Retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte has defended the Supreme Court judgement on the substitution of Mr. Rotimi Amaechi as the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for the 2007 Rivers State governorship election.
The eminent jurist also explained the decision of the court on Mr. Boni Haruna as Adamawa State Governor after the ascension of Atiku Abubakar as the Vice President in 1999.
The two judgments were part of the cases reviewed by Justice Karibi-Whyte at the 35th anniversary and Founders’ Day lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in Abuja.
Speaking on the topic ‘In The Eyes Of The Law’, Justice Karibi-Whyte explained that the Supreme Court ruling in the two cases were interpretations of the law, as he provided academic insights into the Supreme Court’s interpretation of constitutional provisions.
The Supreme Court dismissed a suit filed by Celestine Omehia, a former governor of Rivers State, challenging the election of his successor, Rotimi Amaechi.
The court quashed the decision of an appeal court which gave Mr. Omehia a temporary win that suggested he may oust Mr. Amaechi after seven years in office.
In the ruling, Justice Muhammad Muntaka-Coomassie, who read the Supreme Court judgement, said that the Court of Appeal in Abuja erred in law to have ruled in favour of Mr. Omehia, whom the judge said had no stake in the case he filed in court.
Mr. Omehia was removed from office in October 2007 after holding office for five months. The Supreme Court at the time ruled that he had usurped Mr. Amaechi’s ticket for the election, and accordingly ruled that Mr. Amaechi was the eligible Governor.
