Over 500 lawyers, under the banner of Lawyers of Conscience, staged a protest at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Friday, News About Nigeria gathered.
The demonstration was in response to what the lawyers termed a deliberate attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to undermine the judiciary following the recent judgment that nullified the election of four of its members from Plateau State to the National Assembly.
Led by Convener Sylvanus Okpe, the lawyers demanded an immediate halt to what they called ‘the campaign of calumny against the justices of the court by the PDP’.
In a statement, Okpe emphasised the importance of drawing attention to the implications of the PDP’s actions on the court’s reputation and integrity.
While acknowledging the Court of Appeal’s sound judgment in line with the law, the protesting lawyers accused the PDP of breaching a subsisting court order, PLD/J/304/2021, which directed the party to conduct a fresh congress involving all 17 Local Government Areas in Plateau State.
They argued that this breach could lead to a lack of party structure, rendering the PDP candidates’ eligibility for the National Assembly elections null and void.
The lawyers referenced a similar case in Zamfara State in 2019, where the Supreme Court nullified the elections of all APC candidates due to the party’s failure to conduct primaries.
They warned the PDP against further criticising the appellate court for what they described as a self-inflicted injury in Plateau State.
The lawyers urged the Court of Appeal to reject the PDP’s position on the outcome of the judgment, emphasising the importance of defending the sanctity of the appellate court and upholding justice.
They called on the court to stand firm against attempts to discredit the judiciary’s impartiality in Nigeria.
On November 7, the Court of Appeal unanimously approved the nullification of the election of a Senator and three members of the House of Representatives from Plateau State who belonged to the PDP.
The court based its decision on the PDP’s failure to comply fully with a court order from 2022, directing the party to conduct congresses in all 17 Local Government Areas in the state.
As a result, the court ordered candidates with the second majority lawful votes to be sworn in as winners of the legislative seats.
