Nicholas Chukwujekwu Ukachukwu V. Peoples Democratic Party & Ors (2013)
LAWGLOBAL HUB Lead Judgment Report
WALTER SAMUEL NKANU ONNOGHEN, J.S.C.
On the 10th October, 2013 appellant filed an application in the court praying for an order “staying further proceedings in the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, in the consolidated appeals nos. CA/PH/695/2013 Tony Nwoye v. Ukachukwu & 3 Ors and CA/PH/696/2013, PDP v. Nicholas Ukachukwu & 2 Ors pending the hearing and determination of the interlocutory appeal by this Honourable Court filed against the Rulings of the court below which ruling was delivered on this (sic) on 8th day of October, 2013 on a motion to disqualifying the Justices of the court from further sitting or adjudicating over the consolidated appeals; application to disqualify counsel to the PDP and ruling on application for extension of time within which to file the 1st respondent’s brief of argument”
The grounds on which the application is brought are stated as follows:-
“1. The appellant/applicant was denied fair hearing on account of apparent bias of the Justices of the Court of Appeal.
- Further proceedings by the court will destroy the subject matter of the appeal.
- A situation of complete helplessness may be foisted on the Supreme Court if further proceedings are not stayed in this suit.
- Further proceedings in the Court of Appeal may render the outcome of the suit at the Supreme Court nugatory.
- There exist special circumstances for the grant of this application.
- The appellants’ notice and grounds of appeal contains arguable grounds of appeal.”
The application is supported by an affidavit of 14 paragraphs as well as a further affidavit of 24 paragraphs filed on 17th October, 2013.
The facts of the case include the following:-
In the course of the hearing/proceedings in the consolidated appeal nos. CA/PH/695/2013 and CA/PH/696/2013 at the lower court, applicant filed applications praying that court for an order disqualifying the justices constituting the panel hearing the said appeals on grounds of bias and relationship with the respondents in the appeals and that learned counsel for the present 1st and 2nd respondents, be disqualified from continuing to prosecute the appeal on the ground that the authority conferred on the counsel by PDP had been withdrawn. There was also a motion praying for enlargement of time within which the 1st respondent, now appellant in this court, can file his brief of argument.
The lower court refused the applications for disqualification of the justices and of counsel for the present 1st and 2nd respondents and the motion for enlargement of time to file 1st respondent brief of argument was struck out.
It is also the case of applicant that his right to fair hearing was breached by the lower court’s refusal/failure to hear applicant before striking out his application despite his application for adjournment.
The genesis of the case culminating in the application under consideration is that on the 24th day of August, 2013, the 1st respondent, Peoples Democratic Party, held its primary elections to elect its gubernatorial candidate for the Anambra State Governorship election scheduled for the 16th day of November, 2013, which primary election was won by the 3rd respondent, Dr. Tony Nwoye; applicant participated in the said election but was defeated resulting in applicant filing an action at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt challenging the victory of the 3rd respondent.
The Federal High Court delivered a judgment in which it ordered INEC, 4th respondent herein, to include applicant in its list of candidates for the said election.
The decision of the trial court resulted in the 1st-3rd respondents herein filing appeals in the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division which appeals were subsequently consolidated and heard on 8th October, 2013 and adjourned for judgment on the date to be communicated to the parties.
It should be noted that the hearing of the appeals by the lower court was preceded by the proceedings of that court in relation to the applications brought by the present applicant praying for the earlier mentioned reliefs of disqualification of the justices and counsel and enlargement of time to file 1st respondent brief of argument. There was also an application by applicant for an order that 1st respondent adduce further evidence on appeal, which was also struck out by the Court.
It is the ruling on the applications that gave rise to the interlocutory appeal on which the instant application for stay of further proceedings is predicated.
In moving the application, learned senior counsel for applicant, J. B. DAUDU, SAN submitted that applicant’s right to fair hearing had been breached by the lower court and if stay is not ordered as prayed, the substance of the appeal pending before this court would be destroyed; that the grounds of appeal are arguable and contain substantial points of law which should persuade the court to exercise its discretion in favour of applicant; that the constitutional right of appeal of applicant would be jeopardized if the application is refused resulting in injustice to the applicant.
Learned senior counsel referred the court to various pages of the record where the right of fair hearing of applicant were allegedly interfered with by the lower court and relying on the case of Audu v. F.R.N (2013) NSCQR 456 at 469: Dinyadi v. INEC (2010) 4 – 7 S.C (Pt. 1) 76 at 136 – 138 urged the court to grant the application.
