Everyone knew that what the House of Assembly of Kogi State did was a legislative coup in connivance with the Governor of the State, Yahaya Bello. How i wished that my Lord, the Honorable Chief Judge of the State did not administer the Oath on the purported new Deputy Governor, who i understand is now the elected Deputy Governor.
Now, about 6 months after the sad incident occurred Judgment has finally been delivered but where is the justice in the judgment?
Achuba cannot go back to his former office. Probably, the court awarded punitive costs against all the Defendants (N500m each would not be too much). The full judgment will tell.
The game of the politicians is, let us do it anyhow and remove him; by the time he finishes from the court we would have been through with our tenure. The judiciary should not lend its hands to this dangerous games. It is an assault on the will of the people.
What happened in Kogi State was a constitutional cancer that can easily spread to other States. If the judiciary is to continue to be seen as the citadel of justice, cases like this should be given ultra-accelerated hearing, max 1 month, as the case was filed vide originating summons.
I ask again, where is justice in the judgment delivered in favour of Achuba? The real victim is not Achuba but the Nigerian Constitution that was openly and violently desecrated by persons who swore oath to protect, preserve and advance the provisions of the Constitution: the Governor of Kogi State and the House of Assembly of Kogi State. A judgment should have the element of justice in it. Justice in this sense means justice not only for the nominal victim but also for the people of Nigeria whose sacred Constitution was violently raped by persons occupying public offices. Allowing such persons who abused public trust reposed in them and desecrated our grundnorm to be without any form of exemplary sanctions, would not be helpful to our democracy.
Kunle Edun