By Austin Ogwuda
Victorious Rt. Hon. Ngozi Okolie of the Labour Party, representing Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in the National Assembly said that the Court of Appeal judgment restoring his mandate was not only a victory for him and his Constituency but to a large extent, has rekindled the hope of Nigerians on the Judiciary.
He also remarked that it was regrettable that Hon Ndudi Elumelu, whom, he referred to, as his friend, knew very well that he lost the election woefully but decided to challenge it with an erroneous notion that he can buy everything he wanted with his wealth.
Okolie was a guest at the Abuja studios of The Arise Television program, ‘News Day’ on Friday afternoon.
Asked what was the way forward after the litigation, he said, “the case is finally decided. The distraction came to an end yesterday (Thursday) and what we will do now is try to focus on the best ways to assist our people to see that their voice is heard in the National Assembly and see how we can uplift our people in Aniocha Oshimili and hopefully, make our people have a better participation in the democratic system to see how we can improve the living conditions of our people.
“That is what we are sent here to do and that is what we are going to do”.
On the Court of Appeal judgment restoring his mandate which the Lower court had earlier stripped him of, Okolie said,
“I am most grateful to the Court of Appeal for actually taking the decision they took.”But as I said the last time I came we believe the court is the hope of the common man.
“Everybody that understands Law and the Electoral Act, you don’t necessary have to be a lawyer knows very well that the Asaba Tribunal didn’t give justice in the judgment they gave.That is why we decided to go on appeal.
“I am grateful to God that the Appeal Court saw it differently from the Asaba Tribunal and they have restored the confidence that most of us were losing in the Judiciary”.
When asked if he would still have confidence in the Judiciary in the event that there’s a similar miscarriage if justice in future like his judgment at the lower tribunal.
Hear his response:
“As we speak the Tribunal panel that gave judgment in my case is still sitting in Asaba and I don’t know what kind of rulings they will give. Only God will save whoever has a case before them but I don’t have any confidence in that Tribunal.
“I thank God that we have higher place to seek justice and here at the Appeal Court they gave us justice.
Everybody that heard the judgment yesterday knows very well that something was really wrong in Asaba because believe me honestly one of the members of the Tribunal panel in Asaba is a Professor of Law in a University. I don’t think what he did in Asaba is what he teaches, he teaches his students so he has the reason for whatever he said (judgment) and only God will be the Judge for them”, said Ngozi Okolie.
He was also asked what was in his mind when Ndudi Elumelu dragged me to court, considering the fact as a former Minority Leader in the House of Representatives and having been in the Green Chambers for several years if he was not intimidated.
He answered thus:
“The fact is that Ndudi is my friend.He knows very well that he didn’t win the election but he has this erroneous belief that money can buy him anything. So he depended so much on his wealth and unfortunately the Judgment proved that money can’t buy everything.
“He knows he lost the election, he knows that everything he brought to the Tribunal was just trying to fish to see who could, the Lower Tribunal fished with him but the Wiser men ( lordships at Appeal Court) said, NO, money can’t buy everything.We won the election and we will try our best to contribute our quota to people”, he capped it up.
