The African Action Congress (AAC) on Wednesday condemned the arrest and subsequent remand to the prison of its National Legal Adviser, Inebehe Effiong, by the Akwa Ibom State Chief Judge, Justice Ekaette Obot.
The AAC, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Femi Adeyeye, wondered why Effiong should be so treated by the Justice Obot while carrying out his duty at the temple of justice, describing the CJ’s action as a parody of democracy.
While calling for the lawyer’s immediate release, the AAC said the CJ’s action was distressful and shocking to its members and lovers of human rights globally.
AAC informed the Barrister Inibehe was committed for contempt and ordered to be remanded in Uyo prisons by the Akwa Ibom CJ, Justice Obot, over alleged contempt of court, saying the action was reckless abuse of judicial authority and discretion of the hallowed temple of justice.
AAC stated: “According to reports from Mr Inibehe and other eyewitnesses, our party’s legal adviser, who was representing a client against whom the state governor, Udom Emmanuel, had filed libel charges, only prayed the judge that heavily armed policemen be asked to leave the courtroom after the same judge had ordered journalists out of the court in what ought to be a public trial.
“It is obvious that all these intimidation tactics are the machinations of the state government, under Udom Emmanuel, the Akwa Ibom state governor.”
AAC maintained that the governor had “continued to act like a tyrant in a supposed democracy and suborned the judiciary.”
The party said the action of the Chief Judge, who it accused of acting the script of the governor against a lawyer in the legitimate pursuit of his duties, “is pure judicial rascality, judicial shamelessness and judicial recklessness.
“It is a fruitless conspiratorial attempt to intimidate a counsel, a fighter of human rights in the legitimate activity of representing his client.
“We call for the immediate release of Inibehe Effiong now! Failure to release him with immediate effect, would be met with serious mass actions.”
