Mary Odili, Ngwuta, Rhodes-Vivour must be appointed to hear Atiku’s appeal. -PDP reps

A caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the house of representatives says Mary Odili, Slyvester Ngwuta, Bode Rhodes-Vivour and three other senior justices of the supreme court must be appointed to hear the appeal of Atiku Abubakar.

It is a tradition at the supreme court for senior justices, including the chief justice of Nigeria, to preside over presidential election appeals.

Odili, a senior justice, is the wife of Peter Odili, former Rivers state governor and founding member of the PDP.

Rhodes-Vivour, another senior justice, is the father of Gbadebo, who ran for Lagos west senatorial seat on the platform of the PDP in the last election.

Ngwuta, a senior justice, resumed duties at the supreme court in September after being prosecuted for alleged corruption by the Buhari administration.

In a statement signed by Kingsley Chinda, PDP leader in the house, the caucus said Nigeria has set the precedent of appointing the most senior justices to hear presidential election appeals since 1979.

“The hearing of the appeal on the decision of the Presidential Election Petition filed by Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and our great party, the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), begins a few weeks at the Supreme Court,” it said.