Leading Governorship Candidate for the November 6th Gubernatorial elections in Anambra State and Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah,on Thursday lambasted operatives of the Department of State Security Serves (DSS) for denying him access to the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Ubah who was at the court for hearing on his motion for an order of the court granting him access to visit the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as early as 8.30am was denied entrance into the court premises by the operatives of the DSS.
Reacting to the development, a visibly angry candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) for the November 6th Anambra governorship election told judiciary correspondents in an interview that he was unfairly treated as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Senator said he came to court to attend proceedings in a matter he filed a motion which was ripe for hearing only to be denied entrance into the court.
According to him “as a serving senator of the Federal Republic, today, I have a case in court and I was to present myself in court regarding a motion on notice I filed. This morning, I came to the court from the Transcorp axis, it was blocked, I tried the Borno house axis, it was also blocked
“As a senator of the Federal Republic, I think I have the right to enter the court premises even if I have no business in the court. I am a member of the Judiciary and Police Committees of the Senate. I deserve to be treated better.
“I want to plead with the authorities that this should not happen again. Can this happen anywhere in the North? We live in a democratic entity called Nigeria, we are not in a war-torn country and every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty” Ubah insisted.
The lawmaker posited that security agents, particularly the Department of State Services, (DSS) should devise better strategies to ensure the smooth trial of leader of Nnamdi Kanu adding “I am pleading that there should be sanity in the way and manner we go about this case.
He added that it was unfair for the security agents to prohibit Kanu’s kinsmen as well as lawyers from gaining entrance into the court.
“This is about giving him justice and showing that there is Justice in his trial. The issue is not whether or not Kanu is brought to court but giving him justice.
The Senator had on Monday October 18, approached a Federal High Court Abuja, seeking for an order to be allowed to visit detained leader of indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in the DSS custody.
The motion was brought pursuant to section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court as preserved vide section 6(6)(b) of the said Constitution.
In a motion on notice dated October 15, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2021, the plaintiff (Uba) is praying for an court granting him leave to visit the Defendant, Nnamdi Kanu, in DSS custody, as part of his oversight legislative function.
“An order of this Honourable court directing the Complainant and/or the Department of State Services (DSS) to allow the said Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Uba access to their detention facility for purposes of visiting the Defendant, Nnamdi Kanu”.
Ends
