“At this rate, even if Jesus comes to give any testimony, who will believe Akpabio’s Testimony when such eyewitness testimony is not submitted to a court of law?”
By Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja.
In a recent press statement, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that she would not respond to any newspaper reports that appear online or in traditional news media.
She said that all such enquiries should be directed to her lawyers and that she would only respond to enquiries that are issued to her by a court of law.
That is how any lawyer would respond and behave when there is an ongoing litigation!!!
Hon. Justice Binta Nyako, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had previously issued an Order that prohibits both His Excellency Godswill Obot Akpabio-GOA and Senator Natasha from granting any press interviews.
Lawyers who are “real” lawyers, professionally trained and ethically responsible, would understand that the reason why all eyewitness testimony must be submitted as affidavit evidence to a court of law is because the deponent can be charged with PERJURY in the event that such a statement turns out to be false!!!
It is absolutely shocking, bemusing and heart-breaking that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria-SAN would write a full article in praise of Prof. Mgbeke (Dr. Sandra Duru) for her latest testimony against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan!!!
A testimony that was not submitted to any of the courts of law that are adjudicating the issues between Senator Akpabio and Natasha!!!
The testimony of Prof. Mgbeke (Dr. Sandra Duru), has not even met the minimum threshold of being submitted as an affidavit sworn before a Commissioner of Oaths!!!
The testimony was submitted as a video testimony on social media, Facebook, wherein we all know that videos and images can be generated through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)!!!
On the basis of the said FACEBOOK testimony, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria-SAN (in clear usurpation of the adjudicatory role of the courts of law) is boldly proclaiming that the Senate President is innocent of all allegations and his accusers will soon be DISGRACED!!!
I shudder in utmost disbelief!!!
This Senior Advocate of Nigeria-SAN is harming the case of the Senate President more than he is helping the Senate President.
Anyone with two brain cells can discern that it appears that it for his this reason that the Senate President recently hired the services of Dr. Olisa Agbakoba SAN (as a member of his legal team), so that Dr. Agbakoba, SAN can handle the case properly, while allowing that other SAN to focus on the peripheral aspects of the case, which he is better at namely FACEBOOK, Television and Social Media commentary!!!
Let me conclude as follows:
A very renowned psychologist, Carl Sandburg, who studied human nature and provided an accurate description of the behaviour of lawyers, once wrote as follows:
” If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell “
As we would say in pidgin English, the desperation of this SAN in this Akpabio matter, eh no get part two”!!!!
Can this SAN not even have the decency of submitting this newfound evidence to any of the courts of law that is handling the Akpabio matter? And PATIENTLY wait for them to deliver a judgment on the truthfulness or otherwise of the testimony of Prof. Mgbeke (Dr. Sandra Duru)!!!!
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
