Members of the United World Congress of Diplomats (UN-WCD) rose from an emergency meeting with a call for the total reform of the Nigerian judicial system to build the confidence of Nigerians.

UN-WCD, led by Amb. Dr. Tunji John Asaolu, at a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday, explained that the call was necessitated by the alleged undue interference of judicial workers in Rivers, Osun, and Benue states on political issues where conflicting orders were issued by judges just to frustrate democracy.

He referred to Osun State, where there was a conflicting State High Court order and Appeal Court judgment over the dissolution of Local Government Council chairmen, their reinstatement, and a fresh election by the state electoral empire.

The Professor of Politics & International Studies remarked that the most worrisome of all is the alleged interference by the Benue State Chief Judge, Maurice Ikpambese, when he allegedly tried to undermine justice by granting a waiver to petitioners of the Local Government Election Tribunal not to pay a security deposit as stipulated by law.

UN-WCD contended that such conduct is against the core objectives of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance (ACDEG), which are to promote adherence by each State Party to the universal values and principles of democracy and respect for human rights, as well as the principle of the rule of law premised upon the respect for and the supremacy of the Constitution and constitutional order in the political arrangements of the State Parties.

UN-WCD called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the National Judicial Council (NJC) to exercise caution and restraint in passing judgment on the removal of Justice Maurice Ikpambese until a thorough investigation is conducted.

“We emphasize the importance of upholding the rule of law and ensuring accountability for all public officials, including judges. Any acts of misconduct or abuse of power must be met with swift and decisive action to maintain public trust and confidence in the judiciary,” they noted.

“We can assure you that we will continue to monitor the situation closely and advocate for ethical governance practices in Nigeria and beyond.

“We have it on good authority that the National Judicial Council is yet to even constitute an investigative panel to unravel the allegations against the Chief Judge, a resolution passed by the Benue State Legislative Arm of Government, which recommended the outright removal of the Chief Judge from office.

“We believe that by now, the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, who is a proactive officer, should have set up a probe panel to immediately investigate the Chief Judge. Even if the NJC is not willing to investigate the previous petitions against the CJ, the recent one passed by the State House of Assembly and forwarded by the Benue State Government to the NJC should have been under investigation by now.”

They thereby urged the NJC and the NBA to act in accordance with the truth and uphold the rule of law by condemning any illegal actions committed by any Chief Judge rather than endorsing or supporting any questionable conduct.

They further called on the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, to initiate an independent panel to thoroughly investigate the allegations of financial irregularities and breaches of ethical standards attributed to Chief Judge Ikpambese of Benue State, as it is essential to ensure that due process is followed and that justice is served in the interest of public trust and accountability.

They further implored the Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, to speedily appoint an Acting Chief Judge to prevent a vacuum in the judiciary and uphold the uninterrupted delivery of justice to the citizens of Benue State.