On his part, CHIEF GADZAMA, SAN for the 1st and 2nd respondents submitted that there are three (3) issues involved in the application to wit:-
(a) Whether the application does not amount to an arrest of the judgment of the lower court which is a procedure unknown to our law, relying on Newswatch Ltd. v. Attah (2006) 12 NWLR (Pt. 993) 144 at 179: Shettima v. Goni (2011) 18 NWLR (Pt. 1279) 413 at 425: Inakoju v. Adeleke (2007) 4 NWLR (Pt. 1025) 427 at 623 – 627
(b) Secondly learned senior counsel submitted that there is no competent appeal before the court as the grounds of appeal are either of fact or mixed law and fact, and no leave of court was obtained before filing same; relying on Madukolu v. Nkemdilim (1962) 2 SCNR 341 at 355 etc.
(c) Thirdly applicant has not given any substantial reasons why the application should be granted, relying on Okafor v. Nnaife (1987) 4 NWLR (Pt. 64) 129 at 137: that all the requirements mentioned in the above case must be satisfied before the order can be made; that applicant counsel was in court but at a later time refused to participate any further in the proceedings. He urged the court to dismiss the application.
Learned senior counsel G.S. PWUL, SAN for the 3rd respondent submitted that stay of proceedings is designed to preserve the res and maintain the status quo; that the res in the appeal is the right of applicant to have the appeal heard on the merit and submitted that to grant stay would not result in the appeal being heard; that 3rd respondent who is appellant at the lower court has the right to have his appeal decided by that court and any aggrieved party can appeal against the decision.
It is the further submission of counsel that where an interlocutory appeal can be heard along with the appeal on the substantive matter an appellate court will not order stay of proceedings.
On his part, learned counsel for the 4th respondent IBRAHIM K. BAWA, ESQ left the matter to the discretion of the court.
J. B. DAUDU, SAN on points of law submitted that the appeal is competent and that it is for the court to examine the grounds of appeal and determined their validity; that the present notice of appeal can support the application for stay; that the issue of arrest of judgment is not relevant as there is no application to arrest any judgment; that by “proceedings” we mean from the institution of action to the delivery of judgment; that the res in the case is the right of applicant to be heard before the appeal is decided by the lower court.
At the conclusion of arguments, the court delivered an on the bench ruling in which the application was dismissed with reasons for the decision to be given today, 20th December, 2013, which I now proceed to do.
In the case of Newswatch Communications Ltd v. Atta (2006) 12 NWLR (Pt. 993) 144 at 178 – 179, this court stated the position of the law in relation to an application for arrest of judgment of a court. It was decided that the procedure for arrest of judgment is now hardly known in our civil jurisprudence; that an arrest of judgment is an act of staying a judgment, or refusing to render judgment in an action at law in criminal cases after verdict; that it was done usually for some intrinsic matter appearing on the face of the record, which would render the judgment, if given erroneous or reversible.
The court further stated that under the old common law rule the procedure is not peculiar to criminal cases alone but applicable in civil cases.
The above position notwithstanding the court held that the procedure for arrest of judgment is alien to our rules of court and does not apply in civil matters and that the application under consideration was misconceived both in law and fact.
The court further stated that the rules of court in Nigeria do not make provision for an application to arrest a judgment which is about to be delivered by a court and that any such application cannot be described as proper application.
In the instant case, learned senior counsel for applicant, J.B. DAUDU, SAN has submitted that the application is not one for the arrest of judgment of the lower court.
The above conclusion of learned senior counsel cannot be correct having regards to the facts of the case. It is not disputed that as at the time the application whose prayers have earlier been reproduced in this ruling, was filed, the lower court had heard the appeal even though without the oral participation of counsel for appellant/applicant and adjourned the matter for judgment; that appellant, being dissatisfied with the rulings of the lower court dismissing the application for disqualification of the justices on grounds of bias, disqualification of counsel for 1st and 2nd respondents on the grounds that his instructions had been withdrawn by his clients, extension of time to file 1st respondent brief etc; had filed an appeal to this court. It is very clear therefore that as at the time the application was filed in this court, there was nothing left in the proceedings in the lower court except the delivery of the judgment so adjourned in respect of the consolidated appeals. It is therefore very clear that the application under consideration is aimed at or intended to arrest the said judgment though couched as a stay of further proceedings in the appeals.
It follows, therefore, that the application being to arrest the judgment of the lower court about to be delivered, it is an application not recognized by the rules of this court and consequently misconceived and incompetent.
Learned senior counsel for appellant/applicant has cited and relied on the decision of this court in the case of Dingyadi v. INEC (No. 1) (2010) 18 NWLR (pt. 1224) 1 in which this court stayed the delivery of the judgment of the Court of Appeal as his authority for this propositions. What are the facts of the case The facts includes the following:-
The 1st respondent, INEC, conducted governorship election in Sokoto State on the 14th of April, 2007, as it did in all the states of the Federation. The 2nd respondent, Alhaji Wamakko who was sponsored by the 4th respondent PDP was returned the winner of the election as he scored the highest number of votes cast.
