Judiciary Strike: Edo NBA Threatens Not To Vote APC

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

Members of Edo state branch of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, on Tuesday threatened not to vote for APC during Saturday’s presidential elections, should the courts remain under lock and key.

The lawyers who staged a street walk to protest the unending strike embarked upon by the state judicial workers, also threatened to prevail on members of their families not to vote for the APC if the government will continue to defy the rule of law.

The protest match which took the ‘learned colleagues’ to various streets in the town, terminated at the State Government House where they were not persuaded by entreaty from security agents at the gate as they attempted to open the gate by force to gain entrance to the main premises of the government house.

They were armed with placard that carried various inscriptions, one of which read, “No court, No vote,” just as they called on all lawyers in political appointment to resign. They also called on the State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice to resign and that governor Oshiomhole should comply with court judgment, noting that “the rule of law brought you to power, don’t kill it.”

Edo state Chairperson of the NBA, Patience Iyomon, while addressing journalists on the issue, disclosed that the lingering strike action by the judicial workers in the state has adversely affected the welfare and economy of lawyers in the state.

She added that the body will be encouraged to press fundamental human rights enforcement action against the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, to claim monetary damages for denying them their means of livelihood.

She said the bar condemned the setting up of a kangaroo court at the premises of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police command, which she said negates the essence of the judicial strike, just as she pointed out that the court put in place was such that fair hearing cannot be guaranteed and it is not being a designated place/venue for court sitting.

Reacting to the issue, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Henry Idahagbon, said the protest was baseless, because, according to him, the state government has compiled with the court order.

Idahagbon said the judicial workers were still on strike because they want to be paid salaries for the periods they had been on strike.‎

“The position is that government cannot pay for work not done and the striking workers have been asked to resume work first before negotiation which they refused,” he said.

He however urged the lawyers to sue the state government and not threaten to sue if they think their allegations are justifiable.

It would be recalled that judicial workers across the state had in the past three months embarked on strike to express their displeasure over the non-compliance by the state government with an Abuja High Court ruling of 13 January, 2014, which granted financial autonomy to the judicial arm of government across the country.