In a recent interview with Arise TV, Nigerian lawyer Barrister Festus Ogwuche expressed his surprise over the jubilant reaction of supporters of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, following a judgement by the Appeal Court. Ogwuche questioned the basis of their elation, noting that the court's decision did not warrant such celebration.
Ogwuche pointed out that the Appeal Court had declared that the lower court lacked jurisdiction over the matter in question. He emphasized that this ruling left no substantive issue remaining before the court that would justify the order to maintain the status quo. According to him, the initial celebration by Wike's supporters seemed misplaced given the nature of the judgement.
In the interview, Ogwuche expressed his confusion over what the supporters were celebrating. He remarked that there was nothing in the judgement that should have elicited such a reaction, suggesting that their joy was unfounded.
He further explained that the court's decision to maintain the status quo was ambiguous. While the court ordered that the status quo be maintained, Ogwuche questioned what this actually meant in practical terms. He noted that with the lower court having been deemed without jurisdiction, there was no other substantive issue before the court to justify an order for maintaining the status quo. He argued that the core issue was the lack of jurisdiction of the lower court, which rendered the order to maintain the status quo largely irrelevant. He suggested that the jubilation of Wike's supporters was premature and not based on a thorough comprehension of the Appeal Court's decision.
PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO FROM 11:54
Hear him: ''I saw some people jubilating and I don't know what they are holding on to. I don't see what is there in that judgement that should give them any cause of Joy. What is important is that the Court later went on to say that the status quo must be maintained. What amounts to the status quo is what we may not rightly state here. But having stated that the lower Court has no jurisdiction, there is no other subject before the Court for it to make that order for maintenance of status quo.''