A leading pro-democracy and civil Rights advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS
WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has condemned the chief justice
of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad over his reported threats to deal with the
coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) even as the group warned
the apex court’s jurist to stop dancing naked in the political arena.
Besides, the pro-democracy platform faulted the ill-timed decision of
the chief justice of Nigeria to embark on sensational media gymnastics
when his office took on the opposition politicians only because they
made allegations about suspected shady deals with political undertones
within the hierarchy of the justice sector aimed at undermining the
judicious adjudication of the appeal instituted before the highest
nation’s court by the presidential candidate of the opposition People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) and former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
who is challenging the decision of the presidential poll’s petition
tribunal awarding president Muhammadu Buhari over Atiku in the
litigation challenging the 2019 presidential election.
HURIWA said it was shocked that the usually conservative and taciturn
supreme court of Nigeria seems to have breached her code of conduct by
dabbling into the arena of political and media war with a legitimate
group of aggrieved political opposition political parties who under the
constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression had voiced their
opinion on suspected foul play in the supreme court of Nigeria.
The Rights group through the national coordinator comrade Emmanuel
Onwubiko and the national media affairs director Miss. Zainab Yusuf,
said the chief justice of Nigeria cannot intimidate, harass or threaten
citizens of Nigeria in a constitutional democracy only for exercising
their constitutional rights just as the Rights group said the chief
justice of Nigeria could have exercised the highest circumspection by
acknowledging that clear conscience fears no accusations rather than to
climb the high horses and to blow hot in a seemingly authoritarian mode
against a group of Nigerians threatening to prosecute them as if he is
allowed by law to be the prosecutor and the judge in his own case.
“The office of the chief justice of Nigeria must steer clear of any
media showmanship that could graphically paint the temple of justice of
being controlled by persons with certain political affiliations or
persons who feel that they are above constructive criticisms which are
clearly guaranteed by numerous provisions of the chapter four of the
1999 constitution and primarily by section 39(1) which states that
Nigerian citizens are entitled to freedom of expression including
freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information
without interference.”
“We are in a very critical stage of our political life. The current
chief justice of Nigeria should be aware that his emergence as acting
chief justice of Nigeria through a disputed ex-parte order issued by a
quasi-judicial forum like the code of conduct tribunal presided over by
a chairman who was once charged or accused by the Economic And Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) of alleged #10 million bribery scam, is
contentious. This current chief justice of Nigeria must maintain decorum
and not be seen or perceived as a judicial official who is not open to
constructive political debate. If the allegations made by the Coalition
of United Political Party (CUPP) are not accurate, let him provide his
own side of the story without issuing unnecessary threats.”
“We in the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) are
alarmed by the reported threats to prosecute a set of Nigerians for
simply exercising their fundamental freedoms and this authoritarian and
totalitarian threats are coming from an unexpected quarter – the Temple
of justice that ought to be totally apolitical, professionally
independent and to a very large extent, must be measured in all its
media outings so as not to be perceived as biased or even remain
insulated from ‘channel noise’ in the media of mass communications.”
HURIWA stated thus: “We are shocked and disappointed that the Chief
Justice of Nigeria seems to have opened a new Vista of publicly joining
politicians in serial media squabbles. The choice of words by the
Supreme Court’s statement on Monday which described the CUPP’s
allegation as “blatant falsehood, misinformation and malicious rumor
being generously peddled by the Coalition of United Political Parties
(CUPP) through its spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere is discourteous and
uncharitable and should not emanate from such a respected quarter as the
office of the Chief justice of Nigeria because the media Statement was
clearly couched in a manner that paints the hallowed temple of justice
as a platform and arena of political battles”.
” The conclusion by the Chief justice of Nigeria that CUPP “is not and
can never constitute itself into an agency of the Nigerian Judiciary or
assume the role of an alternate Supreme Court of Nigeria” has further
heightened the suspicions of political biasness on the part of the
holder of the office of the Chief justice of Nigeria. Is he not aware
that even his predecessor in office got removed by a petition originated
by a private individual who is not an agent of the Supreme court of
Nigeria? Or is the alleged politically motivated petitioner who got the
last Chief justice of Nigeria Justice Onnoghen removed an agent of some
cabal inside the National judicial Council? This fact should tell the
Chief justice of Nigeria that the Supreme court of Nigeria is not an
island unto itself that information no matter how unbelievable and some
times credible, would be leaked to non-initiates from even within the
confines of the office of the Chief justice of Nigeria. The statement
from the CJN said, “The constitution of any panel to sit on a matter in
the court is the sole prerogative of the Supreme Court and it is never
an issue for the court to debate on the television or pages of
newspapers. But the Chief Justice of Nigeria can not stop Nigerians from
making references to conventions and traditions in the selection of the
panel of justices to adjudicate over a matter of high public interest.
The Supreme court of Nigeria is the apex of the judicial system and a
branch of government specifically donated the judicial powers of the
federation under section 6 0f the constitution. But under section 22,
the media or indeed any citizen can lawfully exercise the
constitutionally guaranteed freedoms to raise issues of high public
interest happening within the Judiciary because the Judiciary is not
made up of perfect beings in the form of Angels who are infallible and
whose decisions or authority can not be analysed. Not at all. We are in
a constitutional democracy and not in a monarchy, oligarchy or Tyranny
and we even have a binding national FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.”
“HURIWA believes that since the Supreme court of Nigeria with their own
mouth asserted that ‘We are not a political party or social club and
should never be dragged into any form of baseless pedestrian discussions
that will drive valid reasoning aground’ why then did it choose to dance
naked in the political arena by brandishing threats against the group
only for expressing their opinions?”.
HURIWA is as interested as most citizens to ascertain that qualitative
justice delivery takes place and we welcome the assertion by the Chief
justice of Nigeria that as soon as the Presidential Appeal Panel is
constituted, the public will be duly informed as the Supreme Court is
not a secret society. But may we in all honesty tell his Lordship the
Chief justice of Nigeria that he can’t use his high office to issue
threats or intimidate Nigerians only for exercising their fundamental
freedoms. If he feels that his rights are infringed or his standing in
the society maligned, he can privately institute a libel suit but must
never abuse his power by unleashing an avalanche of threats against
perceived dissenting voices.”