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…Charges PDP Members To Remain In Party Despite Challenges
LAGOS – Chief Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to ensure that the judiciary is insulated from external interference.
George disclosed this on Friday in a press conference in his Ikoyi, Lagos office, through an open letter he addressed to the chairman of NJC, stressing that political interference compromises the administration of justice.
While urging the NJC to discharge its constitutional mandate with the courage, impartiality and firmness, George said, “The NJC must continue to demonstrate, both in action and in resolve, that the Judiciary remains insulated from every form of external influence and committed solely to the dictates of the Constitution and the law.”
The Atona Odua of Yorubaland, also reference the court judgement where according to him, an action instituted by the Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees of the PDP sought to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to comply with and give effect to subsisting judgments of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court by updating its official portal to reflect the authentic faction of the Peoples Democratic Party as led by Chief Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN recognised by the judgments, rather than continuing to recognise the Wike-led faction.
He noted that instead of first determining the substantive constitutional questions before it including whether INEC was under a legal obligation to comply with those subsisting judgments and amend its official records accordingly, the Court dismissed the action as a waste of judicial time and proceeded to award costs of ₦140 million against the Board of Trustees and a further ₦10 million against counsel.
“It’s the greatest joke in the civilised international community today. Morally and ethically, is it possible for a child to expel a father from his house whilst the father is still alive?” George stated. According to him, “the integrity of the Judiciary is not negotiable; it’s the lifeblood of the Nigerian Republic.
The Judiciary remains the last hope of the common man only so long as the common man remains convinced that justice is administered according to law, guided by the Constitution, and uninfluenced by power or expediency.
The preservation of that confidence is the solemn responsibility of every judicial officer, and ultimately, of the National Judicial Council itself. “I, therefore, respectfully call upon the NJC to discharge its constitutional mandate with the courage, impartiality and firmness expected of the guardian of judicial ethics and accountability.
“In doing so, the Council won’t only preserve the honour of the Bench but also reaffirm the confidence of the Nigerian people that justice in our country remains blind to political pressure and faithful only to the Constitution and the rule of law.”
George also appealed to members of his party not to defect to other parties, saying that they’ll remain and ensure that justice is served.
