By Vivian Okejeme
Abuja
The federal government, yesterday denied the statement of the National Judicial Council (NJC), which claimed that it had, on two occasions, shunned invitation by the Federal Capital Territory High Court for settlement of records of appeal.
The FG, through the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Okoi Obono-Obla, in a statement, said that the NJC’s statement was a deliberate misrepresentation of law and facts.
He, therefore, challenged the NJC to come up with the proof of service of these notice which the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation shunned.
The statement reads: “One of such false assertions by Soji Oye is the claim “that the Office of Attorney General of the Federation had on two occasions April 18, 2017 and April 21, 2017 shunned invitations by the Federal Capital Territory High Court for settlement of records of appeal which if it had done would have elevated the notices of appeal to proper appeal’’.
“Undoubtedly, the statement of Soji Oye is a deliberate misrepresentation of the law and facts.
“On the contrary, the FCT High Court registry by a Notice dated 6 June, 2017 signed by one Paul A. Edili, Esquire (Head of Appeal) invited both parties to the appeal to attend Court on the 14 June, 2017 for the purpose reconciliation of records of appeal.”
“It goes without saying that the assertion of Soji Oye that the Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation had on two occasions viz, April 18, 2017 and April 21 2017, respectively shunned the invitation of the FCT High Court registry is not correct.
“I challenged Soji Oye to furnish us with proof of service of these notice which the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation shunned.
“It is obvious that Soji Oye in his haste to defend the indefensible muddled up the law concerning the role of an Appellant and the registry of the Court where an appeal is emanating from”, the statement added.
