Former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Kanu Agabi, has said that Nigerians who are suspicious of the integrity of elections in the country have justifiable grounds to seek redress in court.
Agabi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former AGF during the administration of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, made the statement during his appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political program aired on Channels Television.
Addressing concerns over Nigeria’s electoral process, Agabi, 78, said it is wrong for politicians who manipulate their way into public offices to later seek divine intervention when they face socio-economic challenges in those positions.
Agabi added that the high number of electoral cases in court reflects the “justifiable suspicions” surrounding Nigeria’s elections. He said;
“We keep talking of reforming the judiciary. We keep attacking the judges, we stigmatise them, we abuse them, we insult but the truth is this: we have very good judges.
“The judiciary is not perfect but it is the best arm of government. The problem is this: On the judges’ lists, there may be 30, or 40 cases a day. How can he cope? As long as they go on struggling with that system, they cannot cope.
“The problem of the judiciary arises from the fact that the judges are overworked,” the ex-justice minister said, urging the government to appoint more judges and more magistrates to decongest the courts of cases.
“Take the elections for instance. Do you know how many percentages of elections are challenged? Why? Because the elections come under justifiable suspicions. Those who suspect the elections are justified but if we reach a point where the elections are not opened to the kind of criticisms and suspicions that they have been suspected, then they can free up the courts.
“Primaries are rigged at the party levels. Giving a spiritual dimension, when you have stolen the office that you are holding, do you expect God to partner with you? Can you pray over that office? Can you use it to do any good? That’s the problem.
“St Paul said I am an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the grace of God. Whatever office you hold, you must be able to say the same thing. You must be able to say, ‘I am a governor by the grace of God’, ‘I am a senator by the grace of God’. If you can’t say that, your prayer in calling upon the name of the Lord in that office is an abomination. We are coming from colonialism but our leaders are taking us back for the love of more houses, more wives and more money.”