Civil Society Organisations in the 19 northern states under the aegis of Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks have warned President Bola Tinubu against interfering in the election cases for Kano, Zamfara and Plateau states that are awaiting judgement at the Supreme Court.
There was outrage against the Appeal Court judgements that sacked governor Abba Yusuf of Kano and Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang of Plateau states, as well as ordering of the rerun in Zamfara.
In a press conference in Kano yesterday, chairman of the group, Ibrahim Waiya, warned Tinubu against interfering in the judicial processes involving cases of election in opposition states.
Waiya said any attempt to manipulate the Supreme Court judgement could truncate the nation’s democracy, an offence he said may lead to chaos, more insecurity and conflicts across the country, and would never be forgiven by the entire democratic community around the world.
He also advised the Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC) to adhere to the ethics and practice of their profession in accordance with the law as the custodian of justice and rule of rule.
Waiya added that the conference expressed deep concern about the current state of the judiciary in Nigeria.
“The conflicting judgments being issued by various courts of the same jurisdiction have created a sense of confusion and frustration among the citizens. Unfortunately, this has led to a loss of trust and confidence in the judiciary.
“The integrity and effectiveness of our legal system are essential for maintaining public trust and upholding the rule of law.
“We believe that the Judicial Service Commission has the responsibility and authority to make the necessary reforms to restore faith in the judiciary,” he said.
The chairman noted that the Tinubu government was performing far below expectation in terms of security in the country, especially the northern region.
He noted that with the appointment of the new service chiefs in the country and huge investments in the security sector, citizens’ expectation is that by now, security of lives and property should have improved.
Waiya said the continuous killing of people, child trafficking, banditry, displacement of communities and kidnappings across the country, especially in some states of the North such as Katsina, Plateau, Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna and Zamfara, and resurgence of the insurgency in the North East was unprecedented.
“The dimension at which the security for lives and property of Nigerians which is fast declining puts citizens in more fear, hopelessness and uncertainty.
“We acknowledge the efforts of some governors like Sokoto, Borno, Kaduna Zamfara, Katsina for their resilience in curtailing the insecurity in their states.
“However, President Bola Tinubu must hold himself and the security agencies accountable for the ongoing insecurity in the country, and should develop key performance indicators of not more than six months for the security agencies to be assessed.
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