Bode George urges CJN, NJC to address judicial ‘rascality’
21 October 2024 |
3:36 am
Former Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, has called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to act against perceived judicial rascality in the country.
Former Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, has called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to act against perceived judicial rascality in the country.
George expressed deep concern over the growing perception that some judges were compromising the integrity of the judiciary by delivering politically-motivated judgments, often favouring powerful politicians over the will of the people.
In a statement, yesterday, George lamented that “the judiciary has become a willing tool for politicians to manipulate the system,” adding that “judges are now seen as partisan actors, rather than impartial arbiters of justice.”
Citing instances of conflicting court orders and judgments, George warned that judicial rascality threatened Nigeria’s democracy. He emphasised the need for the judiciary to assert its independence and resist pressure from politicians.
“The judiciary must be strong and bold enough to resist pressure from politicians. Judges must be careful because they have the power of life and death. After God, judges are next, so their judgments must be above board,” he said.
George noted the CJN’s wealth of knowledge and experience, expressed confidence that she could restore the judiciary’s integrity and urged her to convene a meeting of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to address observed anomalies. He said: “The time to stop judicial rascality in the polity is now. The CJN must take decisive action to restore public trust in the judiciary.
“Nigerians no longer respect judgments from some judicial officers and you see them boldly analysing the faux pas of these judgments on national televisions. Enough is enough.”
According to him, from the 1950s to the 1980s, judges were feared because they, to a large extent, never compromised their positions.
“Decades ago, there was this popular saying in Yorubaland: ‘Orun we niwaju Adajo,’ meaning you dare not sleep before a judge.
“Those were the glorious years in Nigerian judiciary when judges were judges, but what do we have today?
“In many political cases since the advent of this democratic rule in 1999, millions of people believe, and rightly so, that some judges deliver judgments, not justice.”
George questioned why judges, today, seemed to deliver verdicts based on “technicalities” that undermine the will of the people. He condemned the trend where judges determine electoral outcomes, overturning the decisions made by millions of voters.
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