The Labour Party candidate for the Edo State governorship elections, Olumide Akpata, has condemned Governor Godwin Obaseki’s decision to swear in only five out of the eight new judges recommended for the Edo State High Court by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
Akpata, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), described the decision as “a tragedy and a travesty” that has further subjected the three remaining judges and their families to “a precarious dilemma.”
He stated that the judges had been languishing in “an unconscionable career limbo” for nearly a year, suffering immense financial hardship due to the governor’s refusal to perform his constitutional duty to swear them in without any plausible justification.
Akpata called on the National Assembly and the newly constituted Constitution Review Committees to initiate constitutional amendments that will insulate the judicial appointment process from political interference.
He also urged the citizens of Edo State to demand accountability, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to upholding the sanctity of institutions from those who would presume to lead the state.
The Labour Party candidate described the governor’s action as “a reprehensible conduct” that has “rubbed salt on the injury” and “ridden roughshod over another arm of government in clear violation of the principles of separation of powers.”
