The image of the Nigeria judiciary has continued to suffer a downward trend, surprisingly, ever since democratic governance was restored 24 years ago. The bench and bar have also acknowledged this fact, and on many occasions have called for reforms, especially in the areas of appointments of Judges to save the Judiciary from total collapse. In fact, the axiom that the court is the last hope of the common man has eroded in the minds of people.
It has become a cliché that only a few subscribe to, leaving many to wonder the kind of society and Judiciary we have. The phrase “go to court”, our new found expression is so meaningless and laughable because of the obvious reason that justice today in the country is for the highest bidder, to the point that the average citizen has no place to run to when his or her right is infringed upon.
Not too long ago, a member of the 9th Assembly, Senator Bulkachuwa told Nigerians that he influenced his wife’s decisions severally, a High Court Judge to favour some of his colleagues and party members when he was in office. Till date, no one has heard anything about this brazen abuse of office against the state and her institutions, regrettably.
Despite all the odds, Nigerians still have their eyes fixed on the Election Tribunal pronouncement that is still being awaited, at least to see if the image of the country and what she stands for can be salvaged. What the people want here is that things must be done right and that every person, irrespective of tribe, religion or language should be treated equally as a citizen of the country. People want peace, unity, progress and hope restored for the common good.
Interestingly, without the Tribunal confirming the date to deliver the verdict, people on their own are of the opinion that the Presidential Election Tribunal Judgement would come sometime in September. This is because the 180 days allowed by law to dispense with all electoral matters would fall on September 16, considering the time those challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, went to court days after the February 25 elections.
Even though this date is speculative, the point is that the society needs to move on. The delay in delivering judgement is not in the best interest of the country, politically and economically. That foods are being distributed to some fractions of Nigerians simply tells the story that all is not well. This situation may be worse if farmers cannot go back to their farms owing to insecurity. This is not the country the majority of us dreamt about, that Nigerians in the 21st century, while the Indians are landing in the moon, would be queuing for a bowl of rice.
Whichever way, the tribunal judgement would certainly come, no matter the maneuvering by the parties involved. Nigerians believe, rightly or wrongly, that the tribunal judgement would serve as a watershed in the justice system of our country. Clearly, what Nigerians want is judgement based on clear evidence, devoid of any ambiguity. Law itself thrives on facts and evidence which all the parties may have presented while the case lasted.
This is one case everyone is interested in because of the pre and post campaign realities that has dawned on everyone, with the true change the people are yearning for. The decay in the society which the court is not insulated from, in fact, accounts for the apprehension felt all over the nation. We are in a situation where, unfortunately, people appear to have lost hope in their own country and leaving in droves to Europe and America, even without knowing what awaits them there.
This is not adding up at all to our dreams and aspirations as a collection of people, but instead our disillusionment continues to increase every day. Nigerians believe that things should be done right, no matter the situation and who is in the saddle. No matter what, it’s still a Nigerian that will occupy the presidential seat. Therefore, the delay in delivering judgement on who indeed, won the 2023 presidential election is not the way to go, rather it would increase the suspicion and the reservations the people have for the Judiciary.
The winner of the election should be announced and this should be done within the ambit of the law that has specified number of days within which all lingering judicial matters should be addressed, to give room for true governance. The three major political parties in contentions, All Progressives Congress (APC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP), and their standard bearers are all democrats in their own right, also have unshakable faith in the justice system.
The yet to come court pronouncements which they willingly approached should not result in any form of panic or surprise. In this case, a winner must emerge. It is only one president at a time. The tribunal judgement indeed, is a litmus test that the whole world is interested in. With this case however, the judiciary is on trial before the court of the people.
We call on the learned Justices who would deliver this crucial judgement to do what is right in the eyes of God and man, understanding the fact that the country is encumbered with myriad of problems that should not degenerate further; with bribery and corruption that have almost brought the country to her knees. We want to see the losers congratulate the winners, to allow for genuine and proper healing to take place in the country. All eyes we must say here, are on the Judiciary.
