By Chinwe Imo-Eze Onwosi
Ebonyi State government has denied alleged claims by the Association of Ebonyi Indigenes Socio-Cultural in the Diaspora (AEISCID) group led by one Ambassador Pascal Oluchukwu that it was planning to bribe the Tribunal Justices to pervert justice.
While briefing Journalists, State Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Engr Jude Okpor, told newsmen that the Ebonyi State government led by the governor, Rt Hon Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru, has never planned to bribe, either directly or by proxy any member of the judiciary or its representative to bend the course of justice.
Recall that the group had alleged in a statement that the Ebonyi State government had directed the Council Chairmen of the 13 LGAs in the State to contribute the sum of N80m each to enable it to raise about N1bn to bribe judges handling the State tribunal cases.
But Engr Okpor emphasized that It was unfortunate that politicians who were rejected by Ebonyians during the last general elections could hire Ambassador Pascal Oluchukw who was not in Ebonyi State during the elections to make libelous statements against the Judges of the tribunal and the entire Nigerian judiciary just to score cheap political points.
The commissioner said “It is clear that Paschal considers not Nigeria’s integrity before the international community while struggling to tickle the egos of his paymasters,” he said.
Okpor said the government of Ebonyi State and the Governor had unshakable confidence in the Nigerian Judicial system and had no reason to panic over the outcome of the cases in the elections petitions tribunal.
“The government of Ebonyi State respects the judiciary and its Lordships. Our unshakable confidence in the Nigerian judicial system is not in doubt. The Governor has no reason to panic over the outcome of the cases in the election tribunal since he was overwhelmingly voted into office alongside other candidates of the APC by the good people of Ebonyi State.
