By Mark Lenu
The court is known for not adjudicating on any matter that is not before it which is where the Traditional Ruler of Elem Kalabari, His Royal Highness, King Dokubo Asari has disagreed with the recent Supreme Court judgment.
The judgment delivered by the apex court which is still causing uproar in Rivers State till now had declared the 2024 LG election in the state illegal, recognized the 27 lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule who defected from the PDP to the APC and ordered the federal finance agencies to stop releasing allocation to the Rivers State Government.
King Asari who spoke his mind during an interview on a popular television show is of the view that the judgment was delivered to favor the interest of fa ew powerful individuals to the detriment of the state.
When a court adjudicates on a matter that was not before it which is against judicial practice, there is every tendency to believe that some compromisers of justice may have presided over such judgment.
However, such kind of judgments is expected in the Nigerian judicial system because of the way the executive arm of government and some powerful politicians in government are allowed to have express influence on judicial officers.
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Yes, all Supreme Court pronouncements are said by the Nigerian law to be final and when a Supreme Court judgment is not seen to be generally accepted by the people, it means integrity is lacking which King Asari clearly stated during his public appearance on a national television.
Being in haste to implement the judgment of the Supreme Court by Governor Siminalayi Fubara does not imply that the apex court was 100 percent right in its judgment. The judicial system needs holistic reform to redeem its eroding integrity.
