The leading civil Rights advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS
WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has expressed disappointment with the
lackadaisical and pedestrian approach the supreme court of Nigeria handled the
election petition by ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) against the incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari of the
All Progressives Congress (APC).
HURIWA stated that the judgment is rather a harsh
judgment on the integrity of the nation’s judicial system because rather than
meticulously resolve the knotty issues thrown up by the thoroughly manipulated
2019 presidential poll, the apex court has opened new yet to be experimented
areas of organized mistrust and lack of integrity of the current status quo at
the Nigerian judicial system.
“The stain caused by the aloofness; substantial
disconnect with electoral realities of our times and tardiness in the handling
of this historic petition by the current set up at the supreme court of Nigeria
has only asked political office seekers to fight to the finish during polls
just as henceforth election would become contestation for power by all means
possible because there would be no light at the end of the judicial tunnel
should losers of election with justifiable reasons to seek judicial
intervention head to the Nigerian convoluted and compromised court system. The
import of this miscarriage of justice by the supreme court is that elections
henceforth in Nigeria would be for the survival of the fittest since illegal
exercise of disproportionate might has been ruled right.”
In a statement, HURIWA through the national coordinator
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko has called on all lovers of Nigeria to rally round to
rescue the judiciary from the oppressive hold of reactionary elements
railroaded into official positions in the hierarchies through brute force and
executive manipulations. HURIWA said the judicial system now lacks integrity
and courage and therefore would be litigants would opt for the use of self-help
measures such as violence to seek for some form of redress.
HURIWA said: " We are rudely shocked and
disappointed that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammadu, is
which led the seven-man panel which to heard the appeals in respect of the case
instituted by the People’s Democratic Party and its presidential candidate,
Atiku Abubakar, to challenge the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari at the
February 23, 2019 poll tragically ended up not resolving even a single of those
claims filed by the aggrieved."
"HURIWA believes that Justice Muhammad and other
six members of the panel including Justices Bode Rhodes-Vivour, Kayode
Ariwoola, John Okoro, Amiru Sanusi, Ejembi Eko and Uwani Abba-Ajji have failed
to dispense justice in line with global best practices and ended up creating
further problems which include the total loss of faith in the judiciary because
what it shows is that there is no integrity or independence in the nation's
judicial system”
"Like most lovers of constitutional democracy,
HURIWA is well aware that the tribunal’s judgment which Atiku and his party are
dissatisfied with had dismissed their petition challenging the outcome of the
February 23, 2019 poll even as subsequently, the petitioners on September 23,
2019, filed 66 grounds of appeal before the Supreme Court to challenge the
judgment of the tribunal in which they prayed the Supreme Court to nullify
Buhari’s victory and either order that Atiku be declared as the valid winner of
the poll or order the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a
fresh presidential election. Sadly, the entire exercise has become an exercise
in futility and has thrown up the clear evidence of a nation's judiciary that
is hijacked by reactionary elements. The verdict which simply dismissed the
petition for lacking merit is laughable and will on its own be treated as mere
tissues of morally depraved drama unworthy of any historical references and
veneration. Today is tragic and sad for real democracy. "
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