• Ariwoola cautions against abuse of judicial powers

• 99 panels sat over election cases, says PCA

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has cautioned judicial officers against succumbing to public opinions, emotions, or sentiments while performing their duties.

He said no amount of threat or intimidation should make a judge deviate from the law and do what is unconstitutional and at variance with existing laws.

The CJN spoke at the opening session of a two-day workshop organised by the Court of Appeal for the review of last year’s election petition tribunals/courts and appeals yesterday in Abuja.

Justice Ariwoola noted that “political matters always tend to occupy the front burner of our adjudicatory activities as all the subsisting electoral laws have placed some time frame within which they must be heard and decided”.

He added: “Besides, the kind of attention and emotions attached to political matters in this country has collectively made our work more excruciating, painstaking and, sometimes, endangering, as we are occasionally exposed to threats, especially from some elements within the political fold. 

“But like I always say, no amount of threat or intimidation should make a thoroughbred judicial officer to deviate from the law and pander to public sentiments and emotions, which are often misplaced.”

Justice Ariwoola cautioned judicial officers against abusing their powers by engaging in wrong application of discretionary authorities.

The CJN urged judicial officers to be propelled by their conscience, adding: “Once our conscience leads the way, every other good thing will naturally follow.”

Also, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) hailed the Judiciary for the stabilising role it plays in the nation’s electoral process.

Fagbemi noted that the Court of Appeal, in particular, plays a more pivotal role in shaping and strengthening the nation’s electoral jurisprudence through the exercise of its constitutional mandate in that regard.

Also, the President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, announced that 99 panels, comprising three judges each, heard the litigations that arose from last year’s general election.

The PCA said this showed that a huge number of judges was taken out of the judicial system during the process.

She described last year’s election litigation season as “very, very difficult and challenging in view of the volume of cases filed, commended the judicial officers involved for a job well done”.

Justice Dongban-Mensem explained that the workshop was meant to review the last process, identify areas of shortcomings, and find ways to improve the process.

The PCA hailed the judicial officers for working assiduously to determine the various cases within time, to the extent that neither the petitions nor the appeals lapsed.

She sought the amendment of some portions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act to improve the nation’s electoral system.

Justice Dongban-Mensem identified some of the sections as 187, 233, 246, 285 of the Constitution and Paragraph 85(2) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.

She noted that from “some of these sections, particularly Section 285 of the Constitution, it is either they are in the process because of poor legal draftmanship or for a desire that was not properly expressed and appreciated”.