Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to end what he called “judicial rascality” in the third arm of government.
He stated that after 25 years of democracy the judicial pronouncements are becoming “offensive” to Nigerians.
In a message congratulating the new CJN, the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland vouched for the number one judicial officer.
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He said, “As the Number One Judicial Officer in the world’s most populous black nation, a bonafide Lagosian and a jurist from a family of legal luminaries, I strongly believe that the judiciary will benefit from your wealth of knowledge.
“I am also convinced that with you at the helm of affairs of the third arm of government in Nigeria, the judiciary will now take its rightful position, just like we witnessed from the 1950s to 1980s.
“CJN, it will be an understatement for me to tell you that today, and 25 years since the military left the polity for the political class, what is oozing out of the third estate of the realm is becoming offensive to millions of Nigerians, in and outside the country.
“Judgements from some judicial officers are becoming embarrassing to patriotic Nigerians and if care is not taken, may derail this democracy. Judicial rascality has now become the order of the day, especially coming from courts of coordinate jurisdictions.”
The PDP leader stated that a situation “in which a court, which is thousands of miles away from a theatre of partisan conflict, will give a confusing order and Nigerians will just be wondering what exactly was going on,” is unacceptable.
He added, “Obviously, an appellate court can override the decision of a lower court but I strongly believe that a High Court, federal or state, cannot give a counter order on a case in which it has no jurisdiction against another High Court.
“Anything short of this will lead to judicial anarchy. This is the time for you to urgently call a meeting of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to be attended by judges, from states and federal, to address this anomaly because there are many conflicting judgements from courts of coordinate jurisdiction these days.
“Nigerians no longer respect judgements from some judicial officers and you see them boldly analysing the faux pas of these judgements on national televisions. Enough is enough. From the 1950s to 1980s, judges were feared because they, to a large extent, never compromised their positions.”
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