Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Archbishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, has expressed disappointment over the judiciary’s entanglement in politics.
Kukah addressed the 8th House of Justice Summit in Kaduna, serving as the keynote speaker over the weekend.
Addressing the summit on the theme ‘Electoral Accountability and Democratic Stability,’ Kukah expressed regret that the Nigerian judiciary had become ensnared in political matters.
“I am saddened by the fact that the judiciary has now found itself being sucked into politics.
“Elections will always give us what I call unintended consequences but it is also important to understand that a contest is always a contest and you use the experience of this to prepare for the next contest,” he added.
Also speaking on the occasion, Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly, called for “a judicial reform to ensure that those who will preside over electoral cases are insulated from compromise.”
He urged President Bola Tinubu to take the lead in initiating electoral reforms before the upcoming general elections.
Sani said, “People are losing hope. It is important that the Federal Government led by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu immediately initiate an electoral reform program that will correct the mistakes that have been made and also chart ways forward for the country.
“Tinubu has been a man at the forefront of the struggle for democracy. He was one of those forced into exile during the struggle for democracy, so even if the election that brought him into power has been seriously challenged and flawed, he owes it as a duty to the nation and posterity to initiate necessary electoral reform that will make 2027 election better in conduct than the recent one.
“Also, there is a need for judicial reform to ensure that those who will preside over electoral cases are insulated from compromise. People have lost hope in the executive and legislative arms of government, and now the judiciary is fast going in that direction.
“What happened in Plateau and Kano states are serious matters that challenge the honor and integrity of the judiciary. Events unfolding in this country should be of serious concern to all of us because if we don’t have electoral accountability we cannot have national stability.”
Gen. Zamani Lekwot (retd.), a former military governor of Rivers State, said that democratic stability is unattainable without upholding principles of equity, justice, and respect for the votes of the people.
“Politics is like all other games, guided by rules. We have the democratic instability problems because of the gross abuse of the rules by some of the key actors, especially the elites,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer, of the House of Justice Gloria Ballason, said the organization would always discuss and offer solutions to recent issues in Nigeria and on the African continent.
Kanyi Daily recalls that Matthew Kukah had attributed the failures of successive presidents of Nigeria to a lack of preparations.
