Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the House of Representatives have called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to caution judges against being used by desperate politicians to derail Nigeria’s democratic process.
In a statement signed by the Leader of the PDP Caucus, Fred Agbedi in Abuja, the lawmakers expressed deep concern over a growing trend of judicial interference in the internal affairs of political parties, which they said poses a grave threat to the country’s democratic stability.
The statement followed a ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja which declined to grant an interim injunction seeking to stop the PDP from holding its scheduled national convention. However, the court went ahead to make orders that negate the benefits of its ruling refusing the interim injunction.
“We are deeply concerned that despite repeated Supreme Court pronouncements against judicial interference in the internal affairs of political parties, some judges continue to make themselves available as instruments in the hands of desperate politicians seeking to subvert democracy and impose a one-party on Africa’s largest democracy,” the lawmakers stated.
The PDP lawmakers noted that the court’s pronouncement that any steps taken by the party during the pendency of the suit would be null and void could embolden anti-democratic elements determined to truncate the democratic process in Nigeria.
The lawmakers urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to act decisively to prevent any abuse of the judicial process that could undermine multi-party democracy in Nigeria.
“The survival of our democracy depends on the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary. The NJC must ensure that no court becomes a willing tool for the subversion of the will of the people or the destabilization of political institutions,” the statement concluded.
