On July 20, social media was in a state of upheaval when there was a report stating that Justice Boloukuoromo M. Ugo, an appellate court judge, resigned from the bench and the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) board over alleged demands from the executive branch to influence the judgment of the Election Tribunal.
According to Premium Times, it was alleged Ugo was requested to cripple the court's independence by finding in favor of President Bola Tinubu. In addition, he was also instructed to withhold the evidence and dismiss cases that could have an impact on the election.
“Siding with the government on the petitions challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu would be the death of Nigeria’s democracy. He could not in good conscience remain silent,” stated Ugo reportedly.
Although the resignation of the Honorable Justice was debunked by the head of media of the Court of Appeal as fake news, the alleged statement that caused the major upheaval was never debunked, and this begs the question as to the purpose of the judiciary and what they can adjudicate.
As an unbiased umpire, the judiciary is the last stop for all Nigerian citizens, regardless of class, race, or ethnic background. Nigeria is a democratic country guided by the constitution, with judicial powers vested in the courts.
Section 6 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, provides that the judicial power shall be vested in the courts and such other courts as may be authorized. The judicial power vested shall:
A former Justice of the Supreme Court once said - “if you are a judge and you are corrupt, where do we go from here? Then everything has to come to a halt. If the legislature is corrupt, you go to the judiciary for redress. If the executive is corrupt, you go to the judiciary for remedy. If the judiciary is corrupt, where do you go from there?”
Now, that’s a question we must answer in unison for the survival of our nation.
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