The Nigerian Democracy Working Group has condemned alleged “judicial recklessness” by the Federal High Court judges in Kano State, stressing it will truncate the Nigeria’s democracy and jeopardize the peace and security in the state.

Dr. Vincent Okpara Innocent (Convener) and Dr. Idris A. Abdullahi in a statement jointly signed by them, urged the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to review and overhaul Nigeria’s judicial system.

The Group vowed to mobilize 1,000 organizations across the country to file petition against Justice Simon Amobeda for allegedly delivering anti-public and anti-democracy judgement on the Kano Local Government poll billed to hold on Saturday, 26th October, 2024.

The full text of the statement reads:

The Nigerian Democracy Working Group, is a network of civil society organizations, academics, democracy activists, patriotic individuals and entrepreneurs across the six geo political zones of the country, who work to promote democratic practices, cultures and ethics, for the attainment of good governance and sustainable development.

Our attention has been drawn to the judgments delivered by Justice Simon Amobeda, a Federal High Judge Court sitting in Kano, which unceremoniously sacked the Chairman and five other members of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KNSIEC), barely three days to the date for the conduct of the Local Government Councils Elections. Although, the ill feelings of the federal High Courts Judges in Kano, to cause conflicts and disharmony in the State, have been imprinted on the minds of every average Kano resident, who have for long known for issuing conflicting court orders which, if not for the divine intervention, Kano State must have been on fire for long.

It is our firm belief that, every civilized democracy, which respects the will of the people, courts wouldn’t have reduced themselves to temples of creating confusion, disharmony, social disunity and disorder, as the essence of their existence on promotion social and legal justice, for the people has been woefully defeated. Therefore, such a judicial system has lost the right to claim any legitimacy of constitutionalism or sanctity. The Nigerian judges have apparently reduced themselves to agents of encouraging servitude against the ordinary citizens, bowing to the interests of some evil minded individuals who care not for any person, except for their self – serving interest.

It is clear that the Federal High Courts in Kano, are on a special mission to destabilize the peace and security of the State. Every responsible person would wonder, how could a competent court of law compromise the interest and feelings of over 20 million people of Kano State, by truncating a long time plan to conduct the Local Government Councils elections, bearing in mind the deadline of the Supreme Courts to all States, to ensure then conduct of the elections in all states of the Federation, barely three days to the conduct of the Kano State elections, and not minding the huge and unquantified human and material investments. Why would some selfish individuals be encouraged by the Court to truncate and dash the hope of more than 20 million people residing in Kano State? As we condemn this judgment in totality as insensitive, anti-people, anti-democracy, anti-social justice, emotionally loaded, we call on all Nigerian citizens to condemn the judgment as irrational, miscarriage of justice and ill – timed

We are compelled to follow the path of true and objective democratic leaders who have steadily observed that, the courts judgments in many politically related cases in Nigeria in recent times, are turning the Nigerian democracy, upside down, reducing the country to a laughing stock as well as damaging the little integrity of the Institution, a body which was supposedly considered to be hallowed.

The Constitution provides the Judiciary with a power as a sacred institution in our democracy, to administer justice and protect the rule of law. It is mandated to, not only administer justice but as well people must see justice being done. We have however, found ourselves in a situation where some allegedly corrupt members of the bench collude with some evil politicians to distort our democracy and elections, consequently, the Nigerian Judiciary has methodically transformed itself into a self-styled “power broker” fully loaded with emotions, self-serving sentiments, and apparently became so monotonous to the plight and concerns of the ordinary Nigerian citizens, at a critical period when the country is imminently faced with the challenges of disintegration, clamors for revolution from within and outside the country, yet the Nigerian judges have continued to act ignorant and insensitive to all the ugly happenings and fundamental threats to national security, peace and social cohesion around the country

As Civil Society organizations (CSOs) working to promote democracy and good governance, we condemn this anti people court decision purportedly scripted to waste public funds and cause chaos in a volatile State like Kano, without any recourse to public interest, which should be assumed as the overriding. This kind of irrational court judgment is not good for our democracy, and it is of course another factor that would encourage the people to lose the little confidence remaining of the Nigerian Judiciary.

We therefore, wish to call on the new Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere Ekun, to take a decisive action against Justice Simon Amobeda, in line with the pledge of the CJN, of effecting some tangible reforms in the Nigerian Judiciary and deal with reckless judges who indulge in issuing indiscriminate court orders. Justice Simon is indeed fully aware of a subsisting court order from Kano State High Court of justice, prohibiting all political parties, individuals or organizations from interfering or making any attempt to distort or disrupt the process of conducting Local Government Councils Elections in Kano State. The judge, however, chose to scandalously deliver a judgment that may likely have conflict with the earlier position of the Kano State High Court order. This ugly development, is not only an embarrassment to judiciary, but also a deliberate attempt by some elements at the bench to further ruin the little reputation left of the Nigerian Judiciary

It is our adamant conviction that, if Justice Simon Amobeda is subjected to disciplinary process, it would serve as a deterrent to others. It is time for the new leadership of the Nigerian Judiciary to cleanse the system of all elements with questionable character.

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