The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has vowed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration will not succumb to blackmail on account of allegations against recent judicial pronouncements arising from electoral disputes.
He said the federal government would not shield errant judges found culpable of misconduct, but whatever allegations against any law court verdict must be accompanied with tangible evidence.
Fagbemi told Journalists on the sidelines of a special prayer and reception members of his family organized in commemoration of his appointment in Ijagbo, Oyun Local Government Area of Kwara State at the weekend, that the insinuations that trailed some judgements of courts lately were within the realm of blackmail until proven.
The Attorney General warned against throwing caution to the wind as a result of electoral defeat suffered in courts.
He noted that it was a misnomer to accuse presiding judges of obtaining bribe on the basis of judgements delivered, saying that judicial verdicts are always premised on the facts presented before jurists hearing a matter.
Fagbemi, a renowned legal practitioner added that it was incumbent on candidates in electoral contest to imbibe spirit of sportsmanship and avoid desperation in whatever guise.
“Let me tell you, one thing about justice is that the man who wins will praise the judiciary while the man who lost will never agree he has lost fairly unless they gave him judgements. Unless you are able to bring forth concrete evidence, I will not succumb to what I will call blackmail because blackmail it is.
“If you have evidence, nobody will shield an erring judge. Bring it to the fore, say it out. For the mere fact that you didn’t win shouldn’t make you throw caution to the wind. It doesn’t work like that. You wanted to win, you put your facts there. The judge said it is not the position. You tried it on appeal, you lost. The Supreme Court, you lost. I think even apart from law, morality also demands that you take it as it is.
“I am not saying that judges cannot be wrong because they are human beings. If they are wrong, and it is not as a result of bribery or corruption, that is fine. But if you want to prove corruption, you know the way to prove it. The mere fact that you lost shouldn’t give insinuation to the judge has been bribed,” Fagbemi said.
Speaking on the present administration, the Minister of Justice said events in the last few months of President Tinubu in the saddle attests to the preparation of the President for the job.
He, however, appealed to the citizens to exercise patience because, according to him, he inherited the nation’s problems.
“If you look at this man (Mr President), he is somebody who wants to work. He is prepared to do, he is not somebody who wants to be learning on the job, and he has done it before.
“Whoever succeeded in governing Lagos should be able to govern Nigeria. I am not equating Lagos with Nigeria, but you know what I mean. That is the economic nerve centre of the nation. Go and check his performance in Lagos.
“He is not the one who created these problems in Nigeria but he is still not complaining. Immediately after his swearing-in, what did he do? He went out to seek investors’ support, investors’ buy-in, and he has been doing that, and we have seen positive responses that had been trailing his meetings with the foreign investors.
“The only thing we need is that it wouldn’t come in a day; it doesn’t just come like that. Even if you plant a tree, it will not go to fruition until after a while.”
Recent judicial pronouncements on disputes over the year’s general elections had heightened concern in some quarters with allegations that judiciary was under siege.
