A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Tanimu Turaki has asked the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to intervene in what it sees as a worrying pattern in the allocation of the party’s cases to specific judges.

In a petition dated 19 November and signed by the faction’s National Secretary, Teofeek Arapaja, the group expressed unease over the continuous assignment of PDP-related suits to three judges of the Abuja Division,  Justices James Omotosho, Peter Odo Lifu and Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik.

The Turaki group said the trend had raised alarm among party members who fear that matters involving the PDP appear to be consistently routed to the same set of judges, despite the division having 12 judges available to handle cases.

The petition noted that Justices Omotosho and Lifu had earlier issued rulings that temporarily halted the party’s national convention in Ibadan, while Justice Abdulmalik is presiding over another suit involving the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Describing the courts of the three judges as “courts of particular concern”, the faction said party members believed the assignments created an appearance of bias, even if unintended.

Arapaja wrote that the PDP leadership had received numerous complaints from its members who questioned why the same judges repeatedly handled the party’s matters “over the past few years”.

He stressed that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done, adding that confidence in the judiciary could be undermined when litigants perceive an uneven distribution of sensitive cases.

Given the party’s internal challenges and the likelihood of more suits being filed, the faction pleaded with the Chief Judge to ensure that future PDP-related cases are assigned to other judges within the Abuja division.

Arapaja emphasised that the party still held the judiciary in high regard but felt compelled to raise the concerns, which he said were widely shared among its rank and file.

The petition concluded with an appeal to the Chief Judge to take steps that would “restore trust and fairness” in the handling of the party’s legal matters.

Source; PM News