Posted by From Charles Onyekamuo in Awka on
Fears that delay in the delivery of judgment in the petition brought by All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Mr. Peter Obi against victory of Governor Chris Ngige was because members of the tribunal were waiting for Ngige to bribe them was dismissed by a member of his legal team, Mr. Emeka Ngige (SAN) who said such were "mere rumours".
Fears that delay in the delivery of judgment in the petition brought by All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Mr. Peter Obi against victory of Governor Chris Ngige was because members of the tribunal were waiting for Ngige to bribe them was dismissed by a member of his legal team, Mr. Emeka Ngige (SAN) who said such were "mere rumours".
He said to the best of his knowledge, nobody was bribing anybody and that they had depended on the rule of law, prayers and mother luck throughout duration of proceedings at the tribunal. He said both Obi and the governor's teams presented very strong cases.
'Well, it was Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu who said in 1982/83 that the fastest growing industry in Nigeria is rumour. That is our past time here.
'Does Anambra State have that kind of money when you finish paying salaries and all the contractual agreements on roads and others.
'Nobody is bribing anybody to the best of my knowledge, we depend on the rule of law, prayers and mother luck", he said in answer to a question on allegations that the governor had parleyed the Garba Nabaruma led tribunal with money amounting to $1.5m to enable him get a favourable judgment.
This rumour and the one alleging that the governor had gone to Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, the Vice President with about N500m to help him 'talk" to the tribunal members whose chairman hailed from his state have been all over Anambra.
Although the tribunal in June, had said it would give judgment notice in three weeks time, the promise has however not been kept.
But Ngige's aide said the tribunal had not been out of time as it had 90 days at the close of submissions, within which to deliver judgement, 35 of which had only been utilised.
Ngige counseled that the Tribunal should not be stampeded into a hasty judgment, as it needed time to peruse through the avalanche of the records of its proceedings and the submission of counsels to be able to arrive at a decision on the matter.
The Tribunal, he said was not under any kind of pressure and that no amount of pressure from his reckoning will make the tribunal change the cause of justice; adding that they expected to win.
'I think the tribunal should not be stampeded. The constitution stipulates 90 days within which to deliver judgment at the end of submissions. They have just spent 35 out of the 90 days. That is not even half of the constitutional requirement. I don't think the tribunal is out of time.
'I believe that if they have more time, they will consider all the issues raised. They are not under pressure, and no amount of pressure so to say will change whatever they have decided.
'My expectation and wish is that we win. I don't expect to loose not with the kind of evidence we laid.
'But one thing I know is that both sides (Prosecution and Defense) presented strong cases. I am hoping that we win especially if we look at the case of Buhari Vs. Obasanjo, a recent Supreme Court decision. If they follow it (Tribunal), there is no how we can't win this case. But I think, the matter is likely to end at the court of Appeal, whichever way it goes", he said.
Ngige lamented what he called the alleged committee set up by INEC on the Anambra Governorship Elections and said that they were waiting for the Committee's term of reference to know if it is an alternate tribunal invested with the jurisdiction to hear the election petition.