By Austin Ogwuda
Member representing Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Rt. Hon Ngozi Okolie has expressed disappointment how the Judiciary was fast losing its intergrity and sacredness it used to be in the past.
He noted that it is worrisome that apart from about seven percent of the Nigerian Judges many of them have allowed some infamous politicians to soil their hands.
Okolie spoke in an exclusive interview in Abuja.Said he, “when I was growing, Judges were very revered. Infact sitting beside a Judge was like sitting near God.
“But these days apart from six or seven percent of them you can booze (drink beer) and party with Judges, reducing the sacredness of the Judiciary.
“The Judges themselves too, are helping them (politicians) to achieve that and also most of the Senior Advocates follow in the mess. Some of the Senior Advocates don’t know the Law but carry brief cases about.
“As for this Judgment (Appeal Court) it did not favour me. I did everything legally and they ( Court of Appeal) interpreted the Law as it is supposed to be”.
Okolie made it clear that some institutions in Nigeria need to be strengthened “because I was disappointed with INEC.
“Initially the first lawyer that came there (Asaba Tribunal) actually came truthfully and said I was duly nominated.
“And all of a sudden, so many things changed hands and INEC suddenly changed. In fact they virtually became the lawyer of the other group (Ndudi Elumelu). The same thing continued at the Court of Appeal Abuja to the extent that one of the Judges who was at a time a lawyer with INEC got disgusted with INEC lawyer. At a point the Judge asked him are you now the counsel to Ndudi Elumelu?
“They (INEC) were also seeking for my disqualification after they announced my result as winner with big margin.There came a time they were even having verbal arguments with our lawyers.
“The funniest part of it”, he went on, “was that INEC objected to tendering my School Certificate as Exhibit I don’t know why and how that affects them.
“It was surprising, we gave up hope and counted on God. The funny part of it was that the day that the Tribunal was to give Judgment my opponent had already hired music in his house and the caterers have already cooked so they got the judgment they paid for”, he alleged.