Eminent lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay, and a Lagos-based legal practitioner, Mr. Jiti Ogunye, on Thursday, queried the recent judgments of the Supreme Court, which dismissed all the cases challenging the polls of some governors, including those that had earlier been overturned by two lower courts.

A seven-man bench led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, on Wednesday, affirmed the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission with respect to the Abia and Akwa Ibom states’ governorship polls.

In separate telephone interviews with our correspondent, Sagay and Ogunye said the Supreme Court judgments were not justifiable.

The Court of Appeal in the case of the Abia poll and the election petitions tribunal with respect to the Akwa Ibom election had taken a position different from that of the apex court.

Earlier, the apex court had affirmed the governorship election in River State, despite contrary findings by the appeal court.

The apex court had also affirmed the governorship polls in Ebonyi, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta and some others.

The Supreme Court is to give full reasons for its decisions on most of the governorship elections later this month.

The apex court’s decision has not been delivered in the appeal with respect to Taraba State election.

Drawing an analogy between the Supreme Court’s decisions and the attitude of an ancient king called Draco in punishing all offences with death, Sagay said on Thursday that the apex court’s streak of judgments was strange.

He said, “It is not something I can just pounce on. But all the judgments have been the same. It’s very interesting. There used to be an ancient monarch, who punished every crime by death. He was called Draco. That is why when somebody does anything extreme he is called Draconian.

“If anybody steals one kobo, you kill him, if he kills someone you kill him, at the end, there is no distinction between offences.

“There should be distinctions. How can all the governorship cases go the same way? How is that possible? That is the question we are all awaiting when they will give the reasons for their judgments.

“I don’t know how to put it, but it’s very strange. We will wait for them to give their reasons and see how that magic occurred that every governorship election was valid and in line with the Electoral Act. It is very unprecedented. We will see when they give their full judgments, that is it for now.”

On his part, Ogunye said he was met with ‘shock and disbelief’ following the apex court’s decisions.

He expressed fear that the Supreme Court’s judgment might ‘unwittingly become an anti-technology, anti-innovation and anti-science precedent’ which he said was “sad for our democracy’.

He said with the trend of the apex court’s judgment it would have been impossible for the likes of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun and former Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, to assume governorship positions.

Those mentioned by Ogunye had become governors by an order of the Court of Appeal at the time when the Supreme Court had yet to have jurisdiction over governorship election appeal cases.

He also said, “Nigerians and the international community were living witnesses to the conduct of the polls in the states where these election petitions emanated and the conclusions were that the elections were terribly mismanaged and marred by violence and malpractices.”


http://www.punchng.com/sagay-ogunye-fault-scourt-judgments-on-gov-polls/

Choi


*FTC Week for Nosypat!

Whatever you guys concludes, remember our law only favours the stronger. Be it customary, appeal or supreme. Apex court don talk so make una take am to heaven court for further hearing.

Itse may have been looking at the case with a lens different from the one used by the judges. Again that their decisions are unanimous on the case means the judges may have been nonpartisan about the case.

However, 7 men agreeing supersedes that of a one man who is holding brief or has a take at the present govt.

We should not fall down the last wall standing or else anarchy will be child's play.

Of course it's always like that

sigay can go and die and rot in hades

apc is bokoharam
Thunder scatter thier family Insha'Allah amin


cc

ngeneukwenu omenka

[size=15pt]Sagay needs to retire and take a long vacation.

His bad-belle is getting chronic[/size]

Itsey Sagay and Jiti cannot be said to be neutral. Both are pro APC in flesh, blood and spirit.

Prof Sagay is an ethnic bigot and a very biased APC lawyer!! I wonder why some media houses still describe that man as "eminent lawyer".That man is a disgrace to the legal profession.

So the tiny bigotted sense of Jiti Ogunye & the outdated brain of Itse Sagay are better than the erudite brains of seven supreme court justices, including the CJN ?

