He made his displeasure known in a statement shared on his
official X handle on Saturday.
He wrote, “I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the
reprehensible conduct of Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Governor of Edo State.
Firstly, for the unconscionable delay in swearing in new judges for the Edo
State High Court 11 months after they were recommended by the National Judicial
Council as far back as June 2023. Secondly, for the inexplicable decision to
unilaterally select and swear in only five out of the eight recommended
judges.”
He added that the governor’s action is unacceptable.
“For nearly a year,
these eight legal professionals languished in an unconscionable career limbo,
with those previously in private practice suffering immense financial hardship
through loss of earnings as they could not practise law as private
practitioners having been recommended for appointment to the Bench, To subject
any human being or public servant, let alone prospective guardians of justice,
to such indignities is totally unacceptable.
“And now, by swearing in only five out of the eight
recommended judges without any reason or explanation, Governor Obaseki has
further rubbed salt into the injury, riding roughshod over another arm of
government in clear violation of the principles of separation of powers and in
the process, leaving the other three Judges and their families in a precarious
dilemma.
“As a senior member of the Bar and a former President of the
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the
reprehensible conduct of Governor Godwin Obaseki, who willfully failed and
refused to perform his constitutional duty to swear in all eight recommended
Judges for nearly a year without any plausible justification. The fact that he
has now proceeded to unilaterally select and swear in five out of the
recommended eight Judges is simply a tragedy and a travesty,: he added.
The governor’s action, Akpata said, reflected the deceitful
and self-serving nature of the Peoples Democratic Party government in the
state.
He added, “It definitely is no coincidence that this sudden
decision by the governor to swear in only five out of the eight recommended
judges is coming five months before the Edo State gubernatorial elections.
“It is simply emblematic of the deceitful, self-serving
politics that have become a hallmark of Governor Obaseki’s PDP government,
putting partisan interests above the rule of law and the interests of the
people.
“Such conduct strikes at the very heart of our democracy and
the principle of separation of powers. It represents a contemptuous attempt to
subjugate the judiciary to the whims of the executive, stripping it of its
independence and reducing it to a mere appendage of the governing party’s
agenda.”
