PDP leadership Tussle: NJC clears Justice Abang of wrong doing

The National Judicial Council (NJC), has cleared Justice Okon Abang of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court of allegations of misconduct levelled against him with respect to the judgment delivered against the Senator Ahmed Makarfi faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

In a letter dated March 15, 2017, and signed by its Secretary, Mr. Danladi Halilu, the NJC said it found no merit in the petition against the Judge.

The council said that it deliberated on the petition at its meeting held on February 23, 2017 and found no merit in the petitions adding that the council decided to dismiss the petitions after Justice Abang reacted to it.

Justice Abang had on July 29, 2016 delivered a judgment and declared as illegal the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee of the national leadership of the PDP.

The judge ruled that the Makarfi-faction was illegal because it was a product of the party’s convention which held on May 21 in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, in defiance of an earlier order of Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, which had stopped the said convention from holding.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the court, Senator Makarfi had wrote a petition to the NJC dated August 25,2016, in suit Nos. FHC/ABJ/CS/439/2016 and FHC/ABH/CS/464/2016 accusing Justice Abang of assuming appellate powers and sat over the decision of the court of coordinate jurisdiction.

But the NJC in its letter with reference number NJC/ F.3/FHC 44/VII/55 stated, “At the end of deliberations, the council found that your petition finds no merit as there was no sufficient material before the NJC to infer that the judge sat on appeal over the decision of his brother judge of coordinate jurisdiction.

“The appeal therefore lacked merit and is subsequently dismissed”.

In another development, the NJC also dismissed the petition dated November 7,2016, by Heritage Bank PLC, against Justice Abang for lacking in merit.

The Bank in a petition against the judge accused him of in proper judicial conduct and predisposed bias against Heritage Bank PLC in judicial proceedings before him.

But the NJC in Ref. No NJC/F3/FHC44/VII/556 dated March 15,2017 dismissed the petition for lacking merit.