A civil society organisation, Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD) and The Electoral Hub, has called on the Nigerian Police Force, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Nigeria Judicial Council to take steps towards restoring the trust in the nation’s judiciary.
The Director, IRIAD-The Electoral Hub, Princess Hamman-Obels, made the call while reacting to Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa’s comment during a valedictory session of the 9th Senate, where he thanked his wife, retired Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa – former President of the Court of Appeal, for extending helping his colleagues while she was in office.
Princess Obels, in a statement on Wednesday, expressed concern that a thank-you message of that nature would ordinarily be of little interest to public discourse but his wife’s position as the former President of the Court of Appeal raised serious concerns about the integrity of the judiciary and questioned the sanctity of Nigerian democracy.
She said if, as insinuated, Justice Bulkachuwa’s position had been used to influence electoral adjudications and other judicial processes unfairly, it should be treated as an electoral crime and the perpetrator should be prosecuted accordingly.
While condemning any form of undue influence over members of the judiciary, Princess Obels said the institution plays a key role in upholding the principles of justice, fairness and the rule of law, and ought not to be tainted by outside influence.
She implored relevant agencies to conduct a collaboratory review of actions or inactions of Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa while in office.
“This would help in establishing the basis on which judicial proceedings can be initiated and the sanity of our democratic experience restored.
“This is our position that the inadvertent admission of guilt should not be allowed to go unaddressed. Relevant governmental agencies should act to restore public trust. Citizens and civil society actors should continually follow up the process and engage actively for action in the interest of our democracy.
“We reiterate that accountability, transparency and justice are major requirements for democracy, democratic consolidation and societal development.
” As such, we commit to continue monitoring this situation closely and ensuring fairness and impartiality in a judicial system that serves the best interests of all Nigerians,” she said.
