• Urge the injured parties, candidates in the 2023 polls to ask for judicial compensation, to avoid sponsoring the crisis
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, may face new problems as more than 250 Constitutional and Human Rights lawyers have asked the National Judicial Council to direct all courts in Nigeria not to entertain cases brought by the EFCC. .
The lawyers, who said this was part of the resolution adopted at the end of the Annual Conference, with the theme: “Democracy and Rule of Law”, held in Abuja between March 20 and 21, 2023, said it was only appropriate. for the Nigerian court to entertain the EFCC case when Bawa should have purged himself of disgrace by obeying all subsisting orders of the Court binding on him.
He made the call during the presentation of his annual communique on Tuesday, as he called on political parties in Nigeria and their candidates to be aware of the need to preserve Nigeria’s democracy by abiding by the provisions of the law that guide post-election matters.
Reading the communique, the newly elected President of Lawyers for Judicial Integrity (JILAW), Barrister Idoko Godwin, said, “Politicians are advised not to sponsor crises across the country to demonstrate their grievances because sponsoring post-election crises will negate our supremacy clause. The 1999 Constitution stated in Article 1(2) of the 1999 Constitution.
“However, every aggrieved individual or group of individuals who will rule Nigeria or any part of it must give total consideration to Section 1(2) of the 1999 Constitution and anything to the contrary will be a subversion of the supreme law of the land. Thus, whoever those who suffer must seek compensation from the courts as per the constitution.
The lawyers observed that the timing of the conference is very important, given the fact that the country is still struggling with the fallout from various elections, adding to the many pressing issues of the place of the rule of law in Nigeria’s “struggling democracy”. has been thrown away.
He noted that the continued abuse of power by public officials in Nigeria is an aberration, which has become notorious as part of the Nigerian society, stressing that equality before the law is the only true protection against the specter of oppression and undue influence. who in other positions of authority would dangle over the heads of ordinary Nigerians.
About 25 lawyers, representing six geopolitical zones in Nigeria jointly presented the communique on behalf of over 250 lawyers at JILAW.
The communiqué stated, “You will recall that it took the direct intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari for the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to abide by the valid judgment of the Supreme Court, the highest Court in the country, on the naira redesign policy. in the CBN. This is after flagrant disobedience for the preliminary decision of the Supreme Court was before the presidential election was held.
“Even now, our meeting agreed that the Federal Government has not met its judgment on other aspects of the policy, which continues to put Nigerians in untold hardship.”
In the EFCC boss, the lawyer maintains that the accused officials created by order of the Court or Courts having competent jurisdiction, are not considered fit to continue to lead the affairs of law enforcement agencies, especially those constitutionally organized for war. corruption.
“Therefore, more than 250 of our members call on President Muhammadu Buhari, in the limited time left in his administration, to urgently address the dangerous culture of disobedience to the rule of law, assault on our Judiciary and finally ensure appropriate sanctions for violators of the dictates. our constitution,” he said.
His communique read in part: “In conclusion, we state that a country that ignores the court’s decision is headed for anarchy. Therefore, we call on the National Judicial Council to direct all courts in the country not to entertain any case brought by government agencies that do not comply with the order the courts, especially the EFCC, until the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. AbdulRasheed Bawa, has cleared himself by obeying all orders of the Court that remain in place.
“As an official whose confidence was created by order of the Court or Courts with competent jurisdiction, we do not consider him suitable to continue to lead the affairs of law enforcement agencies, especially those established constitutionally to fight corruption. You cannot use the destructive influence of the power to implement anti-corruption law.
“We consider it an unreasonable deviation that a convict would be responsible for asking someone else to be convicted when he should serve time for contempt of Court and when there is no punishment superior to that sentence.”
The lawyers took the opportunity to announce the new leadership constitution that was thrown out after the JILAW elections held on Monday.
They are: Barrister Idoko Godwin, President; Barr. Suleiman Gwamba, Vice President; Barr. Gaius Inalegwu, Secretary; Barr. Genesis John, Publicity Secretary; and Barr. Ann Ikwuta Onyeke, Welfare Officer, among others.