Judiciary must not be used to truncate democracy – FCT CJ

The Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello, has charged judges and magistrates that will seat on elections tribunals not to allow the judiciary to be used as a tool to truncate the nation’s democracy. He said they should do their bit to “nurture, consolidate and develop the full potentials of a […]

The Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello, has charged judges and magistrates that will seat on elections tribunals not to allow the judiciary to be used as a tool to truncate the nation’s democracy.

He said they should do their bit to “nurture, consolidate and develop the full potentials of a truly democratic society and to steer this nation to the path of transparency and good governance”.

Justice Bello, who made this call on Wednesday while swearing in the chairmen and members of the FCT Area Council Election Tribunal and Appeals Tribunal, further charged them to do justice and win public trust and confidence for the judiciary as they proceed with the mandate.

“One of the cardinal functions of the court and by extension this tribunal in addition to providing access to justice, is the engendering of a society where all men are equal in status before the law,” he said.

He added that Nigeria cannot make any appreciable progress without total commitment to the ground rules and adherence to due process.

On gratifications, Justice Bello charged them to shun acts such as the acceptance of gifts or favours from counsel and politicians, “and particularly the exchange of one-sided communications with parties, which acts have the propensity to erode the integrity of the tribunal completely.”

“I cannot assure you that you will not be tempted with gratifications by deceitful and immoral litigants to mortgage your integrity and the sanctity of this institution. Let me warn you however that if you succumb and are compromised, you can only have yourselves to blame.

“I urge you therefore to shun corruption in all its forms and ramifications and encourage the sustainability of our determined effort to promote transparency and good governance in our body polity,” he said.

On teamwork, Justice Bello said, “Another thing you cannot afford to ignore is team work.

He added, “I am not impressed if any of you wants to show bravery by writing a dissenting judgment. Who are you going to impress?

“Many times when you write dissenting judgment in situations like this, you are seen as compromised by the parties. Why can’t you convince your members of the panel by force of argument, which means either by points of law or whether you have gained more mastery over the factual basis of the petition. Convince your fellow members during your conferences before you get to the court.”

Speaking on behalf of others, the chairman of the Appeals Tribunal, Justice Charles Agbadza, said they will abide by their oath of allegiance and judicial oath, adding that they intend to uphold the law and nothing more.

Others on the Appeal Tribunal are Justices Olukayode Adeniyi and Aniete Ebong. For the Election Tribunal, Chief Magistrate Samuel Idhiarhi will chair with Muhammed Zubairu and A.A. Muhammed as members.