A 2023 APC Senatorial Candidate for Benue South, Comrade Daniel Onjeh, has called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to immediately intervene in what he described as “judicial sabotage” targeting the administration of Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.
In a statement issued yesterday, Onjeh, a former Chairman of the Projects Development Institute (PRODA), Enugu, alleged that recent rulings by the Benue State Local Government Election Petition Tribunals were part of a coordinated attempt to use the judiciary to destabilize Alia’s government and hijack local governance through the backdoor.
“The NJC must not remain silent. It must intervene now, just as it did when it protected the Chief Judge of Benue State from removal by the governor,” Onjeh said.
“If the NJC could act swiftly to preserve the office of the Chief Judge, then it must equally act to protect the mandate of the duly elected local government chairmen and preserve the integrity of the electoral process.”
Onjeh questioned the legal basis of several tribunal decisions that nullified APC victories in nine out of 23 local government areas.
He accused the Benue Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, of judicial overreach for allegedly granting unlawful waivers for petitioners who failed to meet legal prerequisites, particularly the mandatory security deposit required by Section 76 of the Benue State Local Government Electoral Law.
“The law says clearly: if security is not given at the time of filing the petition, there shall be no further proceedings. The word ‘shall’ in law is not a suggestion. it is a command,” Onjeh stressed.
He also raised concerns over the relocation of the tribunal sittings from Makurdi to Abuja, a move he described as unconstitutional and suspicious. “This relocation was done without the consent of the respondents, and contrary to Section 83 of the Benue State Electoral Law which mandates open court trials,” Onjeh said,
“NBA House in Abuja is not a courtroom, and has no legal standing under our laws,” he added.
According to Onjeh, the explanation that security concerns necessitated the relocation is unfounded.
“Even at the height of insurgency in the North East, no tribunal was relocated. Why then is Benue being treated differently when there is no real threat to peace in Makurdi?” he queried.
He warned that the actions of the tribunals and the Appeal Panel could have dire long-term consequences if allowed to stand.
“The Appeal Panel’s decision will either preserve democracy or set fire to the rule of law in Benue. If it affirms these rulings and installs candidates who never contested elections, it would be a judicial coup; worthy of the Guinness Book of Records,” he said.
Onjeh alleged that internal party actors within the APC who failed to secure nominations were behind the legal onslaught, using technicalities and intra-party grievances disguised as post-election disputes.
“Tribunals are meant to resolve inter-party electoral disputes, not settle personal grudges among party members who didn’t even contest the election,” he said.
He also pointed to a growing suspicion that national-level political players were influencing the process, warning that the NJC’s silence could be interpreted as complicity.
“When the NJC chooses to look the other way while the judiciary is weaponized against a sitting governor, it damages the very institution it is supposed to protect,” he warned.