A group of persons under the aegies of Concerned Youths for Good Governance has faulted a petition written to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio by the Law Firm, ” Juryman Associate, seeking for the disqualification of Mrs. Okotete as a Minister designate.

In a press release made available to lagoscityreporters.com, and signed by the group’s chairman, Robert Ayungu, he describes it as spurious and a calculated attempt to discredit the personality of the Ministerial nominee.

Part of the statement reads: “The attention of the Concerned Youths for Democracy and Good Governance have been drawn to a letter dated July 28, 2023 written to the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the law firm of Juryman Associate and published on various media platforms seeking for the disqualification of the appointment of Mrs. Okotete as Honourable Minister designate on the basis of the purported pending case before the Federal High Court Suit No: FHC/ABJ/C8/2233/2023 and other sundry reasons contained therein.”

The statement further faulted the content of the petition which he described as lacking in substance.

It said: “In reaction thereto, the group states that the said letter is not only malicious but also devoid of substance and not worthy of the precious indulgence of the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who at the moment has a lot of things to attend to for the overall interest of the Nigerian populace.”

“First the group seeks to draw the attention of the law firm and the people behind the evil orchestrated against the Minister nominee that should in case the legal practitioners in the law firm have lost touch of the Constitutional requirements for appointment of a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, their memories would be refreshed by referring them to Section 147 (1) to (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as (Amended) and section 65(b) (2) (a) (b) of the same Constitution which put the educational qualification to school certificate level or its equivalent.”

“Secondary, a grasp of rudimentary law would have made the authors of this letter and their co-travellers to understand that once a case whether real or imaginary is before a competent court of law, the subject matter thereof become sub-judice, and parties are estop from taking any further step that would render the subject matter of the suit nugatory. Again, it is only a competent court seized of the said matter that has the jurisdiction to determine the matter one way or the other, by either issuing interim injunction or any order as the case might be. Therefore, subjecting a matter that is purportedly before a court of law to another person no matter how highly placed to take a decision thereon without an order of court is not only contemptuous but also akin to a total disrespect to the hallowed temple of justice and an invitation for the usurpation of the powers of the judiciary which ought not to have been anchored by a minister(s) in the temple of justice.

“Thirdly, assuming without conceding that the authors of this letter and their co-travellers have a genuine cause of action against the Minister nominee, section 36(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as Amended presumes her innocent until proven guilty. Therefore, it will be share ignorance, for anyone to begin to start putting clogs on her way of political career when the institution saddled with such responsibility in our constitutional democracy has not yet determine the matter. Again, going by our criminal jurisprudence, it is not the duty of the accused to proof his/her innocence but the duty of the prosecution to proof her guilt if any, hence the onus is usually on he who alleges to proof.”

“It is also common in the Nigerian political terrain that once one contest for an elective position or is being nominated for an appointment, many people come up with spurious allegations to tarnish the person’s image, that is why even an “Angel” cannot contest for an election or be given appointment in Nigeria without spurious barrages. This is not doubt a common occurrence which every Nigerian political elite is a victim of, which has become notorious in the annals of our political sphere.”

“The group urges the general public to disregard the letter and anything incidental thereto as the handwork of the idle and good for nothing meddlesome interlopers who are hell bent to destroy the indestructible professional and political career of the ministerial nominee.” It said.