By Jide Akamha.
The Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Sim Fubara had, after swearing in the new Attorney-General of the State, Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, charged him thus: “…You have a big task! As it is today, in the local parlance, they say the jungle has matured. We will be setting a panel of inquiry to investigate the affairs of governance. So, brace up, I am not going back on it.”
The ‘jungle has matured’ declaration has been construed as not only his readiness to confront his erstwhile political godfather and current FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, but also his transition from a perceived meekness to a newfound boldness, unprecedented audacity, and feline fluidity of the cat. Fubara’s shift from the role of a compliant subordinate to a more assertive leader, fully aware of his gubernatorial powers, represents a radical departure from his previous political demeanour.
Since assumption of office as the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Fubara has not only been seen as a loyal ally of Mr. Wike, but also perceived as a lamb in the political turf of Rivers State. However, his decision to assert his authority and challenge Wike’s influence reveals a governor who is coming of age, embracing his responsibilities and the powers vested in him by his office. This transformation is exemplified by his move to swear in a new Attorney General, replacing one who was perceived to be undermining the state government’s efforts due to their allegiance to former Governor Wike.
Fubara’s ‘matured jungle’ easily suffices as a metaphor for the political landscape in which he now operates with increased confidence and determination. It signals his intention to navigate the complexities of governance and political rivalry with a firmer hand, ensuring that his administration is not overshadowed by external influences. This semantic entailment represents for me, the brighter side of political darkness, which has eclipsed Rivers State since the emergence of Mr. Sim Fubara as Governor in May last year. However, the converse entailment of the jungle metaphor resonated glowingly when Lasisi Olangunju chose to draw his readers’ attention to the darker side of Wike-Fubara skirmishes.
In his article, “Kano’s Midnight Kingdom,” Olagunju astutely tweaked Governor Fubara’s newfound boldness, encapsulated in the metaphor “the jungle has matured.” The writer extended the semantic entailment of the metaphor, originally signifying Fubara’s audacious shift in dealing with his erstwhile godfather Nyesom Wike, to capture the chaotic state of Nigeria’s judiciary recently thrown up by the Kano emirate tussle. His observation that “the jungle of our judiciary has matured, and the beasts grown in all departments” underscored a judiciary in deep disarray. Olagungu’s hurricane blew the lid off the putrid nyash of the acclaimed ‘Temple of Justice, ensnared by political shenanigans, sloughing about and galumphing through a maze of conflicting court orders issued by some High Court judges that tended to be ‘trafficking in judgments’. Even a legal expert, Prof Damilola Olawuyi (SAN) could not agree more with a terribly chaotic judiciary as clearly attested to by the Kano emirate tussle, which according to him, ‘reflect judicial decay’. In his words, “events in Kano State are unfortunately another sad reflection of the level of decay and rot in our judicial system.” In the same vein, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) described as ‘disgraceful’ the unethical conducts of both the judges and lawyers involved in the issuance of conflicting court orders with regard to the Kano Emirate tussle.
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The Kano Emirate saga, a microcosm of this judicial jungle, began in 2014 with Sanusi Lamido’s controversial enthronement despite popular support for Aminu Ado Bayero. This politically charged decision set off a chain of events: Governor Abdullahi Ganduje dethroned Sanusi in 2020, favouring Ado Bayero, only for Governor Abba Yusuf to latch on the Kano State Emirates Council (Repeal) Law 2024 to dethrone Ado Bayero and reinstate Sanusi Lamido. On the eventful day of Sanusi’s reappointment as Emir the 16th, the Federal High Court in Kano restrained the Kano State Government from implementing the new emirate law through an ex parte order but which Gov Abba Yusuf ignored.
He anchored his rejection of the court injunction on the ground that the High Court Judge (allegedly) gave the virtual order from outside the country, thereby provoking crucial questions about the National Judicial Council’s Guidelines for Virtual Court Proceedings (2020). Governor Yusuf’s defiance of the court order swiftly preceded a Kano State High Court injunction, ordering the police to evict Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero from his Nasarawa mini palace, where he has been holding forth since his dethronement. This prompted a counter order the next day by a Federal High Court Judge S. Amobeda, who directed the law enforcement agencies to evict the reinstated Sanusi Lamido from the Emir’s Palace in Kofar Kudu.
The same day, the Kano State High Court Judge Amina Aliyu issued a counter order restraining all law and security agencies from evicting Emir Sanusi from his palace. Of course, it became evidently clear that the Kano Emirate saga had transcended the boundaries of a traditional succession dispute, evolving into a dramatic contest of power between the Federal High Court and the Kano State High Court. The needless judicial power struggle unexpectedly plunged the judiciary into chaos as law enforcement agencies found themselves in a legal quagmire, unsure which directives to follow amid the judicial confusion.
As Mojeed Dahiru, a public affairs analyst had opined, the enthronement of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi in 2014, and his subsequent dethronement in 2020 and re-enthronement in 2024 respectively rode the crest of politics. This judicial tug-of-war highlights a judiciary entangled in its own contradictions, the judiciary’s compromised state, where political influence undermines the rule of law. A judiciary marked by conflicting orders and political maneuvering, underscores the vulnerability of Nigeria’s traditional institutions to political manipulation and exposes the deep-seated issues within our judicial system.
