The Presidency, yesterday, continued its verbal attacks on the Judiciary, saying the National Judicial Council, NJC, lied and muddled up the law in its bid to shield Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court from prosecution.
According to a statement signed by Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, the council lied when it claimed that the Federal Government had no valid appeal against Justice Ademola.
Obono-Obla, who is directly attached to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, said there was no truth in NJC’s claim that office of the AGF had on two occasions — April 18 and 21, 2017 — shunned invitations by the Federal Capital Territory High Court for settlement of records of appeal in the case Federal Government has against Ademola.
He said: “I wish to debunk some of the assertions contained in the statement issued by Soji Oye, Director of Information, National Judicial Council, NJC, which was widely reported in the media on Monday, June 12, 2017.
“One of such false assertions by Soji Oye is the claim ‘that the Office of Attorney General of the Federation had on two occasions, April 18, 2017 and April 21, 2017, shunned invitations by the Federal Capital Territory High Court for settlement of records of appeal, which if it had done would have elevated the notices of appeal to proper appeal.
“Undoubtedly, the statement of Soji Oye is a deliberate misrepresentation of the law and facts.
On the contrary, the FCT High Court registry by a notice dated June 6, 2017 signed by one Paul A. Edili, Esquire (Head of Appeal) invited both parties to the appeal to attend Court on the 14 June, 2017 for the purpose reconciliation of records of appeal.
“It goes without saying that the assertion of Soji Oye that the Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation had on two occasions viz, April 18, 2017 and April 21 2017, respectively shunned the invitation of the FCT High Court registry is not correct.
“I challenged Soji Oye to furnish us with proof of service of these notice which the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation shunned.
“It is obvious that Soji Oye in his haste to defend the indefensible muddled up the law concerning the role of an Appellant and the registry of the Court where an appeal is emanating from.”
Source: Today