The 1st applicant contested the same election as a candidate of the 2nd applicant DPP, and scored the second highest number of votes, and was dissatisfied with the result of the election. He consequently filed an election petition at the Governorship and Legislative Houses Election Tribunal for Sokoto State challenging the declaration of the 1st respondent as the winner. This grounds for the petition include disqualification of the 2nd respondent based on double nomination. The petition was dismissed on the ground that the 2nd respondent was properly nominated and that he won the election by majority of lawful votes cast. His appeal to the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, was allowed resulting in the court nullifying the election and ordered fresh election between the same candidates and same parties as appeared in the statement of result sheet.
The fresh election so ordered was duly conducted on the 24th day of May, 2008 and was again won by the 2nd respondent with overwhelming majority resulting in a second round of election petition proceedings, by the 1st respondent, in petition no. SS/EPT/GOV/1/2008. The petition called on the tribunal to interpret the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the appeal setting aside the election of 2007. The election tribunal dismissed it for lack of jurisdiction to interpret the said judgment and that the petition was in abuse of process.
Being, again, dissatisfied 1st applicant appealed to the Court of Appeal, this time the Sokoto Division in appeal no. CA/S/EP/GOV/10/09. The appeal was pending at the time the application for stay of proceedings etc was filed in this court.
However, and before the fresh election ordered by the Kaduna Division of the Court of Appeal was conducted, the 1st applicant filed an originating summons in suit no, FHC/ABJ/C/S/260/08 at the Federal High Court, Abuja on 20th April, 2008 seeking, inter alia, the interpretation of the same judgment of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division and the disqualification of the 2nd respondent from contesting the re-run election as ordered by the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, The suit was struck out for being incompetent and on the ground that the court has no jurisdiction to interpret the judgment by the Court of Appeal. The applicants were not satisfied with that decision and consequently appealed against same to the Court of Appeal in appeal no CA/A/278/08.
It should be noted that the applicants invoked the jurisdictions of the High Court and the Election Tribunal seeking the interpretation of the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division earlier mentioned, concurrently.
However, while the appeal no, CA/A/278/08 was pending, the applicants filed an application at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division for leave to raise fresh issue not raised at the trial court, to wit, that the trial court had jurisdiction to enforce the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division but the application was opposed and in a ruling delivered on the 30th day of November, 2009, the court refused the application on the grounds that to accede to the applicants’ request to argue the fresh points, would amount to the court taking a fresh cause of action and assuming jurisdiction contrary to the provisions of Section 240 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and that what the applicants wanted to do in the court with the leave being sought was to change the subject of the case which they brought before the trial court for adjudication.
The applicants were not satisfied with the decision and consequently appealed to the Supreme Court urging the court to allow the appeal, grant the reliefs sought at the trial court and invoke its inherent powers under Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act and determine the substantive appeal on the merit.
While their appeal to the Court of Appeal Sokoto Division was awaiting determination, the applicants filed notices of withdrawal of their appeals at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court on 12th February, 2010.
However, despite pending applications in opposition to the withdrawal, the notice of withdrawal was taken by the Supreme Court in chambers, on 10th March, 2010 and applicants interlocutory appeal was dismissed before the respondents’ pending applications in opposition were heard.
When the applications of the respondents came up for hearing on the 15th of March, 2010 and it turned out that the appeal had been dismissed in chambers, the Supreme Court granted the respondents’ oral application to stay proceedings before the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division scheduled for 16th March, 2010 in appeal no. CA/S/EP/GOV/10/09 pending the determination of the motions by the respondents to the Supreme Court.
However, since the filing of the notice of appeal by applicants on the 4th day of December, 2009, parties filed several court processes including a motion dated 11th February, 2010 for, inter alia, an order granting a departure from the rules, allowing and/or directing parties to make use of the record of proceedings of the Court of Appeal and compiled by the 2nd respondent for the purpose of the appeal, an order staying proceedings at the Court of Appeal, Abuja in appeal no. CA/A/276/08 which related to and concerned the subject matter of the appeal pending the final determination of the appeals.
On 1st March, 2010, the 1st respondent filed a notice of motion in opposition to the withdrawal of the appeal while the 2nd respondent filed a motion on notice on 10th March, 2010 praying the court for an order striking out the notice of withdrawal of appeal filed by the applicants. The application of the 2nd respondent was followed by another one filed on 12th March, 2010 seeking an order to set aside the ex parte order of the Supreme Court in chambers on 10th March, 2010 dismissing the appeal and restoring the appeal to the cause list. The 3rd respondent also sought the same reliefs. The grounds on which the respondents sought the setting aside of the dismissal of the appeal included that the proceedings in chambers of the Supreme Court on 10th March, 2010 denied the 2nd respondent a hearing and violated his right to fair hearing which deprived the court of jurisdiction.
