A leading pro-democracy and civil Rights advocacy group
- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has condemned the chief
justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad over his reported threats to deal with the
coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) even as the group warned the apex
court's jurist to stop dancing naked in the political arena.
Besides, the pro-democracy platform faulted the
ill-timed decision of the chief justice of Nigeria to embark on sensational
media gymnastics when his office took on the opposition politicians only
because they made allegations about suspected shady deals with political
undertones within the hierarchy of the justice sector aimed at undermining the
judicious adjudication of the appeal instituted before the highest nation’s
court by the presidential candidate of the opposition People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) and former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who is challenging the
decision of the presidential poll’s petition tribunal awarding president
Muhammadu Buhari over Atiku in the litigation challenging the 2019 presidential
election.
HURIWA said it was shocked that the usually conservative
and taciturn supreme court of Nigeria seems to have breached her code of
conduct by dabbling into the arena of political and media war with a legitimate
group of aggrieved political opposition political parties who under the
constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression had voiced their opinion on
suspected foul play in the supreme court of Nigeria.
The Rights group through the national coordinator
comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the national media affairs director Miss. Zainab
Yusuf, said the chief justice of Nigeria cannot intimidate, harass or threaten
citizens of Nigeria in a constitutional democracy only for exercising their
constitutional rights just as the Rights group said the chief justice of
Nigeria could have exercised the highest circumspection by acknowledging that
clear conscience fears no accusations rather than to climb the high horses and
to blow hot in a seemingly authoritarian mode against a group of Nigerians
threatening to prosecute them as if he is allowed by law to be the prosecutor
and the judge in his own case.
“The office of the chief justice of Nigeria must steer
clear of any media showmanship that could graphically paint the temple of
justice of being controlled by persons with certain political affiliations or
persons who feel that they are above constructive criticisms which are clearly
guaranteed by numerous provisions of the chapter four of the 1999 constitution
and primarily by section 39(1) which states that Nigerian citizens are entitled
to freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and
impart ideas and information without interference.”
“We are in a very critical stage of our political life.
The current chief justice of Nigeria should be aware that his emergence as
acting chief justice of Nigeria through a disputed ex-parte order issued by a
quasi-judicial forum like the code of conduct tribunal presided over by a
chairman who was once charged or accused by the Economic And Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) of alleged #10 million bribery scam, is contentious. This
current chief justice of Nigeria must maintain decorum and not be seen or
perceived as a judicial official who is not open to constructive political
debate. If the allegations made by the Coalition of United Political Party
(CUPP) are not accurate, let him provide his own side of the story without
issuing unnecessary threats.”
“We in the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria
(HURIWA) are alarmed by the reported threats to prosecute a set of Nigerians
for simply exercising their fundamental freedoms and this authoritarian and
totalitarian threats are coming from an unexpected quarter – the Temple of
justice that ought to be totally apolitical, professionally independent and to
a very large extent, must be measured in all its media outings so as not to be
perceived as biased or even remain insulated from 'channel noise' in the media
of mass communications.”
HURIWA stated thus: "We are shocked and
disappointed that the Chief Justice of Nigeria seems to have opened a new Vista
of publicly joining politicians in serial media squabbles. The choice of words
by the Supreme
Court’s statement on Monday which described the CUPP's allegation as “blatant
falsehood, misinformation and malicious rumor being generously peddled by the
Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) through its spokesman, Imo
Ugochinyere is discourteous and uncharitable and should not emanate from such a
respected quarter as the office of the Chief justice of Nigeria because the media
Statement was clearly couched in a manner that paints the hallowed temple of
justice as a platform and arena of political battles".
“The conclusion by the Chief justice of Nigeria that
CUPP “is not and can never constitute itself into an agency of the Nigerian
Judiciary or assume the role of an alternate Supreme Court of Nigeria” has
further heightened the suspicions of political biasness on the part of the
holder of the office of the Chief justice of Nigeria. Is he not aware that even
his predecessor in office got removed by a petition originated by a private
individual who is not an agent of the Supreme Court of Nigeria? Or is the
alleged politically motivated petitioner who got the last Chief justice of
Nigeria Justice Onnoghen removed an agent of some cabal inside the National
judicial Council? This fact should tell the Chief justice of Nigeria that the
Supreme Court of Nigeria is not an island unto itself that information no
matter how unbelievable and sometimes credible would be leaked to non-initiates
from even within the confines of the office of the Chief justice of Nigeria. The
statement from the CJN said, “The constitution of any panel to sit on a matter
in the court is the sole prerogative of the Supreme Court and it is never an
issue for the court to debate on the television or pages of newspapers. But the
Chief Justice of Nigeria cannot stop Nigerians from making references to
conventions and traditions in the selection of the panel of justices to
adjudicate over a matter of high public interest. The Supreme court of Nigeria
is the apex of the judicial system and a branch of government specifically
donated the judicial powers of the federation under section 6 0f the
constitution. But under section 22, the media or indeed any citizen can lawfully
exercise the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms to raise issues of high
public interest happening within the Judiciary because the Judiciary is not
made up of perfect beings in the form of Angels who are infallible and whose
decisions or authority cannot be analyzed. Not at all. We are in a
constitutional democracy and not in a monarchy; oligarchy or Tyranny and we
even have a binding national FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT."
"HURIWA believes that since the Supreme court
of Nigeria with their own mouth asserted that 'We are not a political party or
social club and should never be dragged into any form of baseless pedestrian
discussions that will drive valid reasoning aground' why then did it choose to
dance naked in the political arena by brandishing threats against the group
only for expressing their opinions?".
HURIWA is as interested as most citizens to ascertain
that qualitative justice delivery takes place and we welcome the assertion by
the Chief justice of Nigeria that as soon as the Presidential Appeal Panel is
constituted, the public will be duly informed as the Supreme Court is not a
secret society. But may we in all honesty tell his Lordship the Chief
justice of Nigeria that he can't use his high office to issue threats or
intimidate Nigerians only for exercising their fundamental freedoms. If he
feels that his rights are infringed or his standing in the society maligned, he
can privately institute a libel suit but must never abuse his power by
unleashing an avalanche of threats against perceived dissenting voices.”
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