Kunle Edun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has raised concerns about the current state of the Nigerian judiciary, warning that the unpatriotic actions of politicians and their collaborators are threatening the institution’s credibility.
In an opinion statement, Edun called for urgent action to address the growing issues and prevent further erosion of public trust in the judicial system.
Edun highlighted the recent admonition by the Honorable Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, urging judges not to compete for cases or issue conflicting court orders. However, despite this warning, the trend of conflicting orders from Federal High Courts and State High Courts in Kano and Rivers State has persisted. Edun pointed out that the jurisdiction of both State High Courts and Federal High Courts is being expanded at will, with precedents seemingly disregarded, leading to uncertainty among lawyers and the public about the position of the law on various issues.
The SAN called upon the Chief Justice of Nigeria to take urgent action to halt this descent and maintain the judiciary’s relevance. He suggested that judges who overstep their jurisdiction should be cautioned, and forum shopping by parties rushing to file actions in Abuja instead of their state capitals should be discouraged through practice directions issued by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.
Edun also criticized the practice of the executive arm of government publicly gifting vehicles and houses to judicial officers, arguing that such actions may compromise the judiciary’s impartiality, particularly when the gifting states are parties to cases in court. He specifically mentioned the recent announcement by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who revoked Julius Berger’s title to a parcel of land in Abuja and is now using the same land to construct 40 houses that will be gifted to judicial officers.
The SAN emphasized the need for the National Judicial Council to act swiftly in addressing petitions against judicial officers and ensuring adherence to the Judicial Code of Ethics. He urged judicial officers to avoid contacts with politicians that may create impressions detrimental to the due administration of justice.
Edun also noted that lawyers have a share of the blame, as the Rules of Professional Conduct require every lawyer to owe a primary duty to the court and ensure that the institution is not abused but used to achieve justice. He mentioned that there are several cases in courts seeking to stop some States’ Electoral Commissions from conducting local government elections, despite the Supreme Court’s decision that local government funds belong exclusively to democratically elected local government councils.
The post Unpatriotic Politicians Undermining Judiciary’s Credibility — Edun, SAN, Says Conflicting Court Orders Continue Despite CJN’s Directive appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
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