…Says Nigerians have lost confidence in judiciary
BY MARTINS DURU
Lagos Peoples Democratic Party Elders, led by a former national vice chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George, has said that anarchy is looming in Nigeria over the actions of the judiciary in giving conflicting judgements.
In the meeting held in his Lagos office on Monday where elders of the PDP including a former deputy governor of Lagos, Kofoworola Bucknor Akerele were present, George said that these are not the best of times for the judiciary in Nigeria because, according to him, what is oozing from the third arm of government is offensive to millions of Nigerians and when the judiciary is compromised, democracy is gone.
He said that because of conflicting and contradictory judgements coming from a few judges, the belief of many Nigerians in the judiciary is understandably shaken and that it is worrisome because if the people don’t believe in the third arm of government anymore, anarchy looms.
He said that many Nigerians point to some ‘corrupt’ judges who escape unscathed to ‘enjoy their ill-gotten’ wealth because the system is weak or compromised to do proper investigation.
“We now have a situation in which courageous judges who refuse to do the biddings of ‘powers that be’ are accused of being corrupt and forced to resign. In many political cases, millions of people believe, and rightly so, that some judges deliver judgements, not justice. What exactly is the problem of the judiciary? Where did we get it wrong? Why is it difficult for the judiciary to assert its control over politicians and political parties? Why are technicalities being used to affirm electoral heists and in the process, undermine the will of the people and silence them? What is the meaning of a ‘typographical error’ when a judgement had already been delivered? Is it, according to some Nigerians, that the ‘real’ judgement was pushed aside and another read which has now led to a ‘typographical error’?
“In justice delivery and matter of life and death, judges are next to God. That is why anything that comes from the court is final, especially from the apex court in the land – the Supreme Court. There is nowhere to go again after the Supreme Court says yes or no on a matter before it. It is the final bus stop.
So, any pronouncement from our courts must be infallible. But, when people begin to question the judgement of a particular court, it shows that there is crisis in the polity. And this is totally unacceptable in Nigeria of 2023.
The judiciary, recently, and to the embarrassment of millions of Nigerians, has not lived above board. There are many conflicting judgements from courts of coordinate jurisdiction that Nigerians begin to wonder: Embarrassingly, there are now incessant conflicting ex-parte orders from courts of coordinate jurisdiction. Many Nigerians see this as a cankerworm affecting the Judiciary. Stories of millions of dollars now fly around, especially in political cases.
“Sadly, some politicians now use the court as a shield and the highest political bidders are recklessly granted favourable orders.
A few weeks ago, retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Musa Muhammad Dattijo, took the judiciary to the cleaners. Nobody could have exposed the rot in the Third arm of Government better than the septuagenarian jurist. What a shame!
Obviously, the unholy dalliances between some politicians and judges is dangerous to our democracy. Millions of people will come out on the day of election, queue, collect ballot papers, cast their votes for their preferred candidates, results will be announced and everybody will jubilate only for three, five or seven judges to upturn the popular will of the people. What an affront?
“Pitiably, we now have a situation in which politicians who did not participate in party primaries are affirmed by the judiciary as the candidates because of ‘technicalities’.
That is why Nigerians strongly believe that some members of the executive suppress and intimidate Judges, just to get favourable judgements. Electoral verdict should be the sole responsibility of the electorate but it has now been turned upside down.
“Now, judges select who should be members of House of Representatives, Senators, Governors and even the President. What kind of electoral system are we running that all vices, electoral crimes, defects and manipulations cannot be checked before the general elections? It is our belief that the best the judiciary must do in political cases is to adjudicate and where there are discrepancies, order for a rerun without giving victory to party A or B. In our opinion, it is wrong to remove the power of the electorate to elect political leaders and for the judiciary to tell us who the winners are.
“This is not good for the polity. This is not good for Nigeria. This is not good for our electoral system. A compromised judiciary is dangerous. Something urgent must be done to stop this malady,” he said.
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2023-11-28