This scenario starkly illustrates a judiciary that has strayed from its principles, becoming a battleground for political scrimmage rather than a sanctuary of justice. Olagunju’s metaphor of a ‘matured jungle’ with beasts in every department vividly captures this dire reality. The law of the jungle, by its very nature, is defined by chaos and lawlessness, where might is right and the principles of fairness and justice are forsaken. This grim reality is becoming increasingly evident in Nigeria’s judiciary, where conflicting court orders and political interference have created an environment reminiscent of a jungle, rather than a temple of justice.
This portrayal of the judiciary as a lawless jungle, where political influence and conflicting rulings reign supreme, paints a disturbing picture of a system in disarray. This state of affairs not only undermines the rule of law but also erodes public trust in the judiciary. Judges, who should be paragons of impartiality and justice, are increasingly perceived as pawns in political power plays and gamesmanship, their rulings swayed more by external pressures rather than legal principles. This perception damages the judiciary’s credibility and compromises its role as the guardian of justice.
To restore integrity and public confidence, immediate and robust reforms are essential. The judiciary must reclaim its autonomy and reinforce its commitment to justice, free from political manipulations. Mechanisms must be established to ensure judicial orders are respected and enforced uniformly. Those who flout court orders, including politicians exploiting the system for personal gain, must face stringent consequences. It is good enough that the NJC has set a precedent in this regard. For instance, Justice Tanko Muhammad, had as the CJN in 2021, barred three judges – Edem Kooffreh of the High Court of Cross River State, Nusirat Umar of Kebbi State High Court, and Okogbule Gbasam of the Rivers State High Court – from elevation to higher court for granting conflicting court injunctions in a political case.
Also, for the same reason of judicial infractions, the NJC recently invoked its Sword of Damocles to tame the judicial excesses of Justices Godwin Brikins-Okolosi of the Delta State High Court and Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court. Already, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), has summoned the chief judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho and his Kano State High Court counterpart, Justice Dije Aboki over the conflicting court orders pertaining to the Kano emirate crisis, which the judges under them have so far issued. This is the way to go in weaning the Nigerian judiciary off its fast-growing jungle image. The chaotic state of the judiciary, exemplified by the Kano Emirate crisis, is a clarion call for reform. The jungle seed must be nipped in the bud. The spirit of jungle must be exorcised from the sacred temple of justice. Judges, who are adept at ‘judgment-trafficking’ constitute that inglorious ‘one bad apple’ that spoils the entire basket of apples. The system should not allow such judicial renegades to continue to desecrate the sanctity of the revered Temple of Justice with their gnarled fingers.
The judiciary must transform from a jungle of chaos, lawlessness, and conflicting orders back into a temple of justice, upholding the rule of law and protecting citizens’ rights. This transformation is not only crucial for the judiciary’s credibility but also for the preservation of Nigeria’s democratic fabric. The judiciary needs to reclaim its autonomy and reinforce its commitment to justice, free from political manipulation. There is need for mechanisms to be put in place to ensure that judicial orders are respected and enforced consistently.
Those who flout court orders and exploit the system for personal gain, should face strict consequences to restore faith in the rule of law. Governor Fubara’s declaration that “the jungle has matured” signifies his readiness to confront entrenched political challenges, marking a significant evolution in his political journey. The same boldness, which Gov Fubara has been compelled by the exigencies of existential threats to muster and confront frontally and headling the challenges of leadership is being recommended here for the judiciary to assert its independence as the third arm of government and not as a pliable appendage of the executive arm. Just as Fubara steps up to challenge Wike’s influence, the judiciary must rise to reclaim its authority and restore public trust.
On a final note, the law of the jungle must not define our judiciary. While it may be the wild wish of the typical politician to ensconce themselves in an inebriate mindset of a puppeteer, pulling the judicial strings in accordance with their whims and caprices, it remains the sacred duty of the honourable members of the Bench to reject the slavish role of a puppet. The Nigerian judiciary needs to shed this image of chaos and emerge as a true bastion of justice, dedicated to fairness and impartiality.
Through unwavering commitment to fairness, impartiality, and the rule of law, the judiciary can rebuild its credibility and ensure that justice prevails for all. Only through such a transformation can we secure a future where the rule of law stands firm, and justice is not just a commodified concept amenable to the Terms and Conditions of ‘cash-n-carry’ transaction but a lived reality for every citizen. It is imperative that we return the judiciary to its rightful place as the temple of justice, detouring from the dangerous path of a jungle filled with conflicting orders. The blatant disregard for judicial directives and the subsequent judicial chaos exemplifies the judiciary’s vulnerability to political manipulations. The time for reform is now, and the judiciary must rise to the challenges of restoring order, integrity, and trust in our legal system.
- AKAMHA, is a public affairs analyst and writes from Enugu
