TVC E. A Federal High Court judge in Abuja Okon Abang on Thursday, July 28, was furious over misinterpretation of court’s order by the media. Abang who was visibly angry said it is wrong for the media to misinterpret a court’s actions. The judge was angry over the misinterpretation of a ruling he gave on counsel representation for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a matter before him.
“I did not order the counsel to disappear in court,” Abang said. “The order I gave is for the counsels to disappear as counsels for PDP.” Specifically referring to Channels television and a programme on African Independent Television (AIT), Abang called on the media to desist from such action.
He added that whereby an journalist is not sure about issue or orders made by the court he should seek advise ot clarification on the matter rather than rush to press. In support of the judges anger, Niyi Akintola counsel to embattled PDP chairman Ali Modu-Sheriff said it is unfortunate that some lawyers are only seen on televisions and never in court to defend any matter. Referring to such lawyers as television lawyers, Akintola said something needs to be done quickly about the matter.
This people are practicing the bar and not law, you can never see them in court defending any matter, they go about misinterpreting the public even when the court is yet to decide on matters before it,”Akintola said.
Abang is currently presiding over a matter between the embattled national chairman of the PDP Ali Modu-Sheriff’s led faction against PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Modu-Sheriff in a motion on injunction had asked the court to give an order preventing the Ahmed Makarfi led faction from conducting the party’s national convention on August 17.
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