Marafa seeks acting CJN's intervention on Zamfara APC tussle

Marafa, chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), made the appeal in a letter to the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa over the delay.

In the letter by his counsel dated March 13, 2019, addressed to Justice Bulkachuwa, Marafa expressed concerns that the delay in the constitution of the panel may likely affect the effective dispensation of justice on the matter.

The case number CA/32/2019/ Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa & 142 others, was part of the pre-election litigations that trailed the failure of the APC to conduct primaries or consensus in Zamfara state.

Senator Kabiru Marafa ece-auto-gen

The letter reads in part: "My lord, refer to our letter of concern (copy attached hereto) in which we had respectfully requested that the present panel hearing the above appeal recuses itself for the reasons already humbly adumbrated in the said attached letter dated 4th March 2019.

"The appeal came up on the 13th March, 2019 before the Sokoto Division of the court of Appeal. My Lord to our surprise, the court did not sit but merely sent the court Registrar to inform all counsels and parties concerned that it has recused itself from hearing the appeal; but without any word as to the constitution of another panel to hear the appeal or as to what date the matter will now come up for hearing before a new panel.

"This letter is therefore a SOS to your lordship to kindly and urgently constitute a new panel to hear our client’s appeal. The urgency of this letter and your timeous action are underlined by the very fact that this appeal is constitutionally time-lined and same will expire on the 27th March 2019 constitutional effluxion of time. Where that happens, the appeal itself would lapse and die prematurely due to no fault of the Appellants.

"We therefore respectfully appeal to your Lordship to kindly and urgently constitute a new panel to hear our appeal immediately. We look forward to your kind and timeous action, Sir."

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Marafa further alleged "a grand conspiracy by the Zamfara state Government with the active support of some former Governors and some Abuja politicians to frustrate the case, so that the 60 days for pre-election mater will elapse. What that means is the case will die a 'natural' death and the aggrieved party will not have the chance of going to the Supreme Court for redress".

He called on the acting CJN and the secretary of the National Judicial Council (NJC), intervene and ensure the panel is constituted and the matter given accelerated hearing.