Rivers ALGON Alleges Plot To Subvert Justice

The Association of Local governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Rivers State chapter has kicked against moves by the Court of Appeal to resume hearing on an appeal brought against the state government by council chairmen elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The elected council chairmen had on 20 June, 2015, approached the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, to challenge their sack on July 9, 2015, after they were granted leave by the court to challenge the judgment of the Federal High Court that sacked them.
Thereafter, the state government challenged the decision of the Court of Appeal which granted the plea of the elected chairmen to appeal the decision of the lower court before the Supreme Court where the appeal is still pending.
Addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt last Tuesday ALGON spokesperson, Mrs Goodnews  Ozioma Amadi council and chairperson of Obio/Akpor Local Government wondered why the Appeal Court will commence hearing on the matter when it is still pending before the Supreme Court.
Mrs Amadi who is also the chairperson of Obio/Akpor Local Government Caretaker Committee said in spite of the appeal now pending and ongoing before the Supreme Court, another proceeding dealing on the same subject has been commenced by members of the All Progressives Congress at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt vide appeal No: CA/PH/338/2016.
She claimed that the new Appeal was aimed to force a fait accompli on the Supreme Court in appeal No: SC/536/2016.
According to her, “The attention of the Honourable Justices of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt Division has been drawn to the proceedings before the Supreme Court but rather than follow the laid down principles in judicial proceedings which preludes the Court of Appeal from proceeding with a matter when an appeal touching on the matter has been entered in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal is poised to proceed without regard to the Supreme Court.
“The posture of the Court of Appeal leaves a lot of room for concern because our judicial experience with some justices on the panel of the Court of Appeal has been unsavory’’.
“The Court of Appeal intends to proceed with the hearing of the appeal even after finding as a fact that some of the parties have not been served with the processes and in spite of the several pending motions filed by some of the parties in the matter including an application for stay of proceeding pending the hearing of the appeal at the Supreme Court”, she said.