Calling
it the most audacious display of disrespect and sacrilege against the temple of
justice that is constitutionally institutionalized to be neutral and
politically impartial, a pro-democracy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION
OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the chief judge of federal High Court to order
the dismantling of a campaign billboard of All Progressives Congress (APC)
national chairman Mr. Adams Oshiomhole mounted strategically in front of the
court’s complex for days now.
Besides
HURIWA has faulted the decision of the Federal Attorney General and Minister of
Justice Alhaji Abubakar Malami (SAN) to desecrate his high office by
administering the oath of office on the partisan chairman of All Progressives
Congress (APC) Mr. Adams Oshiomhole after the NATIONAL convention at the Eagles
Square. HURIWA wondered why a private senior lawyer affiliated to the political
ASSOCIATION such as the erstwhile national legal adviser was not tasked with
the partisan job of conducting the swearing in of the chairman of one amongst
the over 65 registered political parties in Nigeria.
In a
statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the
National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said by virtue of
section 150(1) of the Nigerian constitution of 1999 (as amended) the holder of
the office of the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice, is the
chief law officer of the federation and not of a political party. The Rights
group cautioned the current federal Attorney General and minister of justice to
stop forthwith from abusing his official privileges to service partisan
interests.
On
the campaign billboard of APC strategically mounted in front of the Federal
High Court, HURIWA says it symbolizes that the nation’s judiciary may have
become a conquered territory of a band of political warriors belonging to the
All Progressives Congress (APC). It expressed shock that the positioning of
this campaign billboard is done in such a way that international and local
visitors to Abuja would think that the Federal High Court's Complex at the
Abuja Central Business District is the secretariat of the All progressives
congress.
“The siting and location of such a partisan and mundane
political contraption such as a campaign billboard in such a sacred place
whereby the Federal High Court is located is an affront to the constitutional
tenet of checks and balances and is offensive to the neutrality and
independence of the judiciary”.
“We
are shocked that the hierarchy of the judiciary including the Chief Justice of
Nigeria and the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court have over looked such a
grave sacrilege of the sanctity of the judicial system as symbolized by the
location of the billboard of a politician just by the fence of the Federal High
Court’s complex.”
“We demand a public apology from the APC and an immediate action
by the leadership of the federal High Court to cleanse the monumental damage
done to the image and sanctity of the judiciary by the location of a campaign
billboard by the fence of the Federal High Court”.
No comments:
Post a Comment