By Vivian Okejeme
Abuja
Strong criticisms bordering on recent rulings of the judiciary on some election petition matters are misguided, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammaed and President Nigeria Bar Association, Mr. Augustine Alegeh, SAN have said.
The duo spoke at the valedictory session in honour of retiring Supreme Court Justice, Muhammad Muntaka-Comassie, yesterday in Abuja.
Although they were not specific on the decisions, their comments may have come against the backdrop of the apex court’s decision which upheld the elections of some state governors, including those of in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Delta, Ebonyi and others perceived by some not to be in order.
Also, the judiciary, has also come under intense heat from President Muhammadu Buhari who recently described the arm of government as the administration’s main headache in its fight against corruption in far away Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.
Speaking at the event, the CJN, Justice Mohammed described negative comments on the decisions of the judiciary as “misguided”.
According to him, the backlash which the judiciary had received over its decisions, failed to take cognisance of the law and rationale of the nation’s system of government.
“The Nigerian judiciary, though constantly striving to redress wrongs and tilt the balance in favour of that which is right, has recently had to face the backlash of misguided opinions fashioned without due consideration of the law and rationale for the system of government that we operate.
“The judiciary is duty bound to act in accordance with the dictates of the law as it stands and not as critics would like it to be.
“In this sense, naive idealism is but a pale limitation of legal certainty and it is in observing the career and jurisprudence of such eminent jurists as my lord, Honourable Justice Muntaka-Coomassie that we see this most clearly,” the CJN clarified.
In his speech, NBA boss, Mr Alegeh condemned what he described as “generalisation and/or categorisation” of the judiciary as corrupt and a stumbling block to the Buhari administration’s war against corruption
Nonetheless, he assured of the Bar’s support to resist any attempt to intimidate or harass judicial officers.
Alegeh said, “The NBA condemns in its entirety the generalisation and/or categorisation of the judiciary as being corrupt and impediment to the zero corruption policy of the present administration.”
The NBA president warned “the few bad eggs in the system” to desist from engaging in their embarrassing acts or be ready to face petitions which the NBA would start filing against such judicial officers.