Fides Media Living the Faith
– Emecheta Cautions Legal Practitioners, Politicians
By Abuchi Onwumelu
Legal practitioners and the political class have been urged to avoid acts capable of threatening the integrity of the judicial system.
Speaking in Awka, the National Chairman of Anambra for Soludo, Chief Jude Emecheta, who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Anambra State Signage and Advertising Agency (ANSAA), regretted that recent High Court orders and counter court orders from various parts of the country, with regard to the coming Anambra governorship election, had cast shadows on the status of the judiciary as the last hope of the common man, just as he commended the Appeal Court for rising to the occasion to restore sanity.
Chief Emecheta expressed worry over increasing number of conflicting orders from courts of concurrent jurisdiction and courts without territorial jurisdiction, as well as forum shopping by some lawyers, and regretted that those had continued to challenge the pace and stability of the electoral process.
The ANSAA boss reminded legal practitioners that their personal integrity was at stake when they allowed desperate politicians to push them into abusing the judicial process, and called on National Judicial Council, NJC, to take tougher measures against those whose ‘inordinate ambitions were tarnishing the image of the judiciary.’
He described the Appeal Court verdict that nullified the Jigawa High Court judgment as victory for democracy and rule of law.
Chief Emecheta pointed out that the Anambra electorate would not allow themselves to be shortchanged in any form or guise, as the governorship election was fundamental in protecting the future of the state and consolidating on the achievements of Governor Willie Obiano.
He recalled the landmark achievements of the APGA candidate in the November 6 governorship election, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, in repositioning the Nigerian banking system and his contributions to the global financial sector, noting that Anambra State needed leaders with clear vision and global reach like Professor Soludo to achieve the set goals.
According to him, allowing politicians to continue what he called the embarrassing practice of forum shopping would continue to threaten the integrity of the judiciary and the growth of democracy.