The judge presiding over the suit challenging the qualification of Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC ) in the September 19 gubernatorial election in Edo state , Justice Taiwo Taiwo has withdrawn.
The Judge opted out of the suit on Thursday following another petition filed against him by one of the counsel in the APC legal team.
When the matter was called on thursday, just Immediately after lawyers in the suit announced their appearances for proceedings to begin, Justice Taiwo cut them short and announced that he was no longer prepared to go ahead with the matter.
Justice Taiwo who almost broke into tears in the open court when he announced receipt of the second petition against him regretted that his integrity has been maliciously called to question therefore he can no longer proceed with the case
According to justice Taiwo the spate at which politicians write petitions against judges should be declared a pandemic and should be checked and he does not have any affiliation with any of the parties in this case.
The Judge subsequently remitted the case to the Chief Judge for reassignment to another Judge.
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The All Progressive Congress APC had in a separate petition two weeks ago raised strong opposition to the speedy hearing of the suit seeking disqualification of its governorship candidate from the election.
In the petition dated August 20,/2020 by the National Secretary of the Caretaker Committee, Senator.John Akpanudoedehe, the party had accused Justice Taiwo of moving faster in the hearing of suit against Ize-Iyamu by granting abridgment of time to plaintiffs in the matter when motion for same had not been moved.
Justice Taiwo however told them to leave the petition for the CJ to treat being an administrative matter, adding that the new practice direction does not permit him to simply hands off from the matter.
With the latest decision the suit may never be heard before the september 16 elwction in edo state.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)
