Top Tweets for #RunsJudge

It seems that after the "Status quo ante Bellum" controversy, INEC has learnt a better way to handle controversial orders of the court. Contrary to what I had thought INEC would do, yesterday INEC brought an application before the Court of Appeal in Abuja seeking to stay the execution of the judgment of Justice Peter Lifu, which ordered the deregistration of five political parties. Graciously, the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Abba Mohammed, granted the order. But the Court of Appeal did not stop there. The learned Justices descended heavily on Justice Peter Lifu for delivering his judgment despite a subsisting order from the Court of Appeal. According to the Court of Appeal, it was the highest form of judicial impertinence for Justice Lifu to proceed with delivering a substantive judgment while the matter was already pending before a superior court. The court went further to state that Lifu's conduct amounted to judicial rascality and questioned his fitness for the bench. This raises a very troubling question: How was Justice Peter Lifu comfortable delivering a judgment in a matter where he had already received a clear judicial signal from his learned senior brothers at the Court of Appeal to stay proceedings? Or is Justice Peter Lifu no longer bound by the principles of stare decisis? I think it is time the Judiciary conducts a thorough examination of itself and takes a closer look at the activities of people like Justice Peter Lifu and his likes. Over time, Justice Peter Lifu has become known for some highly controversial and unpopular judgments that have continued to generate public debate. During the height of the Rivers State political crisis involving Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Nyesom Wike, this was the same Justice Peter Lifu who delivered the judgment that halted and nullified the local government electoral processes organized by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), a judgment that slowed the wheels of governance in Rivers State for a long time. This is also the same judge who repeatedly dishes out ex parte orders to a particular faction of the PDP whenever there is a crisis, yet the NJC appears unbothered about him and others of his kind. Mind you, the issue is not that Justice Peter Lifu ordered the deregistration of political parties. The real issue is that he disregarded the directive and position of his learned seniors at the Court of Appeal. That is where the question of judicial misconduct arises. A judiciary that must command the confidence of the people cannot afford situations where judicial officers appear to place themselves above established legal principles and the hierarchy of the courts. That is why this matter deserves serious attention. I am Ekene Aninze Esq.