The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately call his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) and some of his appointees to order over their manifest interest and continued interference in the trial of its former National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh. The also party urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to protect the institution of the judiciary and the courts from the established direct interferences of the APC and officials of the Federal Government in the conduct of cases involving its members and particularly, the former National Publicity Secretary. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement on Thursday, said the connection between the timing of happenings in the court case and the intrusions of the APC in the entire matter has assumed a worrisome dimension. The party also said its members have specifically expressed fear about Chief Metuh’s fate before Justice Okon Abang, a judge, it said had in the past delivered judgments against the PDP, which were eventually upturned, after much damage had been done. The PDP finds it curious that interferences are manifesting in Metuh’s case even after the court had adjourned indefinitely on his application to be allowed to travel to the UK for surgery. This court had twice rejected Chief Metuh’s applications for medical leave at the initial stage of his ailment, but the condition of the former PDP spokesman has now degenerated. It is on record that people facing similar charges at the Federal High Court are granted leave to travel for ordinary medical check-ups and other sundry reasons, but Metuh has had his application for medical treatment deferred indefinitely and had to be brought to court for trial even on a hospital stretcher. The fact remains that if the court cannot grant Chief Metuh leave for medical treatment, moreso, with the manifest interference of the APC, then there is absolutely no guarantee that he can get justice from the same court at the end of the day and we want the CJN to take copious note of this. The PDP notes that no other application for medical leave has ever been subjected to a greater burden of proof, ridicule and undue delay than the case of our former spokesperson. We strongly hold that the APC is now manipulating issues around this case as a reference point to threaten opposition in the country. The APC, in their bid to sway the case, even attempted to discredit Chief Metuh’s referral to Wellington hospital, London, by writing to twist facts about a world renowned surgeon, just to prepare grounds for the court to reject his application. We therefore urge the CJN to rise up in defence of the judiciary before it is ruined by the APC. The CJN should take a closer look at the conduct of Chief Metuh’s case and take appropriate action to ensure that justice is not only done at the end of the day but indeed, should be seen to have been done, but definitely, not under these circumstances of obvious persecution by the APC.
