Nigerian judiciary fails to show enough commitment to war against corruption – Sagay SAN

*Reject politicians who will drag Nigeria back to corruption, warns Buhari
*Malami assures that the president is committed to free and fair elections
*No PVC, No Vote — INEC

President Muhammadu Buhari has warned Nigerians not to vote for leaders who would drag the country back into the corrupt practices his administration has tackled.

Speaking at the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) conference themed: “Fighting Nigerian Corruption” in Abuja yesterday, he denounced the havoc corruption had caused in the country saying his administration was leaving a legacy zero tolerance for corruption for future generations.

The president, represented at the event by Federation Government Secretary Boss Mustapha, said more will be achieved if families, schools, religious leaders, role models and our traditional institutions show genuine interest and commitment to the fight against corruption.

“In a matter of weeks, Nigerians will have to go to the polls again to choose their leaders in the general elections. I urge Nigerians to reject the politicians who would drag our country back to the dark ages where corruption was the order of the day. By stepping down in a matter of months, I have left a legacy of zero tolerance for corruption for our youth on the team and for all citizens. To me, corruption is bad and should be vehemently rejected in all its ramifications by all Nigerians anywhere, anytime. It is through integrity, respect for the rule of law, due process and genuine patriotism that we will make Nigeria the nation of our dreams,” he said.

PACAC President Prof. Itse Sagay accused the judiciary of not showing much commitment in the war against corruption. He said that while the war against corruption was not easy, the battle must continue until the ugly trend is stamped out.

He regretted that the judiciary has not shown a true commitment to the war against corruption.

“I apologize to the many judges in this country who have demonstrated their commitment to the fight only to find their patriotic efforts sidelined and dismantled at the highest level. This recurring phenomenon has certainly dampened the enthusiasm of the lower courts,” he said.

For his part, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has assured that the president is committed to free and fair elections.

He stated this, yesterday, in his keynote speech during the National Association of Law Enforcement Correspondents (NAJUC) Media Conference 2022 with the theme: “2023 General Election, Judiciary and Sustainability of Nigerian Democracy” in Abuja.

The minister was represented by Dr. Umar Gwandu, his Special Adviser on Media and Public Relations.

“This is evident in President Buhari’s recent assent to the 2022 Election Law, which has been applauded by many patriotic citizens, experts and the international community. One of the highlights of the new Electoral Law is the legal support given to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to implement technology among many other commendable initiatives to bequeath to posterity, a legacy of a viable democratization tool. Without a doubt, the new Electoral Law is an improvement in many ways with respect to the repealed electoral law”, said the minister.

He said that there was no doubt that the new Electoral Law was an improvement on the repealed electoral law in many respects.

He said that the sustainability of Nigeria’s democracy is not linear, saying that citizens have a vital role to play in the democratic process and must avoid all vices that could undermine the progress that has been made so far.

The presiding judge of the FCT High Court, Judge Hussain Yusuf, admitted that the judiciary is under pressure due to an unprecedented number of pre-election cases, which will definitely spike after the elections proper.

The Chairman of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, said that no one would be allowed to vote in the general election without a Permanent Voter Card (PVC).

The president of INEC, represented by Mr. Lawrence Bayode, ICT director at the commission, said that there was no provision in the Electoral Law of 2022 that gave the commission the option of registering voters to vote using the digits of the Number Voter Identification Number (VIN).

“There is a very concerning trend which is misinformation and misinformation about technology deployments by the commission in the social media space and some media houses are collecting newsletters on social media platforms to discuss on their websites. morning shows and political shows without contacting the commission. for his position on these issues.

“One of them is the recent viral assumptions that PVC is not required to vote on Election Day. Let me reiterate the position of the commission that Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 clearly states that; A person who attends to vote in an election must appear with their voter identification card before a president for his accreditation in the voting unit of the constituency in which her name is registered. Therefore, the commission is legally bound to accept a voter’s accreditation only upon presentation of a valid voter card.”

He said the commission, for its part, had an active presence on social media and would continue to do its best to educate Nigerians and debunk this type of misinformation.

He assured Nigerians that the Bimodal Voter Registration System (BVAS) was protected and that the commission had been repelling hacker attacks. He said that the BVAS technology would be implemented to actualize a credible, fair and smooth general election.

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