The Peoples Democratic Party has accused the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice designate, Lateef Fagbemi; Governor Alex Otti of Abia State; and his legal team of intimidating the Abia State Elections Petitions Tribunal.
The allegation was made by the Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party in a statement it issued on Friday.
It said Fagbemi, the lawyer of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Election Petitions Court showed up at the Tribunal and sat beside Otti’s legal team during sitting.
This, the party said, is “a graphic display of authority meant to intimidate both the petitioners, the Abia PDP, its candidate Sir Okey Ahiwe and members of the Abia Election Petition Tribunal”.
The statement, signed by the Abia State PDP Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary, Hon. Abraham Amah, said: “Mr. Lateef Fagbemi before his nomination and eventual designation as Nigeria’s Chief Law Officer was the lead counsel to Alex Otti and the Labour Party in the petition brought against them by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate Sir Okey Ahiwe, challenging the declaration of Alex Otti of the Labour Party as the winner in the Abia 2023 Governorship election.
“Mr. Fagbemi’s presence in court yesterday (Thursday) was inconsiderate and as a senior lawyer, he ought to have known that having been nominated, screened, and designated as the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, he should no longer show up in court for cases in which he has private interests as in the case of Alex Otti and the Labour Party. His presence in the tribunal yesterday as a personal lawyer to a private litigant shows a grave and dangerous misunderstanding of the importance of the exalted position he is to occupy and casts doubts about his understanding of the weight and significance of that office.
“It is laughable that Alex Otti and Labour Party took to this panic measure because it has become obvious to them that the weight of evidence against them is highly overwhelming and as they have always done since the Tribunal started sitting, employed another needless hardball tactic to truncate the course of justice through technicalities, intimidation and interminable obstructive motions to delay the pronouncement of justice.”
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The party said it was disappointed that Fagbemi “who has even before assumption of office started to show partiality through his body language and our only interpretation of his presence in court yesterday is that it was meant to send signals and intimidate members of the tribunal and the petitioners in the matter.
“We also understand that his presence in court was to boost the dwindling fortunes of the respondents which is crumbling under the weight of evidence every day.
“In case Lateef Fagbemi has forgotten, the role of an attorney general and justice minister is to give impartial legal advice to the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not to take private briefs from individuals or continue to represent private citizens once he has accepted to serve as the country’s chief law officer.
“The Abia PDP is mindful of the fact that some prominent lawyers have already condemned his actions and also advised him to recuse himself from the case and face his duties as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
“And to Alex Otti and the Labour Party, Abia PDP advises them to allow justice to take a natural course and stop using intimidation and unnecessary tactics to torpedo the delivery of justice in the State because as it is now, all eyes are on the judiciary in Abia State.”
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