Edo guber: Judge withdraws from suit against Pastor Ize-Iyamu over petition

Justice Taiwo Taiwo has recused himself from a suit challenging the qualification of Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Sept. 19 governorship election in Edo.

Justice Taiwo, a judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, withdrew from the case on Thursday following a petition filed against him by one of the lawyers in the APC legal team.

The judge decried the attempt by a lawyer to call his integrity to question and maliciously tarnish his image.

“As Judges and lawyers in the temple of justice, it is our duty to protect the integrity of the court and that of the judiciary.

“It is disturbing to receive a petition from a party in the suit seeking for the transfer of the case; The contents of the said petition are wicked and unsubstantiated.

“It is very disturbing that counsel would write this petition and even back it with an affidavit.”

According to the judge, it is not only Corona Virus that has become a pandemic, the spate at which politicians write petitions against judges should be declared a pandemic and should be checked.

He said it was unfortunate that judges could not respond to petitions against them through the media.

He, however, maintained that he had no affiliation, personal or political with any of the parties in this case.

Some senior lawyers in the matter distanced themselves from the petition, and appealed to the judge to take the petition as one of the hazards of the profession.

The judge subsequently remitted the case file to the Chief Judge of the court, Justice John Tsoho for reassignment to another judge.

The APC had in a separate petition two weeks ago, raised objections to the speedy hearing of the suit seeking the disqualification of its governorship candidate from the Edo election.

The plaintiffs, led by Mr Momoh Abdul-Razak, sued the APC, Ize-Iyamu, INEC and Audu Ganiyu praying for an order of court to stop Ize-Iyamu’s participation in the election on account of alleged ineligibility.