Former Director, Department of State Service, Mike Ejiofor, in this interview with BIYI ADEGOROYE, speaks on the dangers politicians pose to democracy and why judiciary must be definitive to curb the confusion
How will you assess the activities of politicians in recent times?
Their actions of late, constitute threats to democracy. This could be seen from lack of internal democracy in their parties and their disregard for rule of law. For instance, they have started campaigns long before stipulated in the Electoral Act. ADC has three aspirants already; APC will be endorsing the president. The Labour Party is in disarray. And all these things are challenges that, if not checked…they are going to cause a lot of security problems for our security agencies. This is not healthy at all for our democracy. Rule of law is the bedrock of democracy.
Do you see the six-month suspension handed down on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, especially when courts have ruled that no lawmaker should be suspended for more than 14 days among this?
It comes down to what our politicians are doing, look at the issue of our political parties. Once there is a pronouncement, it is the internal affair of the political party and the person who went to court that should benefit. The court needs to come out expressly on the pronouncements of a political party. What we are doing now is creating confusion as all the political parties have crises.
Usually, the judiciary gives a verdict. How will interpret a middle-of-the road type of rulings where the two parties hit the streets jubilating that they won, like what happened in Osun State and in the PDP regarding the issue of the secretary of the party?
The courts refuse to make definite pronouncements and instead of the verdict. Going back to the full interpretation of the execution, everybody is on his own claiming they won and that is a big problem. Also, there is so much division in the country, security challenges to contend with, Boko Haram in the North-East, farmers/herders clash in the North Central, kidnapping, banditry. In the South-East, we have this agitation and the South-South is relatively calm. In the South West, we have the issue of deleting and instead of politicians to support the security agencies they are creating more problems.
Are you not aware that the Chief Judge of the federation has demoted or suspended some justices recently?
Yes, I am aware but a tree does not make a forest. The Chief Judge of the federation has cases before her that she can handle. She cannot handle cases that have not been reported to her. For her to do that, some of these things are clearly obvious that there is corruption and perversion of injustice in some of the cases but, if you don’t have evidence there is nothing that you can do.
What is your message to the courts that have failed to make definitive pronouncements?
They should realise that the court is the last hope of the common man and whatever decision they take would determine the political and security stability of this nation and they should have that in mind.
Is there appropriate judicial administration that prohibits such acts and don’t you think such provisions should be implemented?
The National Judicial Council is there and like I said at the beginning, except a report is made against a judicial officer that they have to be investigated but if the judicial official is able to cover his tracks, there is nothing we can do about it. What is happening in Lagos now regarding the renaming of streets, is that our problem?
Recall that in 1990, Babangida’s regime introduced the issue of residency, that when you are resident in a particular place for more than one year, you can seek election there continuously and this will promote integration instead of ethnicity, religion and issues that tends to divide us. I stay in Abuja for instance, and in America you can seek election in a state where you reside. This happened in the First Republic where Igbo were occupying elective offices in the South -West. Let us go back to all those days and think of how we can unite Nigeria instead of dividing it.
We have the issue of State Police. I can tell you that if the National Assembly fails to pass the law creating the State Police, we are going to face serious security challenges come 2027. Even the argument is that state police could be abused and I say that is why the courts are there and can go there to enforce his or her rights. We need the state police and we need to unite Nigerians; the national assembly needs to wake up and be up and doing and depend on amending the constitution to accommodate these areas.
Talking about the constitution amendment, do you think anything will come out of the ongoing Constitutional review?
If the National Assembly is determined to amend the constitution, I think they can but because of their personal interests they haven’t taken decisions on these issues. I can tell you right away that there are issues that border on security that they are supposed to be budgetary and critically look at. What I’m saying is, I foresee a lot of security problems which are avoidable if we take certain actions. Like the defection from one party to the other, it’s going to happen more just for their interests and nobody is talking about the country and we have to be patriotic and must put the country first before our personal interests.