In reaction to the above, the applicants filed a motion on 19th March, 2010 seeking, inter alia, an order setting aside or otherwise vacating the earlier order made on the 15th day of March, 2010 staying proceedings or delivery of the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division in appeal no. CA/S/EP/GOV/10/2009 and an order dismissing or otherwise striking out all other pending applications filed by the respondents to the applicants’ appeal which was dismissed on 10th March, 2010. There were other applications by the 1st respondent for preservation of the res while the 3rd respondent sought extension of time to cross appeal.
The issues calling for determination by the Supreme Court were primarily.
“1. Whether the judgment delivered on 10th March, 2010 by the Supreme Court sitting in chambers dismissing the applicants’ appeal ought to be set aside.
- Whether the order of the Supreme Court made on 15th March, 2010 staying proceedings of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division in appeal no. CA/S/EP/GOV/10/09 ought to be vacated.
- Whether given the circumstances of this case, the application seeking departure from the Supreme Court Rules ought to be granted, and,
- Whether the proceedings of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division in appeal no. CA/A/276/08 and the proceedings of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division in appeal no CA/S/EP/GOV/10/09 ought to be stayed”.
In its decision rendered on the 4th day of June, 2010, the Supreme Court granted the order setting aside the order dismissing the appellants appeal pursuant to the notice of withdrawal of the appeal and relisting the appeal in the cause list add stayed proceedings in the appeal pending at the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division, pending the appeal before the Supreme Court.
In granting the order staying further proceedings in the appeal pending before the Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal, which in effect amounted to an arrest of the judgment of that court, this court, at pages 75 – 76 stated that where two actions of similar or same nature and between same parties and subject matter are being prosecuted concurrently before same court or different courts, it is the later in time that vacates; that the appeals before the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division and Sokoto Division were both on the interpretation of the decision of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division and or whether the 2nd respondent was qualified to stand the election that returned him as the Governor of Sokoto State; that while the appeal before the Abuja Division of the court was filed in 2008; that of the Sokoto Division was filed on 5th March, 2009; that the appeal before the Sokoto Division was later in time and consequently liable to be vacated.
It is very clear that the decision of this court supra, is based on the principles of abuse of court process in which a process filed in abuse is usually vacated leaving the one filed earlier in time.
The concept of abuse of process involves circumstance and situations of infinite variety though its common feature is the improper use of the judicial process by a party in litigation to interfere with the due administration of justice. The abuse may lie both in proper and improper use of the judicial process in litigation though generally the term is used in relation to improper use of the judicial process to the annoyance, irritation, of the opponent and the effective and efficient administration of justice, such as institution of multiple actions on the same subject matter against the same opponent on the same issue. To institute an action during the pendency of another one claiming the same reliefs amounts to an abuse of court process and it does not matter whether the matter is an appeal or not, as long as the previous action has not been finally disposed of. It is the subsequent action that is in abuse of the process of the court.
Where an abuse of processes occurs the courts do not take it lightly as it is not a mere irregularity. It is a fundamental vice punishable by dismissal of the offending process – See A-G Anambra State v. UBA (2005) 15 NWLR (Pt. 947) 44; Arubo v. Aiyeleri (1993) 3 NWLR (Pt. 280) 126; Saraki v. Kotoye (1992) 9 NWLR (Pt. 264) 156; Ali v. Albishir (2000) 3 NWLR (Pt. 1073) 94; Umeh v. Iwu (2008) 8 NWLR (Pt. 1089) 225, etc, etc.
In the instant application, there is no contention that the judgment, sought to be arrested or further proceeding stayed, was an abuse of court process of any kind. It is therefore my considered view that the decision in Dingyadi’s case supra does not derogate from the general principle stated in the Newswatch Communications Ltd case, also supra; that an application to arrest a judgment about to be delivered by a competent court/tribunal is unknown to the jurisprudence of this country and consequently incompetent and misconceived in law and fact.
There was the sub-issue raised by CHIEF GADZAMA, SAN as to the competence of the appeal on ground; that it raises issues of fact and/or mixed law and fact which I do not think appropriate to go into at this stage of the proceedings as there is opportunity for same to be canvassed at the hearing of the appeal and having regards to the fact that the application has been found to be misconceived and consequently dismissed.
I will also not consider the issue as to whether applicant can or has the opportunity to raise the issues in the interlocutory appeal by filing an appeal against the final decision of the lower court, if it turns against applicant. The above issue, though substantial and relevant to a consideration of an application of this nature, goes to the merit of the application which, I think should rather not be gone into at this stage having regards to the grounds on which the application has been dismissed.
It is for the above reasons that I dismissed the application and made the orders as to costs on 22nd October, 2013.
Application dismissed.
SC.556/2013
