COVER STORY

last 10 years, a form er President of the

Court o f Appeal (before the em battled
Salam i), Justice A bdullahi M ustapha,
gave a succinct account o f the sham e an
Enugu Court brought on the ju d iciaiy.
In an interview w ith the m edia, the
jud ge w ho also left uncerem oniously
like his pedigree, recounted h ow the
results in the Enugu State H ouse of
A ssem bly elections w ere declared, and
people w ere issued with certificates of
return. Adding that three days later
the state's electoral com m issioner
called a press conference w here he took
aw ay two certificates from tw o
candidates and issued them to two

Evidently in crutches.
the Nigerian
Judiciary has been,
traumatized as also
highlighted by a
query from the past
Chief Justice o f the
Federation. Justice
Idris Lebo Kuti ivho
reportedly queried
the past President o f
the Court o f Appeal
(predecessor o f
Salami). Justice
Umaru Farouk
Abdullahi. over an
allegation o f
obtaining X2 billion
bribe from litigants.

N e w s g r a i n Magazine

other people w ho did not

participate in the election.
So the two people that were
deprived o f their victory went
to the tribunal. The tribunal
gave them their right and
declared that they w ere the
people that w ere elected and
not these people who got the
certificates three days after
the election he explained.
Then the rupture in the
judiciary manifested.
Justice A bdullahi M ustapha
w ent om it w bs & \
m em bers bet nnfortiMiatehr.
two o f them could no:
partkrpate. One was skat and
the oth er had traveled
abroad. So, it was left To the
three judges, since three of
them can form a quorum ,
the retired PCA said.
H e w ent on: T he ju d ges w ere Opene,
Adeniji and Akah. They took the appeal,
held a conference and agreed that one of
them . Akah, should
w rite the
judgem ent bu t two
days before
judgem ent day, the
presiding judge
Opene w ent to m eet
him saying the
m atter should he
re-exam ined... the
m atter should not
go the w ay th ey had
all a g r e e d , that it
should go in a
certain way, h e
declared and Akah
agreed.
Salami
W hen it was tim e
to deliver judgem ent, M ustapha said,
A kah w as asked to deliver his own
m inority judgem ent first, contrary to
the rule o f the court. Infact, Opene
announced that A kah w as going to
deliver his opinion. So, h e read his
judgm ent and O pene read the lead
judgem ent after him , he narrated, The
retired Justice Abdullahi M ustapha said
that w hile Opene w as reading the lead
judgem ent, the crow d inside the court
was getting restless because they could
see w hat was happening. Before he got
halfway, the w hole court was agitated
and people started rushing. So the judge
had to run out o f the court...
Abdullahi recounted how h e set up a
new panel since the O pene panel did not
deliver its judgem ent, adding that after
som e legal tussles, th e offending judges
w ere removed.
This is our ju d iciaiy, acclaim ed the last

hope o f the com m on m an! This is our

ju d iciary exhibiting its futility in the
hands o f the com m on man, telling him
bluntly that ju stice is a saleable
com m odity- to be purchased b y the
hight st bidder.
S ~ damnable has ju d iciary becom e
these days that a law yer in a suit
quipped "even w hen you have a good
case, you still have to settle (bribe) to
assurances doubly sure.
Now a money-mili, in N igeria, N igeria
should note, what Barrack
:. President o f the United State
.w o rld w id e , som eone
w ho should be appointed to be a judge
should have an additional componentempathy. not em pathy to m iscarry
justice but to know that these people
need to have ju stice.
Evidently in crutches, the Nigerian
Judiciary has been, traum atized as also
highlighted by a query from the past
C hief Justice o f the Federation, Justice
Idris Lebo Kuti w ho reportedly queried
the past President o f the Court o f

Appeal (predecessor o f Salam i), Justice

Um aru Farouk Abdullahi, over an
allegation o f obtaining N 2 billion bribe
from litigants.
M ost o f these allegations have dented
the already soiled im age o f the
judiciary, attested to b y som e very
bright m inds in th e legal profession and
other observers o f the inanity in the
system.
However, the agonising situation in the
current Katsina- Alu/ Salam i brouhaha
is the conflict it has raised betw een the
Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, as
both arm s o f governm ent are n ow at
daggers-draw n over the statutory role
each o f them has to carry out. The socalled pitched battle leaving the
judiciary lim ping, stinking w ith
fostering w ound is an open show o f
rascality.