The Nigerian Democracy Working Group, a coalition of civil society organisations, scholars, democracy advocates, and entrepreneurs from all six geopolitical zones, have rejected the ruling of the Federal High Court in Kano, barring Prof Sani Malumfashi, the chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission from conducting the election.
Even though the court order came barely four days before the Kano local government election, the Kano State House of Assembly has affirmed that local government elections will proceed as scheduled on Saturday, October 26, 2024, despite the court order.
But the CSOs have announced their intention to file a petition against Justice Simeon Amobeda for giving the Kano order.
In a statement signed by Dr Vincent Okpara Innocent, convener, and Dr Idris A Mohammed, co-convener, the group condemned the judgement as an attempt to undermine democracy.
The CSOs expressed that the recent actions of the Federal High Court judges in Kano have left a negative impression on the citizens, who have long been accustomed to conflicting court orders that could have led to chaos in the state without divine intervention.
The statement said, “In a true democracy that respects the people’s will, courts should not devolve into entities that foster confusion and social unrest. Their primary role is to promote social and legal justice, which this judgment fails to uphold. Consequently, the judiciary’s legitimacy is called into question.”
The group criticised the Federal High Courts in Kano for appearing to destabilise the peace of the state.
It questioned how a competent court could disregard the interests of over 20 million citizens by obstructing a long-planned election, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s directives for timely local government elections across the nation.
It also denounced the ruling as insensitive and detrimental to democracy and social justice, urging all Nigerians to reject this “irrational” decision, which they view as a miscarriage of justice.
The group expressed concern over recent judicial trends in politically sensitive cases, suggesting that the courts are undermining democracy and tarnishing their credibility. They called upon the judiciary to uphold its sacred duty to administer justice, warning against the collusion of corrupt judges with self-serving politicians that distorts the electoral process.
As advocates for democracy and good governance, the group condemned the court’s decision as an affront to public interest, emphasizing that such irrational rulings could further erode public confidence in the judiciary.
They appealed to the new Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere Ekun, to take decisive action against Justice Simeon Amobeda. They highlighted that Justice Amobeda’s ruling contradicts an existing order from the Kano State High Court prohibiting interference in the election process and stressed the need for accountability and reform within the judiciary to restore its integrity and credibility.
