Former President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed concerns about Nigeria’s democracy and judiciary system, likening some election-related judgments to a “cone being turned upside down”.
Jonathan shared these thoughts at Professor Mike Ozekhome’s 67th birthday celebration in Abuja on October 17, 2024.
The former president emphasized the need for the judiciary to remain impartial and unaffected by political influence.
He stressed that for democracy to thrive in Nigeria, the Bar and Bench must resist political pressure.
Jonathan also highlighted the alarming frequency of election-related litigations in Nigeria, which he believes undermines the country’s democratic process.
Cyber Reporters gathered that unlike other nations, Nigeria’s courts are overwhelmed with pre- and post-election disputes, casting a shadow on the nation’s democratic prospects.
Jonathan’s concerns echo the sentiments of many Nigerians who feel that democracy has failed to deliver its promised benefits.
He said:
“The way things are going in this country, especially listening to the judgments being given regarding political cases, we are beginning to see that democracy in Nigeria is like a cone that is being turned upside down.
“And if a cone is turned upside down it cannot be stable and at the slightest perturbation, it will fall. When I listened to some senior lawyers like Olisa Agbakoba making comments on some Supreme Court’s judgments, I felt very sad that the country has got to that level.
“If our democracy will endure, people, both at the Bar and the Bench, should not be carried away by political influence. That is the only way we can stabilize the political process.
“I know the lawyers enjoy it because after elections there is always an avalanche of litigations, because it is like Christmas for lawyers.
“But in most other countries, people don’t go to court, but in Nigeria, pre-election matters and post-election matters fill all the courts and it does not give a good sign for democracy.”
