Kwara governor cautions against conflicting ruling from Judiciary

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has cautioned Judiciary from delivery conflicting judgement on political cases before them in order to avoid crisis in 2015 general election.

Ahmed, who stated this while speaking at the Kwara state chapter of NBA year’s law week- entitled “A Centenary of Legal Practice in Nigeria (1914 – 2014): Legacies and Lessons for the Next Century”, noted that the judiciary has a major role to play in the on going national conference reports implementation.

He said , “the forthcoming 2015 general elections calls for greater caution, especially in the myriad of conflicting court cases and decisions that are bound to ensue as we move towards the elections.

“While some argue that this will enrich jurisprudence, the impact of such overlapping court cases and contradictory rulings portend little good for our growing democracy.

“In view of this, I urge the Judiciary to maintain its impartiality, resist the temptation to descend into the arena at all times, promote strict adherence to the rule of law and uphold the independence of the judiciary as safeguards against political interference and manipulation.”

The governor said that the Judiciary should guard against equivocal judgments whose only effect is to conflict the issues resulting in litigation in the first place and cause confusion in the socio-political space.

On the on going national dialogue, Ahmed said the judiciary should ensure that the outcomes comply with the laws of our land.

“Indeed, the national conference is recommended by its capacity and potential to heal our country’s woes and give her constituent nationalities a greater sense of belonging in the way our affairs are conducted.

“Although the legitimacy of the 1999 constitution is often challenged due to its military origins and the lack of popular participation in its emergence, I hold that the problem is not with the Nigerian Constitution. Rather, the challenge lies in our tendency to circumvent constitutional provisions and statutory laws by exploiting loopholes and unintended ambiguities.

“No matter the outcome of the conference, therefore, only a change in our national values, especially a willingness to fully apply the rule of law while entrenching equity and justice, will make the outcome meaningful and sustainable.”