Former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega has disclosed that some judges who sit on election tribunals sell judgements to the highest bidders and then retire to avoid punishment.<\/p>\n
This was disclosed by the former INEC boss while speaking at\u00a0Owolabi Afuye Memorial Lecture organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Oyo branch.<\/p>\n
Jega said some lawyers undermine the country\u2019s security when they use \u201ctechnicalities\u201d to win cases.<\/p>\n
The professor said the NBA and the body of benchers need to address these issues to save the country from a crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome senior lawyers have become stupendously wealthy defending corrupt public officials, or handling electoral litigation for governorship and presidential candidates,\u201d the former INEC chairman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimilarly, many judges have become notorious for corrupt enrichment for \u2018cash and carry\u2019 judgments, especially in election matters generally and in election tribunals, more specifically.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome election tribunal appointments were in the past widely said to have been made to senior judges about to retire, who allegedly \u2018sold\u2019 judgments, most likely to the highest bidders, enriched themselves and quickly retired to avoid being sanctioned by the National Judicial Council.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen lawyers use technicalities to subvert justice and \u2018win\u2019 cases without regard to perpetration of injustices, they basically help to undermine, rather than enhance national development, peaceful coexistence and security.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey discard ethical and professional conduct, and put parochial and\/or self-serving objectives in the forefront of their practices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jega said owing to the security challenges, many scholars are \u201cbeginning to perceive Nigeria now, perhaps exaggeratedly, as a failed state\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn some areas of the country, notably north-east and north-west geopolitical zones, famine is imminent, as insurgents and\/or bandits have obstructed farming and agrarian food production and destabilized the rural economy, with outright killing of whoever ventures out to their farms, or imposition heavy taxation on those allowed to farm,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed, things have been so bad for so long that some scholars are beginning to perceive Nigeria now, perhaps exaggeratedly, as a \u2018failed state\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega has disclosed that some judges who sit on election tribunals sell judgements to the highest bidders and then retire to avoid punishment. This was disclosed by the former INEC boss while speaking at\u00a0Owolabi Afuye Memorial Lecture organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Oyo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":91679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_bookmark_settings":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[13081,24631,12038,6078],"class_list":["post-118654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-attahiru-jega","tag-election-tribunal","tag-judges","tag-nigeria-bar-association"],"yoast_head":"\n