Jimoh Ibrahim loses bid to stop new appeal court panel

November 10

19:01 2016

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The appeal court in Abuja has dismissed Jimoh Ibrahim’s application to dissolve the new panel set up to hear and determine the ‎ Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis in Ondo state.

The panel of judges ‎led Jummai Sankey returned the case file back to Zainab Bulkachuwa, president of the court of appeal after they had been accused of receiving bribe.

In a petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC) and copied to the appeal court’s president, Biyi Poroye, factional chairman of the PDP in Ondo, alleged that Olusegun Mimiko, governor of the state, had given N250 million to Sankey.

He said due to an ailment of Sankey, which she had spent a lot of money on, she was “prone to corruption.”

Following the development, a new panel led by Ibrahim Saulawa was constituted by Bulkachuwa to hear the matter.

On Monday, Beluolisa Nwofor, counsel to Ibrahim in the motion challenged the administrative decision of Bulkachuwa to set up a new panel.

“The rule of natural justice also applies to administrative decision, the application is uncontested and should be granted,” he said.

But while while dismissing Nwofor’s application on Thursday, the three-man panel of judges led by Saulawa described it as an “irritant application.”

“It an application that should not be allowed to see the light of the day,” the panel held.

“By the powers constituted on the president of the court of appeal, she does not seek the consent of respondents to constitute another panel.”

Also the panel also granted the application of the Eyitayo Jegede ‎to appeal against the decision of the federal high court replacing him with Jimoh as the PDP governorship candidate in Ondo state.

‎”I am hereby granting an order to depart from the rules. The application by the applicant was properly transmitted, ” the panel ruled.