Tobias Sylvester
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has refuted claims that the Justice of the Court of Appeal, Boloukuoromo Ugo has withdrawn his membership from the presidential election petition court.
The claim, which is gaining traction on social media, alleged that Justice Ugo, had in “a shocking and unprecedented move”, resigned from the bench over pressure from the Executive arm of the government which he believed would destroy the country’s democracy.
The report stated that Justice Ugo issued a statement, revealing that he was asked to “cripple the independence of the judiciary”, by ruling in favor of President Bola Tinubu.
The Judge was also reported to have claimed that the panel was asked to suppress evidence and dismiss all the petitions against President Tinubu.
According to the report, Justice Ugo resigned, stressing that siding with the government on the matter before the court, would be the “death of Nigeria’s democracy,” insisting that he could not in good conscience remain silent.
Speaking with TheCable on Thursday, the NJC Director of Information, Soji Oye dismissed these allegations as “falsehood from the pit of hell”.
He urged the public to disregard the claims, stating that their purpose is to distract Nigerians and shape a narrative in case the court’s judgment does not align with the rumors being spread.
Oye assured Nigerians that the presidential election petition court would issue an official statement to address the situation.
When contacted, Josephine Ekperobe, the secretary of the presidential tribunal, also labeled the story as “fake.”
She confirmed that she had spent time with Justice Ugo on the previous day and, as of Thursday, had not received any information about his supposed resignation.
This comes barely 48 hours after President Bola Tinubu reportedly spoke with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, over the outcome of the presidential election petition.
