“Justice Okoro is lobbying to be on the Supreme Court panel to hear the case challenging Governor Okpebholo’s election,” the source said.
Supreme Court Justice Inyang Okoro has ignited a judicial integrity crisis after being reportedly spotted leaving Protea Hotel in Benin City late Thursday with Edo State Attorney General Samson Osagie—just days before the apex court hears an appeal challenging Governor Monday Okpebholo’s election victory. A SaharaReporters video shows Okoro in the hotel lobby, though image quality limits conclusive identification . Sources allege the meeting facilitated backchannel access to Okpebholo, with Justice Okoro “actively lobbying to be appointed chairman” of the Supreme Court panel adjudicating the opposition PDP’s appeal against the governor’s win.
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The timing intensifies scrutiny: PDP candidate Asue Ighodalo filed his Supreme Court appeal on June 10, making the June 12 rendezvous a potential breach of Nigeria’s Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, which mandates avoiding “private interactions that could create perception of bias” . Attorney General Osagie denied the encounter, telling SaharaReporters: “I don’t personally know any Justice Okoro… I am aware that there is a Supreme Court justice named Okoro, but I do not have any personal relationship with him” . He later dismissed concerns, stating, “It is not an offense to walk about freely”
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