The once revered judicial arm of government was finally demystified in October 2016 when the State Security Service invaded houses of Justices and judges in the night and further charged them to court for alleged corrupt practices. Although, most of them were discharged and acquitted, it appeared to have confirmed speculations and perception of sharp practices in the judiciary that have led to justice denial in the past.
While congratulating the candidate of All Progressives Congress , Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, who was declared winner amid alleged irregularities, Buhari said: “Votes and those that cast them cannot be taken for granted. Each must be earned. Competition is good for our democracy. There is no doubt the people’s decision has been rendered in the results we look at today.
This stance appeared to juxtapose the loss of confidence in the judiciary, which the same President Buhari expressed then at a town hall meeting with Nigerians living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In view of his latest counsel to the aggrieved parties in the February 25 general elections, the big question is, how prepared is the nation’s judiciary to serve as an impartial arbiter for electoral disputes?
“They even add pep to it when they tell you that they will meet you in court , thereby pushing your indulgence of a litigation against them, and knowing its ultimate end. For years, we have seen the courts deliver on the expectations of the roguery that has become the lot of our electoral processes in a manner that calls judicial sanctity and integrity to question.
Adding: “But Nigerians would have taken the call with every seriousness it deserved if Mr. President had not been found to have his hands dipped in the murky factors that culminated to the prevailing judicial emasculation – the hounding, arrest and detention of judges as well as the removal of former Chief Justice of Nigeria , Justice Walter Onnoghen, in a rather bizarre circumstance.
For this reason, Oguche said that Nigerians have considered the called to go to court as a veritable opportunity for the jurists to redeem the battered image of the judiciary and restore its much needed public confidence that has gravely been lowered to drastic ends. “A lot of people believe that once a government is in power, the caliber of judges you have will not want to do anything that would be contrary to the expectation of the government in power. This is not really good for our development, our country and for justice generally.
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)
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