By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been called upon to curtail alleged judicial rascality and abuse of rule of law in the polity.
Co-ordinator for Northern Initiative for the Defence of Democracy and Justice (NIDDJ), Ambassador Nureeddeen Musa Sadiq also called on the Chairman National Judicial Commission (NJC) to prevail on the judiciary and stop what it termed “judicial rascality” in the polity.
“The judiciary should and must be restored to its rightful position in Nigeria. This is a passionate appeal from the common people of this country. Justice should not become a commodity that can easily be bought over by some undemocratic elements in the society,” the group noted in a statement made available to the Guardian.
The rights group called on members of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to be firmed, and never to allow themselves to be cowed or intimidated by whatever order coming from anybody irrespective of his standing in the society.
The group was reacting to the recent Appeal Court’s decision Abuja, which over-ruled the earlier decision of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting also in Abuja, that all parties involved in the case to jointly inspect the 11th November, 2023 governorship election materials used on the said election date; which should be a major part to determine the veracity of claims and counter-claims at the Tribunal.
The group argued that this is the first time in recent years that an appellate court will be meddling, interrupting and usurping the true powers of a tribunal and trying to distract it from performing its traditional role.
It expressed the fear that if such unhindered interruption is allowed then, the future is blink for the judiciary and the entire country.
It added: “The crux of the matter is that the tribunal, which is a direct fact-finding panel of some sort, has all the powers to issue directives and orders on the mode of its operandi in order to accomplish its duties.
“Let it be known to everyone that there is no way a matter like this before a tribunal can be aborted by the decision of an Appeal Court at this stage of its findings, while knowing fully well that the matter would still finds itself to the Appeal Court and possibly to the Supreme Court.
“Why should the Appeal Court make such ignominious and controversial pronouncement at this fragile time in the history of Kogi State? Is there any reason for this shoddy decision of the court? Is it that the judge or judges that made this awful pronouncement have been compromised?
“Let us reflect on the Appeal Court decision in the Plateau State House of Assembly and National Assembly election cases which if allowed to go to Supreme Court would have changed the current narrative in the state because judicial recklessness became the order of the day in Plateau State.”
