A group, Advocacy for Advancement of Peace and Harmony in Africa Initiative, ADAPHAI, has petitioned the Court of Appeal President, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuka, over the nomination of Dr. Yemi Oke, from Ogun State, as justice of the Court of Appeal.
The petition which was signed by the Executive Director of the group, Olaniyi Ajibola, and made available to journalists at the weekend, drew the attention of Justice Bulkachuka to some fundamental issues that allegedly disqualifies Oke from occupying such as exalted position on the bench.
The group claimed in the petition that Oke is a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, and also pointed out some of the major roles he played as member of the party.
The group quoted a Nigerian newspaper which reported Oke as a PDP Legal Adviser in the State, and also as member of the State Executive Committee of the party.
It also noted that he had once contested against the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole from Abeokuta South Federal Constituency.
According to them, Oke lacks the requisite integrity, temperament, and civility to serve on the bench, therefore, calling for his disqualification through swift action to save the bench from impeding embarrassment and odium.
According to the group, “Our attention has been drawn to several publications in both online and the traditional media, in which one Dr. Yemi Oke from Ogun State was listed as having been recommended by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and shortlisted for appointment as a Justice of the Court of Appeal.
“We wish to say that we are alarmed at the development and felt it is incumbent on us, as an organization that is committed to the promotion of peace, good governance and democratic ethos to let you know that Dr. Yemi Oke is not a fit and proper person to be considered for such a privileged appointment.
“Dr. Yemi Oke is a well-known politician and a card-carrying member of the PDP in Ogun State where he once served as the Legal Adviser and a member of the Ogun State State Executive Committee (Exco) of the PDP (See the Certified True Copy (CTC) of The Punch newspaper of 4th January, 2011 under the headline “PDP returns Bankole’s opponents in Ogun” marked “Annexure I”).
“According to the Punch newspaper report, “The three aggrieved aspirants from the Abeokuta South Constituency running against Bankole are the former speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mrs. Titi Oseni; the PDP Legal Adviser, Dr. Yemi Oke; and a member of the G-9 lawmakers, Mr. Fasiu Bakene.
“The three contestants were last Friday disqualified by the screening panel headed by Gen. A.B Mamman from contesting the PDP primaries for National Assembly aspirants for their alleged roles in the political crisis in Ogun State.
“Oke was also disqualified on the basis that he failed to use his superior knowledge of the law to advise the party properly, thereby orchestrating the crisis in the party, using his position as a lawyer to destabilize the party and cause disunity contrary to desirable qualities and code of conduct guiding party members.”
Copied in the petition were the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Director-General, State Security Service, the Chairman, National Judicial Council, and the Chairman, Federal Judicial Service Commission among others.
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