, and the process is on, to retrieve justice. Everybody is in the high spirits. We are expecting the correct thing to be done, and hopefully it is going to be done sooner than we even think.

I would tell all our teeming supporters, all Akwa Ibomites, and all friends of Godswill Akpabio not to have their spirit dampened, that we are not going to run away from our responsibility to ensure that the votes they gave out to Godswill Akpabio in that election is made to count. We are in that process, and by the grace of God we are going to succeed.

©The Sensor Newspaper

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