Constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itsay Sagay, on Wednesday came hard on members of the National Judicial Commission, describing their refusal to accept service of the processes of the court action filed against the body by President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, as primitive and capable of destroying the nation’s judiciary.
Sagay, who spoke with one of our correspondents on telephone, expressed satisfaction with the step taken by Salami for filing such court action, saying it was was a fight for upholding justice.
He said, “I want to put it on record that this is the most primitive backward behaviour.
“The NJC is a disgrace to this nation. The members of the NJC are going to destroy the judiciary because if they are so lawless and irresponsible, what do they expect ordinary man in the street to do.”
Reiterating on the tendency of the NJC’s action as destructive to the nation’s judiciary, Sagay said members of the council were covering up illegality contrary to the sanity Salami had brought to elections petitions in the country.
Meanwhile, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties has condemned the NJC’s action.
The CNPP said on Wednesday that the NJC’s action was the height of judicial recklessness and portended grave danger to not only the temple of justice in Nigeria, but fueled the dangerous slide of Nigeria into a failed state.
In a statement by the CNPP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, the party said, “It is our view that the action of the National Judicial Council, which is contemptuous, scandalous, exposed the perfidy of the judiciary and undermines the integrity of the temple of justice in Nigeria.”
Sagay said, “These are the people at the apex of the judiciary, destroying our judicial system because of the illegality they are trying to cover up because Salami has brought sanity and high standard to election petitions and has frustrated those who rig election.”
Urging NJC to do what is right, he said, “There is nothing that can happen, the suit has been filed. The law is clear, they cannot say they are not aware. The refusal of service is to their own detriment.”
According to him, the NJC is prohibited by law from taking action against Salami because pending the determination of an application for an injunction he (Salami) had filed.
Sagay said, “An application for injunction has been filed and until the court decides on that application, they cannot move one inch no matter how desperate, irresponsible backward they are.”
By Ade Adesomoju and Ozioma Ubabukoh Courtesy Of: Punch
No comments:
Post a Comment