Supreme Court Judgements: APC Group Demands Resignation Or Sack Of CJN Ariwoola

Following what it described as ‘compromised judgements’ recently passed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, a group sympathetic to the All Progressives Congress (APC), on the aegis of ‘Progressive Minds Forum (PMF)’, has demanded the resignation, suspension or sack of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kayode Ariwoola from office.

The group pointedly said that it was clear that the Supreme Court under Justice Ariwoola’s watch lacks the desired integrity thus, no basis for him to continue as the CJN especially in view of the forthcoming general elections.

It stressed that a CJN must be seen to be above board and expected to be blind to all parties in the dispensation of justice by displaying extreme neutrality for justice and fairness, adding that this is not what Nigerians are witnessing presently.

The PMF specifically noted that the judgement of the apex Court in favour of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and Senator Godswill Akpabio both of whom did not contest the senatorial party primary of the APC, remains a serious and great embarrassment to Nigeria and a serious threat to democracy.

The APC stalwarts noted that the judgements have set bad precedent and gravely breached the provisions of Section 115(D) of the Electoral Act 2022, especially in the cases of Lawan and Akpabio.

According to PMF; “The Electoral Act 2022 is very clear that an aspirant cannot contest for two different positions in one election cycle.

“Section 115 (D) of the Act stipulates that ‘a person who signs a nomination paper or result form as a candidate in more than one constituency at the same election commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum term of imprisonment for two years.”

The APC group therefore stressed the need for Justice Ariwoola to either resign his position or be sacked in order to checkmate the gross danger the Supreme Court now poses to democracy and rule of law in Nigeria.

This was as the group noted that the Supreme Court’s ruling to extend the use of the old Naira notes was not in the best interest of Nigerians but merely to please and aide certain political forces from the South-west who have been clamouring for the extension because the CJN, Justice Kayode Ariwoola hails from the South-west.

These were contained in a statement by the National Coordinator of PMF, Mr. Preye Johnson in which he noted that the comportment of Justice Ariwoola since he assumed office as the CJN does not in any way befit a man who occupies such an exalted position and saddled with the responsibility of determining the destiny of litigants that come before the Supreme Court.

Johnson stressed that the it is so embarrassing that the whole world would want to know how and why the duo of Lawan and Akpabio, who were presidential aspirants but failed to clinch the ticket were awarded Senatorial tickets by the Supreme Court whereas they never participated in the senatorial party primary election.

In the words of Johnson; “The Supreme Court under Justice Ariwoola, has become justice for the highest bidder. Needless to say that such highly compromised and spurious judgements now emanating from the apex court, under Justice Ariwoola, represent a huge embarrassment to Nigeria both at home and abroad.

“They have also cast a pall of doubt over judgements on disputes that may emanate from the forthcoming general elections.

“This is a man who recently attended a state dinner in Port Harcourt and apparently after much champagne that are common in such high level political gatherings, made political statements that were unbecoming of his position as the number one jurist in the country.

“Besides only the CJN and Supreme Court Justices can tell if the recent ruling unbanning the use of old Naira notes was done in the overall interest of Nigerians or to enable the APC access enough cash to buy votes in the forthcoming elections.

“Since the Apex Court has proved its unwillingness to save democracy, Buhari must rise up to the task of saving democracy by ordering the suspension and investigation of the CJN and the other Supreme Court Justices involved in the above referenced cases,” he emphasized.

The APC stalwarts specifically called on the international community to place visa ban on Justice Ariwoola and the Justices involved in the cases for working to undermine democracy in Nigeria.