A socio-political organisation, Nigeria Renewal, has raised the alarm over a plot by some influential Nigerians to “politically neutralise former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu”.
The group, in a statement by its President and Secretary-General, Ibrahim Rabo and Usman Mohammed respectively,accused former Chief Judge (CJ) of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta (rtd), Senior Advocates Ume Kalu, Igwe and Etiaba, a former Director of Legal Services of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and some politicians of plot to “continue to harass and victimise Dr. Kalu, using the judiciary”.
Kalu
It alleged that the former CJ, the SANs and others attended a meeting in 2016 in Abuja where it was agreed that Kalu must be dealt with “because of his rising profile”.
To Rabo and Mohammed, the larger plot against Kalu is to frustrate the quest of Ndigbo to produce the president in 2023.
In fact, the plan is to ensure that “all presidential materials in the South-East are politically neutralised to pave the way for a candidate from another geo-political zone in the South”.
The plan is also to put Kalu at loggerheads with President Muhammadu Buhari. “You know the president will not lift his fingers to help anybody having issues with the judiciary. The way the matter is going, many people believe the president may have a hand in it but this is not true at all,” the group said.
Nigeria Renewal declared that at the Abuja meeting, “it was agreed that everything should be done to remove Kalu from the political scene. Another prominent Igbo politician, who is a member of APC, believes he is untouchable in the race to 2023 but his own soup is being cooked already. Nigerians will soon know the plot being hatched against him”.
The current plot against Kalu is also to deny Buhari the much-needed votes in the South-East, given the fact that Kalu will play a major role in that regard.
The group declared that the first move against Kalu was the transfer of his case before Justice (Mrs) J. Chikelu of the Federal High Court, Abuja to Justice Muhammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
Justice Muhammed Idris has since been promoted to the Court of Appeal “but why he is still on the case, we don’t know”.
“That the matter was even transferred to Lagos is a surprise to us. Kalu was never governor of Lagos State. We are watching events as they unfold. On September 27, 2018, Justice Idris adjourned the matter sine die and the Chief Judge of Federal High Court transferred the case to Justice J. Aneke of the Lagos Division of the court. Instead of allowing Justice Aneke to continue with the case, Justice Idris has taken up the case again. This confusion has led to two Hearing Notices. How can the same person appear before Justices J. Aneke and Mohammed Idris in Lagos on the same day, November 5, 2018 at 9am with the same Suit No FHC/ABJ/CB/56/2007?”
Nigeria Renewal concludes: “We strongly believe that Justice Idris is persecuting Dr. Kalu. The former Abiagovernor and a leading light of APC in South-East in particular and Nigeria in general cannot get justice before him. Justice Idris has been promoted to the Appeal Court. Now that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court has transferred the case to Justice Aneke, why is Justice Idris still interested in this matter? Does he want to continue to sit at the Court of Appeal and Federal High Court at the same time?”
It will be recalled that Kalu, on October 30, 2018wrote a letter to the President of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking a permission to travel for medical surgery in Germany.
A copy was sent to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
Kalu said, inter alia: “My Lord, I wish to travel to Germany for an urgent medical surgery operations which has been postponed many times because of this trial and which the trial court is aware of.
“This application is directed to you specifically because I was given the date for this medical surgery after the criminal matter against me was adjourned sine die on September 27, 2018.
“I wish to travel to meet doctors’ appointment fixed for October 31, 2018. Attached are copies of TreatmentConfirmation by the hospital and payment deposit receipt. The post-operative recovery period is between 8 – 10 weeks as stated by the doctor.
“Your Lordship will also remember that I had written to you stating my objections to my matter being continued before the said Judge who had since been elevated to the Court of Appeal. I, therefore, restate this objection and request that the case file of this matter be retrieved from him and re-assigned to a Judge of the Federal High Court”.
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