Tanko Yakasai To Agbakoba; What Are You Suggesting As A Substitute For The Judiciary?

Alhaji Tanko Yakasai OFR, a politician, human rights activist, and former Liaison Officer to President Shehu Shagari has responded to the interview granted by former NBA Chairman, Olisa Agbakoba where he said that he has no confidence in the Judiciary including the Supreme Court.

Yakasai said, “If Agbakoba has no faith in the Nigerian judiciary but the judiciary like other government institutions has a very important role in a democracy, if people like Agbakoba whose survival is made possible by the existence of the judiciary in our system what is he suggesting as a substitute for the judiciary in the polity to handle the role being hitherto handled by the judiciary?

“Judiciary like its two other sisters in the democratic dispensation namely the Executive and Legislative arms of government what will Agbakoba propose as a substitute for the judiciary?

“As I see it all three arms of government namely Executive, Legislative, And Judicial arms are considered necessary evils what will barrister Agbakoba suggest as the substitute for every one of them as a solution?

“There are what people call necessary evils, what do we do with them, the evils as they are called?

Recall that the former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba, has expressed doubts about the ability of the judiciary to dispense untainted justice as politicians and their parties resort to the courts to address the grievances arising from the just concluded general election.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, Mr. Agbakoba said recent decisions of the courts have not reflected what may be called reasonable adjudication of political matters.

“I’ve lost a bit of confidence in what the courts have been doing lately. There was a time you could say, on the facts and the law, this is the likely outcome. Today you cannot because there have been all kinds of silly decisions,” he said.

The senior lawyer referenced a shocking decision of the Supreme Court which affirmed Senate President Ahmed Lawan as the valid candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his senatorial district even though he did not contest the primaries, rather hijacked the candidacy from the winner of the primaries, Bashir Machina.

“That is the most ridiculous decision I’ve ever heard that the Supreme Court has delivered,” he said.

“I don’t have the sort of confidence that I use to have in the judiciary and I will not be surprised if this thing goes one way or the other. I cannot forecast the outcome,” he added.