‘Clinical error’: Ex-NBA President, Olumide Akpata sends message to Appeal Court President on Kano guber judgement

A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata, has called on the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem, to provide clarity on the circumstances surrounding the “embarrassing situation” arising from the court’s recent ruling on the Kano State governorship election results.

Discussing the controversy surrounding the content of the judgment, Umar Bangari, the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, attributed it to a typographical error. He emphasized that the error did not invalidate or alter the court’s findings and conclusions in any way.

However, in a statement posted on Facebook on Friday evening, Akpata requested the head of the Court of Appeal to offer clarification regarding the reasons for the conflicting resolutions.

“The Nigerian Judiciary is once again in the spotlight for unfortunate reasons. The recent discrepancy in the Court of Appeal’s Judgement in the Kano State gubernatorial appeal has cast an unflattering light on the Nigerian Judicial system, exposing the systemic challenges it faces,” he said.

“As the Head of the Court of Appeal, it is crucial for My Lord, Hon. Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, to provide a hopefully clear and cogent explanation of the immediate and remote causes of the embarrassing situation. This will help to address the speculations and concerns of Nigerians and the global audience.”

This occurred a few days after the chief registrar endeavored to clarify the situation, assuring the Nigerian public that the error would be corrected once formal applications regarding the matter were submitted by the involved parties.

Referring to Order 23 Rule 4 of the Court of Appeal Handbook, which grants the court the authority to rectify any clerical error identified by the court or any party involved in the matter, he maintained that, contrary to speculations, the court’s judgment remained valid.