Group accuses Adamawa acting chief judge over partisanship

From Umar Dankano, Yola

A pressure group under the aegis of the Concerned Adamawa Citizens for Justice, has accused the Adamawa state Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, for deliberately frustrating efforts by former Governor Murtala Nyako and his aides to seek redress in the state court.

The development was disclosed by the spokesman of the group, Ezra Ibrahim, in an interview with journalists in Yola yesterday stressing that, the actions of the Acting Chief Judge for not giving cases involving Nyako or his aides deserved consideration has left much to be desired.

Ibrahim explained that recent cases filed by Nyako and his aides that required urgency were assigned to judges on vocation or delayed for assignment in a manner that looked like a deliberate attempt to frustrate the cases which has contravened the principles of natural justice because justice delayed is justice denied.

He cited an example of the case filed by one Mohammed Gidado Ibrahim, former Special Adviser on Security to former Governor Nyako, who was challenging the constitutionality of the Panel of Enquiry set up to probe the administration of Nyako.

He added that, the suit filed about a month ago was yet to be assigned by the Acting Chief Judge even as the counsel to the plaintiff, Barrister Oladele Oyelami, had filed affidavit of urgency on the matter since August 8 but to no avail.

In the said suit, the Special Adviser to Nyako, Gidado Ibrahim wanted the court to declare the setting up of the panel which was given one month to probe the administration of Nyako as a contravention of the provisions of section 128 and section 129 of the constitution.

Ibrahim also wanted the court to declare that the setting up of the judicial panel of inquiry without recourse to the state House of assembly was illegal.

Furthermore he also wanted the court to among others, grant an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, themselves, their servants, agents and/or privies from sitting, conducting any proceedings and make any findings against the plaintiffs in connection with the judicial commission of inquiry as it relates to or concerned him.

He added that the outcome of the panel may not see the light of the day since due process was not applied in its formation.

It could be recalled that the Acting Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri set up a seven man panel headed by a season jurist, Justice Umar Bobboi to investigate the activities of the administration of ousted Governor Murtala Nyako from June 2007 to June 2014 within one month.