Human Rights activist, and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Festus Egwarewa Keyamo, (FCIArb), has taken to his official Twitter handle to warn members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) not to be intimidated by the pressures of members of the opposition.
He described some aggrieved members of other parties who have approached the election tribunal as jesters who are out to intimidate the judges.
He sent his warning in a lengthy tweet that has further earned even more backlash.
According to him, “Some partisan clowns gathered together and declared that they have constituted themselves as ‘watchdogs over the judiciary in respect of the pending Election Petitions. They have warned of dire consequences if ‘justice’ is not done in the Petitions. Meanwhile, they are members and supporters of a known political party.
*The ONLY constitutional watchdog over the judiciary and judicial officers is the National Judicial Council. It negates the very foundation of one of the principles of natural justice for a party to a case or its sympathisers and/or supporters to say they are constituting themselves as ‘watchdogs’ over the umpire (the judiciary) which is to decide case(s) in which they have an interest.
“That principle of natural justice is nemo judex in causa sua – no person can be a judge in a case in which they have an interest. It doesn’t matter that they are not sitting as actual judges themselves; it only matters that they have a fixed notion of what the ‘justice’ in those cases should be and are attempting to browbeat the judiciary to navigate those cases using their own narrow compass. They think ‘justice’ is what the mob says it is. Very sad.
“This move smacks of brazen intimidation and threat to our judiciary. Even the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) (the umbrella body for all lawyers) has not displayed such buffoonery, effrontery, insolence and arrogance towards our judiciary. There are settled principles of law that no e-thuggery or thuggery, e-intimidation or intimidation and e-nuisance or nuisance will change.
“The most disgusting part of this nonsense is that people who have no scintilla of legal knowledge or experience from legal practice are the ones at the forefront of this so-called comical attempt to be ‘watchdogs’ over the judiciary. It’s like a labourer wanting to superintend over the work of a trained and experienced engineer on site.
Keyamo’s statement read further h, “The Nigeria Bar Association must not bow to these cheap tactics and must issue a strong warning to its members not to be seen amongst these jesters, or else appropriate sanctions should be meted out on them. All counsel involved in these election petitions must also caution their clients not to tacitly or directly promote or encourage such behavior that seeks to threaten or intimidate our revered justices. The tribunals and courts should decide these cases devoid of any kind of intimidation from any of the parties and their supporters.
Keyamo went on to call on all supporters of his party, the All Progressives Congress, and all patriots to remain calm, be respectful towards the judiciary, and be ready at all times to respect and defend the judiciary and our constitution no matter which way the wind blows. Any attempt to destroy the judiciary (as these characters are bent on doing) is an invitation to another ‘Sudan’.
“I call on all supporters of the APC and all patriots to remain calm and be respectful towards them judiciary and be ready at all times to respect and defend the judiciary and our constitution no matter which way the wind blows. Any attempt to destroy the judiciary (as these characters are bent on doing) is an invitation to another ‘Sudan’.
“Well, just as they often issue the empty boast that they are a different ‘movement’ and the judiciary should not ‘mess’ with them, they will soon realise that the judiciary is also a different kind of institution with which they cannot ‘mess’.