Former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, says many judges who sit on election tribunals have become notorious for corrupt enrichment for ‘cash and carry’ judgments.
Jega also said some senior lawyers have become stupendously wealthy defending corrupt public officials or handling electoral litigation for governorship and presidential candidates.
The former INEC boss who spoke at Owolabi Afuye Memorial Lecture organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Oyo branch, said some lawyers undermine the country’s security when they use “technicalities” to win cases.
He said: “Some election tribunal appointments were in the past widely said to have been made to senior judges about to retire, who allegedly ‘sold’ judgments, most likely to the highest bidders, enriched themselves and quickly retired to avoid being sanctioned by the National Judicial Council.
“When lawyers use technicalities to subvert justice and ‘win’ cases without regard to the perpetuation of injustices, they basically help to undermine, rather than enhance national development, peaceful coexistence, and security.
“They discard ethical and professional conduct, and put parochial and/or self-serving objectives in the forefront of their practices.”
He said the insecurity in the country had made many scholars perceive Nigeria as a failed state, adding that the NBA and the body of benchers must address these issues to save the country from a crisis.
