He noted that oftentimes, it is easier for people to notice issues with the judiciary rather than the bigger problems with politicians and the political system.
According to him, a society won’t improve unless the political leaders follow the rules laid out in their party constitutions and the national constitution.
Justice Buba spoke in Abuja on Friday while delivering a keynote address at a function conference organised by a group, Tap Initiative, with support from the Open Society Funds
He said, “The Nigerian judiciary, is undoubtedly being overworked by politicians to sustain democracy, it is very easy for an outsider not to see the ‘cow” on the head of the politician and political class, to quickly see the ‘lice’ on the head of the judiciary.
“No amount of judicial activism by the judges can better society if the political class is not willing to play by the rules of the game, according to the constitution of their parties enacted by them and given to themselves, a fotiori the constitution of Nigeria. ”
Buba urged politicians to focus on politics of development and advancement to avoid wasting resources on inter-party fights, election petitions, and dragging the judiciary into a conflict of “do or die.
“If we play politics of development, politics of advancement we will not waste resources into an inter-party fight, election petitions and by extension, dragging the judiciary in the mud of the conflict of do or die.
“We will be better off. our experience has shown that there are no other areas of litigation that drag the judiciary into conflict and try to splash mud on the judiciary than the political cases,” he stated
Buba lamented that politicians who are not qualified as judges attempt to influence the judiciary’s interpretation of the law.
He, however, urged the judiciary to appoint individuals who can challenge the actions of the other arms of government on the bench.
He added, “In the three arms of government, it is only the judiciary that has stringent conditions of qualification. Our judges must have a minimum of 10 years post-call to be appointed judges of a high court, while a school certificate whether pass or fail or its equivalent can attain offices in the other arms of government.
It is they who are in politics and try to dictate to the judiciary what the law is, and what should be done.
“It is in this regard, the members of the bar must jealously guard and guide their profession and ensure that the judiciary gets the right people on the bench who can call off the bluff of the other arms of government in checks and balances.”
The Executive Director of Tap Initiative, Martins Obono, said the primary objective of the conference was to facilitate a more in-depth analysis of the issue of judicial accountability.
He added that the overarching goal was to explore strategies for enhancing public trust in the judiciary.
