Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that Judges are no longer appointed based on merit and are now products of the interplay of politics and nepotism.
Atiku made the claims on Monday, 30 October, at his world press conference on the Presidential Election Petition judgement.
On Thursday, 26 October, the Supreme Court affirmed the election of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria’s president in the 2023 general election.
Tinubu’s election was challenged by his two major opponents – Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
Speaking at his press conference, Atiku cited the damning verdict of retired Justice, Musa Muhammad Dattijo, who lamented the unpredictable nature of recent decisions of Nigerian courts.
The former Nigerian Vice President also talked about comments made by former INEC chairman Attahiru Jega concerning the judiciary system in the country.
“The rebuke by retired Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad is a confirmation from within the apex court that all is not well with the Supreme Court,” Atiku said.
“The court and indeed the judiciary must never lend itself to politicization as it is currently the norm with nearly every institution in Nigeria. By the way, the strong rebuke of the apex court by the revered Justice, who had meritoriously served for more than four decades, should not be swept under the carpet.
“The alarm raised by Justice Muhammad and recently, former INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, offer Nigerians an explanation into why the electoral and judicial system have become the lost hope of the common man.
“Judges are no longer appointed based on merit but are products of the interplay of politics and nepotism.
“Worse still, the appointment of electoral officials has also been hijacked by the ruling party as seen in the latest nomination of Resident Electoral Commissioners where card carrying members of the ruling party and aides to politicians in the APC are being appointed into INEC.”
Atiku alleged that when two critical institutions like the court and the electoral commission are trapped in an evil web of political machination, it becomes next to impossible for democracy to thrive.
He said he has done his bit in ensuring that the country’s democratic process enjoys the privilege of full disclosure of the character deficiencies of the current political leadership.
He added that even if the Supreme Court believes otherwise, the purpose of technology in Nigeria’s electoral system is to enhance transparency and not merely as a viewing centre, that we have to move with the world and not be stuck in time.
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