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Election petition verdicts: Judges can make mistakes, however…– AGF Fagbemi
Nigerians and politicians have been advised by Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagemi not to denigrate the judiciary due to the outcome of election petition decisions.
Claims circulating about the nation’s court, he said, are comparable to cheap blackmail.
Politicians who were defeated at all levels were urged by Fagbemi to exercise prudence and not lose heart over their tribunal defeats.
Along with asking people to quit making baseless accusations against the judges, he also said that anyone with hard proof against any judge should not be afraid to present it.
At a prayer held in his honour on the outskirts of his country residence in Ijagbo, Oyun Local Government Area, Kwara State, the attorney general spoke with reporters.
“You are insinuating foul play even though you lost at the tribunal, the Appeal Court, and the Supreme Court,” he stated. I believe that morality, independent of the law, also requires you to accept the result as it is.
I’m not claiming that because judges are fallible humans, they can’t make mistakes. If someone feels or observes that the legal system has been tainted, they ought to be able to speak up about it instead of making baseless accusations.
I will not give in to blackmail unless you can present hard proof. No one will defend an incompetent judge.
“An aspect of justice is that the victorious party will applaud the ruling, while the defeated party will never concede a legitimate defeat unless you provide them with the ruling.
“Remember that you are tarnishing the reputation of the country when you make baseless accusations.”
“Everyone and sundry should imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship,” he encouraged.