The legal action instituted by Lagos-based Lawyer, Inibehe Effiong against the State Chief Judge, Justice Ekaette Obot, has been described as ill-motivated by the aides of governor Udom Emmanuel.
Effiong had on Monday filed a fundamental human rights suit at the Federal High Court Uyo, with number FHC/Uy/FHR/170/2022, over the refusal of the CJ to release the proceedings together with the order convicting him, thereby frustrating effort by his legal team led by Chief Femi Falana,(SAN) to appeal his conviction and release from prison custody.
But addressing a press briefing Wednesday evening in Uyo the Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Documentation, Mr. Essien Ndueso, said the legal action against the CJ won’t stop justice from being served in the ongoing defamation case preffered against Leo Ekpenyong by the governor.
Ndueso who was flanked by Personal Assistant(PA) to the governor on Media Joseph Okon, and also the PA Project Monitoring, Mr. Ernest Akpan during the briefing, said if Inibehe’s legal team meant well for him, they should have tutored him on how a lawyer should properly conduct himself in the court.
Ndueso stated: “It is quite sad and embarrassing that the plot by convicted lawyer Inibehe Effiong through outdated tactics to delay justice on the defamation suit against Barr Leo Ekpenyong can receive the signatures of 13 lawyers in the guise of suing the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, His Lordship, Justice Ekaette Obot over a demand that is purely administrative.
“The suit is a wrong gospel by Femi Falana, (SAN) and his twelve disciples. All we want is that justice should be served, and timely too. We are waiting patiently. The ill-motivated suit against the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State by Falana and his 12 disciples can’t stop justice from being served in the matter.
“It is evident that Femi Falana, (SAN and his co-lawyers do not mean well for Barr. Inibehe Effiong. Otherwise, they would have been more concerned about teaching him how the court works outside Facebook and other social media platforms where his legal practice flourishes more and already assuming status of a self-appointed solicitor general on Facebook.
“It was this illusion that blinded him into daring a legitimate law court presided over by a State Chief Judge.
“We are counting days for Mr. Inibehe Effiong to exhaust his sentence so that the substantive case of defamation against Mr Leo Ekpenyong instituted by the governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency, Mr Udom Emmanuel could resume in court.”
The governor’s Aides described as baseless and laughable, the insinuation that their boss was ordering security clampdown on dissenting voices, stressing that governor Emmanuel’s administration has been accommodating and devoid of political bias.
They regretted that the peaceable and tolerant disposition of the Governor has propelled all manners of insidious calumnious campaigns against his person and his government.
“This perhaps explains why a lawyer, Leo Ekpenyong, could throw caution to the wind and go all out to attack the personality of the Governor, accusing him of bribing some judges to secure judgment in 2019 in favour of Senator Chris Ekpenyong who had defeated Senator Godswill Akpabio”, They stressed (Vanguard)