COURT DISMISSES SUIT SEEKING TO FREEZE EDO STATE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTS AHEAD OF ELECTION
A federal high court sitting in Abuja has overruled an application seeking to freeze the accounts of the Edo State Government, saying it is vague and empty.
The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), on behalf of its members in Edo state, had submitted an application to a court over the refusal of the Government to pay seven months arrears since 2014.
According to JUSUN, the accounts it requested to be frozen are domiciled in nine banks.
While delivering the judgement on Thursday, August 27, the presiding judge, Okon Abang, dismissed the suit describing the application as “vague and empty”.
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Abang said the 2014 judgment of the court that gave rise to the union’s application did not state the specific amount to be paid by the Edo State Government.
He added that the application was coming at the wrong time as he suspects that it may have an ulterior motive.
Abang also said the application is ill-motivated and was filed in bad faith having been brought up one month before the governorship election in the State slated for September 19.
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“At this critical period in the life of the Edo State Government, this application may reasonably be interpreted to have an ulterior motive,” he said
“Why did JUSUN wait till August 2020 during the period of annual vacation to bring an application of this nature?
“The reason offered by JUSUN for bringing this application during 2020 annual vacation of the court is because of the forthcoming election in Edo state and the purported claim of controversy being generated by two leading political parties in Edo state and also the threat to order the closure of all bank accounts of Edo state by a faction of the Edo State house of assembly.
“These are not good and substantial reasons that application of this nature which is vague and empty to be filed during annual vacation, a month before the election to cripple the activities of the Government.
“The fact there is a faction in the Statehouse of assembly would not affect the validity of a subsisting judgment of this court.
“I hold a view that the application was filed in indecent haste and certainly filed in bad faith.”
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