The former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisah Metuh, on Thursday asked Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to disqualify himself from continuing with his trial.
Metuh, who made an oral application through his counsel, Mr. Onyeachi Ikpeazu (SAN), said he no longer has confidence in the court presided over by Abang.
The application followed the court’s refusal to grant two applications filed by Metuh, one praying the court to summon the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki by way of a subpoena to testify as witness.
The other application, the court refused was one praying it to release Metuh’s international passport to enable him travel abroad for medical treatment.
Abang said the court had in May 2016 refused Metuh’s application for the release of the passport and wondered why a similar application was brought before the court.
” The defendant ought to have appealed the earlier ruling. This is not a sentimental or sympathetic issue. It is purely an issue of law. The applicant should not create problems for the court,” Abang said.
While refusing the application to summon Dasuki for lacking in merit and substance, the court held that Dasuki was not a compellable witness in the trial.
According to Abang, there is no record before the court to prove that the defendant has made any effort to approach the authority holding Dasuki to ask for his release.
The judge said, “It is not the duty of the court to compel anyone to come and give evidence in court when that person is not a compellable witness.
“The name of Dasuki was not included in the list of witnesses filed by the defendants. The question is, at what stage did the defendant make up his mind to include Dasuki’s name in its lists of witnesses?”
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