Date Published: 08/22/11

Lagos ACN condemns Salami's Victimization

The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria has joined several Nigerians and organizations in condemning the unfortunate victimization of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami by the combined forces of the PDP and the National Judicial Comission. The party says it suspects high wire political plot by the PDP to ensure that the judiciary is shackled to keep its legendary electoral heists.  

In a release in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party says the manner the removal of Justice Salami was procured by the PDP, using the top echelon of the judiciary and the indecent haste with which President Jonathan acceded to a clearly illegal decision of the NJC, suggests that there is a clear attempt to force corruption on the judiciary by all means possible. It therefore calls for the rescinding of the removal as pandering to the corrupt means of the PDP will lead to a regime of anarchy where the judiciary is helpless to play its critical role in the affairs of the Nigerian people.  

“We suspect that the removal of Salami was a clearly scripted action the PDP hopes to ensure it faces no challenges to its traditional inclination to steal electoral mandates and do everything to keep such stolen mandates. When we note that Salami was removed on the charge of perjuring against a CJN that is yet to show the constitutional powers he has to arrest an impending judgment, we come to the inescapable conclusion that Justice Salami is being targeted by the amorphous forces of corruption for his fearless and erudite judicial conviction and his untainted character. When we add the haste and manner the President, acting well beyond his powers, moved in to remove Salami and appoint a replacement, every doubt about high level complicity in this audacious targeting of a fearless judge by a vindictive and corruption ridden party, in cahoots with insider traders in the judiciary, applied in this case.  

“Nigerians are aware of Justice Salami’s courageous role in progressive adjudication especially in the country’s badly muddled electoral disputes and the well expressed discomfort with which the PDP, the main beneficiary of electoral loots, perceive his actions. We are aware that the PDP and the entire corruption machinery in Nigeria, which includes members of the soiled Nigerian judiciary and members of the NJC have been working for some time now on how to ease off Salami and pave the way for one of the many pliable accomplices to ensure the PDP does not suffer further harm from the courts as a result of its electoral loot. That Salami’s removal by President Jonathan, on the syndicated or teleguided prompting of the NJC is coming at a time Jonathan is facing a challenge to his election last August and Salami happens to head the tribunal adjudicating on this, says so much about the intricate corrupt web the Nigerian judiciary is operating in at present.  

“Lagos ACN fears that if the kind of dirty tactics the NJC and the presidency employed to remove Salami is allowed to endure, the average Nigerian will completely lose hope on the judiciary which cuts a very sordid image as one of the prime bastions of corruption in Nigeria today.  

“We therefore call on Nigerians to stand up against this politically motivated and corruption-induced action as it was scripted and executed to help the PDP’s penchant for malfeasance. We call on Nigerians to say a loud no to the clear-evidenced victimization of Justice Salami, through the use of extra judicial and politically motivated intrigues. We call on Nigerians to stand up against the NJC, the presidency and the PDP in this act of callousness against an upright judge.”