Former President Goodluck Jonathan has voiced his concerns over significant shortcomings in Nigeria’s judiciary, particularly in relation to election-related rulings.
He described certain judgments as turning the legal system into a cone being turned upside down, lamenting the negative impact on democracy.
Jonathan made these remarks while speaking at the 67th birthday celebration of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, in Abuja.
He stressed that for Nigeria’s democracy to thrive, legal professionals must resist political pressures.
“The way things are going in this country, especially listening to the judgments being given regarding political cases, we are beginning to see that democracy in Nigeria is like a cone that is being turned upside down,” Jonathan said.
“If a cone is turned upside down, it cannot stand, and at the slightest disturbance, it will fall,” he continued.
He expressed concern over some recent Supreme Court judgments, which he believes reflect the growing instability in Nigeria’s democratic process.
Jonathan referenced prominent lawyers such as Olisa Agbakoba who have publicly criticized these rulings, admitting that these developments left him very sad about the state of the judiciary.
For Nigeria’s democracy to be stable, he urged legal professionals to avoid succumbing to political influence stating,”If our democracy will endure, people, both at the Bar and the Bench, should not be carried away by political influence.
That is the only way we can stabilize the political process.”
Jonathan, who currently leads the West African Elders Forum on a pre-election mission in Ghana ahead of the country’s December 2024 elections, also contrasted Nigeria’s legal challenges with other nations.
He noted that election-related litigation in Nigeria was excessive compared to many other countries, where legal disputes over elections are rare.
“In most other countries, people don’t go to court, but in Nigeria, pre-election matters and post-election matters fill all the courts, and it does not give a good sign for democracy,” he stated.
Reflecting on a particular judgment that has troubled him, Jonathan stated, “There is a particular judgment that has been haunting me.
It simply turned the cone upside down, and if the courts don’t look back into this case, it will create so much instability in the political system that it would affect all of us.”
Jonathan expressed disbelief over a ruling allowing a Ward Chairman to expel a National Chairman of a political party.
He compared the situation to a university’s Head of Department expelling a Vice Chancellor, calling it contrary to natural justice.
“Since that judgment, it has created all kinds of instability.
PDP is in crisis because of it, and at one time, APC was too,” he said.
He appealed to the Supreme Court to reconsider the ruling, warning that the judgment has destabilized Nigeria’s political process.
“I am not a lawyer, but when I look at how nature works, I have never seen a system where a sub-unit can discipline the top.
This judgment has turned the cone upside down, and our democracy is wobbling,” he expressed.
Jonathan’s remarks underscore his deep concern about the direction of Nigeria’s judiciary and the impact of certain rulings on the country’s political stability.