Stupidity is when the same supreme court uses the standard to award APC judgement in Lagos against PDP & nobody utters a word but the same rascals cry 'murder' when the supreme court uses the same standard to award PDP victory in Rivers & Akwa Ibom.

APC is a fraud.

chukwudi44:
Prof Sagay is an ethnic bigot and a very biased APC lawyer!! I wonder why some media houses still describe that man as "eminent lawyer".That man is a disgrace to the legal profession.

[size=15pt]Sagay sounds like an educated dull@rd[/size]

Am not concern about the current situation, my only fear is the future of democracy, indeed the apex court has taking us full circle backwards in terms of Democratic election.


Nigerians should be careful in the next elections because it's going to be a do or die affair. The wailing Wailers will have more topics to do their wailing.

signz:
Itsey Sagay and Jiti cannot be said to be neutral. Both are pro APC in flesh, blood and spirit.

Are you pro PDP? it's obvious.

Meanwhile, have you taking time to ponder on the implications of the apex court rulings in our future elections perhaps you have. if so be the case, do you think it's a healthy drugs for the conduct of a peaceful, free, fair and non violent election?

Have you thought about those whose case ended in the appeal court, who may have been victorious in the supreme court but lost out at the appeal?

it further means dear comrade, that the appeal court judges don't understand the law and also the electoral act.

Is Supreme Court infallible?
"We are final not because we are infallible, rather we are infallible because we are final"- justice Oputa

In as much as the decision might not go down well with all.I guess the FG does not want to waste anoda resources conducting fress elections that is why it is like that..let peace reign

This man is losing it these days. These electoral act clearly allow manual accreditation and voting. Buhari got elected that way, no one complains. Ambode got is judgement by that same token, everyone including sagay hailed d judgement. Now because apc made a lot of noise about elections in akwa ibom and rivers and the international observers who were there and happen to hear about people being killed concluded that elections didn't hold, then those elections must b cancelled. How can that be? In inecs report on the elections there were more violent incidents in Lagos than akwa ibom whether people died or not. Channels did not cover all that because that's not where their interest lie. More so the violence in akwa ibom and rivers were perpetrated by apc to scuttle the elections in those places as they sure were losing. In any case, how could that annulled elections in thousands of polling units across the states. People should please keep quiet.
With all millions of children voting seen in d north, people still accepted that Buhari won. Sagay never complained.
It's very baffling to hear people talk about elections in other places as not complying with eletoral act.
We forget that 2 million voted in kano without electronic registration, 1 million in katsina, 2 million in kaduna etc.
Enough of this noise.

Hmmmm

Watching In 3D

Hmmmm

.

By-gone na By-gone! Whenever you have a case in court especially at the supreme court which is the final pray your judge is not drunk!
Whether drunk or good, his judgment na final!

Hum! If its now supreme court, you only appeal to God oo o.

APC/FG has one two things, seek to punish the Judges and /or sponsor a bill that will set aside the precedence laid by those judgment.

"Sir Gay" spewing trash as usual. Why didn't he complain when APC benefited from the supreme court ruling on Lagos gubernatorial election?

Fault or no fault o, e don stand

APC ARE NOW WAILING , PLEASE LEAVE THE WAILING FOR US, PROUDLY A WAILING WAILER

This sagay man has finally lost it.

Itse may have been looking at the case with a lens different from the one used by the judges. Again that their decisions are unanimous on the case means the judges may have been nonpartisan about the case.
However, 7 men agreeing supersedes that of a one man who is holding brief or has a take at the present govt.
We should not fall down the last wall standing or else
anarchy will be child's play.

I expected Itse to hold his outburst until after the Supreme Court briefing later this month

The Supreme Court is to give full reasons for its decisions on most of the governorship elections later this month.

See them yeye SANs. Anything that is not in suppoort of APC, u sha see dem wailling at it. Keep wailling Sagay and Ogunye.