Tribunal: Alleged resignation of Justice Ugo fake – Appeal court

The appeal court court has dismissed reports alleging that Justice Boloukuoromo Moses Ugo, a member of the five-man panel of justices in the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal has resigned as fake.

Bukola Gaar, head of media and personal assistant to the President, Court of Appeal told BusinessDay that the news which is going viral on social media is “a fake report”.

Umar Sani, a Peoples Democratic Party Chieftain who is verified on Twitter, had tweeted that the justice resigned citing demands to “kneecap’ democracy”, and that ‘siding with Tinubu would mean the death of Nigeria’s democracy’. The tweet is currently going viral on social media and news blogs.

According to the tweet by Sani, this resignation is contained in the statement by the Justice who alleged that he was asked to suppress evidence and dismiss cases that could have an impact on the election.

Though the Justice has not debunked or confirmed this statement credited to him, the appeal court official has said the report is not true and should be disregarded.

Justice is Ugo is one of the five-man panel of justuces presiding over petitions filed by the Labour Party, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement challenging the outcome of the presidential election which saw Presented Bola Tinubu emerge winner.

Other members of the panel arw Stephen Jonah Adah, Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf, and Abba Bello Mohammed.

Ugo hails from Kolokuma/Qpokuma Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, South-south Nigeria. At 57, he is the youngest among the judges on the panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court.

He was appointed to the Court of Appeal bench on 24 March 2014, making this year his ninth on the court’s bench where he occupies the 44th position on the roll call.

Before his elevation to the Court of Appeal, he served as a judge of the Bayelsa State High Court for eight years. He is currently serving at the Kano Division of the Court of Appeal.