The relocation of Benue state Local Government Election Tribunal on Monday sparked protest in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The protesters were armed with various placards with inscriptions like: “Enough of procured court order, Corrupt judges must be expunged from the system,” among others.
The protest organised by the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria took place at the federal Secretariat in Abuja.
The violation has also petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) , the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun and President Bola Tinubu over the ongoing crisis rocking the Benue state judiciary.
The Chief Convener, Igwe Ude-Umanta lamented that the court of law which was supposed to be the arbiter of justice where the constitution is interpreted without bias, but today, the reverse is the case has become more politicised than registered political parties.
He said the country’s democracy was in clear danger saying Kekere-Ekun must save it.
Ude-Umanta wondered how on earth could a Chief Judge of a state allegedly abuse his office by flouting the state laws and the NJC is quiet.
He said Justice Maurice Ikpambese, the Chief Judge of Benue State unilaterally granted a waiver to petitioners of Local Government Election Tribunal not to pay security deposit, a constitutional prerequisite for any valid petition and he has not been sanctioned.
Ude-Umanta stressed that on the strength of the refusal of the NJC to punish him, he again violated the Electoral Laws of Benue State when he relocated the Local Government Elections Petition Tribunal to Abuja which was clearly off territorial jurisdiction in clear violation of the Benue State Electoral Law, yet the NJC is just watching.
He added that in an attempt to protect the constitution of Nigeria and the laws of Benue State, the Attorney General of Benue State approached the Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi which granted an order restraining the Tribunal from sitting anywhere outside Benue State including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) house Abuja.
Ude-Umanta noted that this order was granted on the 7th of March 2025 to the admiration of Nigerians.
He said: “ Surprisingly, on Friday 14th March 2025, an FCT High Court 34 presided by Justice M.M Adamu frivolously issued another other compelling the Benue State Local Government Election Tribunal Tribunal to conduct sitting in Abuja and particularly at the NBA house.
“The question is, can the Benue State laws be applied in the FCT or any other state other than Benue State? If the answer is NO, it is also clear that the Benue State Local Government Election Tribunal can not sit outside Benue State.
“Justice M.M Adamu is a sabotage in the judiciary who has abandoned his oaths of office. Therefore, he is no longer fit to be a judge anywhere in the world. There is no justice near M.M Adamu for granting an order of Court, on an order of court against the Electoral laws of Benue State.
“We are here today to submit a petition against Justice Maurice Ikpambese and Justice M. M Adamu who by their actions have converted the title of justice to injustice.”
“The burden behooves on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Kudirat Kekereke-Ekum to expunge corrupt judges off the Nigerian judiciary in order to restore the integrity of the judiciary.
“Honourable CJN Ma, under your watch, the Supreme Court descended into live issues in Rivers State and decided a case that is not before it when it held that, Matthew Ameaweh is the Speaker of the House of Assembly while the case is still pending in the High Court and Appeal Court respectively.”
“We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to fold his arm as the judiciary is been bastardised on daily bases. Mr President sir, the Benue situation is the worst at the moment because, the petitioners did not even participate in any of the process of the election.
“We demand urgent intervention of Hon. Justice Kekere-ekun, we demand intervention of Mr. President and we demand that NJC called its members involved in the ongoing crisis to order in the interest of peace and justice in Benue State.”