The Supreme Court warned on Saturday that anyone “venting confused rage” at its judges over recent verdicts were ignorant of the law.
Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senate President Dr. Ahmad Lawan received contentious verdicts from the apex court.
The Supreme Court directed INEC to recognize Akpabio and Lawan as candidates for the February 25 elections notwithstanding their involvement in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries on May 28, 2022.
The highest court advised critics of the Judiciary and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, such as US-based Professor Farooq Kperogi and the Progressive Minds Forum, to stop and support political parties who “fail to arrange themselves well.”
The Supreme Court accused Kennesaw State University professor Kperogi of being paid to criticize.
In a statement headed “Be mindful of inappropriate attacks on the judiciary,” Supreme Court Director of Press and Information Dr. Festus Akande called insinuations that its justices were bought over “by some unknown and unseen persons” “a weird manifestation of stupidity”.
The statement called “a nameless groupappeal “‘s for Nigeria’s Chief Justice, Olukayode Ariwoola, to quit “prosaic.”
Akande claims that over 600 party primaries cases have gone to court.
The Supreme Court said if political parties fail to organize themselves well by handling their internal fighting maturely and now opt to drag themselves to court, it is duty-bound to adjudicate in accordance with the law, not the dictates of any human or deity, as some would like it to do.
The supreme court stated that if political parties behave smoothly and orderly, courts will handle fewer cases and the political atmosphere will improve.
“It is so disheartening to learn that some individuals and groups of persons who ought to know better and even assume the revered positions of role models to a larger proportion of the citizens are now sadly, the very ones flagrantly displaying ignorance and infantilism in the course of defending the indefensible,” the statement read.
Farooq Adamu Kperogi, a Nigerian-American professor, wrote a toxic piece to gratify his paymasters by unloading his twisted rage on Supreme Court Justices.
“We have often stated that judicial officers are neither political office holders nor politicians that should be clad in such robes. Our silence must not be interpreted as weakness or cowardice.
Every Nigerian has the right to freely voice their views, but we must use self-control to avoid infringing on others’ rights.
Even in emotional disequilibrium, we should be sensible enough to use respectable phrases, as every word used by the pen-happy Kperogi only succeeded in showing the kind of vacuum that marks all his academic accomplishments.
“I believe people that share similar credentials with him are obviously ashamed of having any affinity with such a monster that has an ugly record for being a serial verbal aggressor throughout the years, since he finds nothing positive in anything nice.
“He has merely succeeded in putting upon himself an attitude of bellicose jingoism, which is hardly a mark of honour for any discriminating mind or intellectual, worldwide.
We don’t promote or scout cases for adjudication, but we must adjudicate on all situations that come before us to deliver justice to everyone, regardless of standing.
Nobody gets what they didn’t ask for in any court.
“Similarly, all matters are thoroughly investigated and considered based on their merits, not the faces that appear in court or sentiments that attempt to becloud the sense of thinking.
Therefore, for anyone in their right mind to infer that some unknown and unseen persons have bought over the justices is a weird display of ignorance that has no place in law or even pedestrian reasoning.
We are not shocked by the increase in well-orchestrated verbal assaults on judicial personnel nationwide during elections.
“It is a phenomenon we are used to and are ever ready to accept anything comes our way, but there should be some decorum and decency in what we say and do. Since everything is changing globally, politics should be played with good conscience and morality. As shown by a faceless group called “Progressive Minds Forum,” calling for the Chief Justice of Nigeria to resign or criticising Justices on various panels is mundane.
“If political parties fail to arrange themselves well by handling their internal fighting maturely and now prefer to bring themselves to the court, we are duty-bound to adjudicate by the provisions of the law and not the dictates of any individual or deity, as some people would like us to do.
If political parties behave smoothly and orderly, the courts will handle fewer cases and the political atmosphere will improve.
“We will always do our utmost to fulfill our constitutional duty to keep the country together and lead it to peace, progress, and development.
We’ll work harder for the country if groups, political parties, or people attack us.
CJN Ariwoola’s state of origin and tribe should not be linked to a court verdict.
“Religion and ethnicity have always been Nigeria’s biggest concern. Progress will remain a mirage as long as we follow that road. Party primaries conducted without external meddling have resulted in over 600 judicial suits.
“So, will the political parties, Kperogi, or any individual now blame the court of producing such terrible intra-party squabbling that resisted all internal conflict resolution mechanisms?
To demonstrate their dexterity, some people try to turn logic on its head.
“Those who have formed the outdated inclination of incessantly assaulting the Judiciary over every judgment or ruling should better have a rethink and start directing such vigorous energy towards some endeavors that are more developmental than destructive should better have a rethink
We aren’t politicians and shouldn’t be either.
No one’s interest can ever trump everyone’s. Everybody is smaller than Nigeria. The Supreme Court stated, “A word is enough for the wise.”