from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – AHEAD of the watershed elections in Nigeria, analysts argue that the judiciary has become politicised while politics has become judicialised.
“Instead of the judiciary acting as a detached referee, political actors have systematically pulled the courts into the murky waters of party politics,” Fatima Oluwaseun, an analyst, said.
The judiciary has emerged as a battleground, with the stakes for political survival high as Nigeria heads to general elections in less than six months.
The polls are scheduled for January in the world’s largest Black nation, but political temperatures are already high.
On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister some opposition parties.
Affected parties include the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The court ruled that they had failed to meet the mandatory electoral performance thresholds required by the Constitution.
In the ruling, Justice Peter Lifu delivered judgment in favour of a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL).
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), the umbrella organisation of political parties in the country, described the development as “a dangerous assault on constitutional democracy, evidence of growing state capture and a serious threat to the integrity of the general elections.”
The ADC is seen as the biggest threat to President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) and has in its ranks some political heavyweights, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and erstwhile cabinet minister Rotimi Amaechi.
That court ruling was therefore seen as the judiciary meddling in politics and bolstering the APC’s alleged attempts at one-party rule.
Unaffected by the judgment, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) stated, “We stand in solidarity with these opposition parties and call on every Nigerian to resist the attempt by the rudderless APC to drift our nation into a one-party state.”
On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja intervened and issued a stay of execution.
It criticised the lower court’s decision, denouncing it as a form of “judicial impertinence” and “rascality.”
Therefore, the ADC and the other parties remain recognised and eligible to contest the general elections.
“Ultimately, the rulings act as a judicial shield that keeps the political space pluralistic for 2027, but they also highlight how volatile and litigious the road to the next election will be,” Oluwaseun said.
The ADC had stated that it would oppose its disqualification.
“We reject any and all attempts to intimidate, suppress, deregister or politically extinguish our party and other opposition parties through means that offend both the spirit and the letter of the Constitution,” Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, its spokesperson, said.
“We shall mobilise all democratic stakeholders. We shall defend the rights of all our candidates, members, supporters and the millions of Nigerians who are looking to the ADC as a credible alternative for national renewal.”
Abdullahi insisted, “Whatever it takes, the ADC will be on the ballot so long as the 2027 election is to hold.”
The ADC is to petition the National Judicial Council (NJC) over what it termed judicial rascality demonstrated by the Federal High Court when it ordered the deregistration of the party.
In another major ruling by the judiciary, in late May, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that former president Goodluck Jonathan can run for the presidency in 2027.
It officially dismissed a lawsuit that sought to bar him from competing. Critics argued that he had already served two terms. However, Jonathan’s so-called first term came after he succeeded Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who died in office in 2010.
Jonathan, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which governed Nigeria since the advent of civilian rule in 1999, lost the election in 2015.
The prospects of the APC retaining power in 2027 are increasingly uncertain amid economic hardships and infighting over the nomination of candidates for the general elections.
Nigeria is the largest Black nation in the world, with an estimated population of 242 million.
– CAJ News