Atiku: Justice Dattijo’s Criticism Confirms All Is Not Well At Supreme Court

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, says the rebuke of the Supreme Court by retired Justice Muhammad Dattijo should not be swept under the carpet.

Atiku spoke at a press conference in Abuja on Monday following the October 26, 2023 judgment of the Supreme Court which affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu.

Recall that during his valedictory court session held to mark his retirement on Friday, Justice Dattijo spoke on array of issues, including the power of the Chief Justice of the Nigeria (CJN), funding and independence of the judiciary, appointment of justices from all geo-political zones, process of the appointment of judges and quality of judgement of courts, among others.

He called for a sweeping reform in the judiciary to correct many anomalies.

Speaking on the verdict of the apex court on Monday, Atiku said retired Justice Dattijo’s rebuke is a confirmation from within the apex court that all is not well with the Supreme Court.

“The court and indeed the judiciary must never lend itself to politicisation as it is currently the norm with nearly every institution in Nigeria.

“By the way, the strong rebuke of the apex court by the revered Justice, who had meritoriously served for more than four decades, should not be swept under the carpet,” Atiku said.

“The alarm raised by Justice Muhammad and recently, former INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, offer Nigerians an explanation into why the electoral and judicial system have become the lost hope of the common man.”

The PDP presidential candidate also said that the apex court verdict, though final, leaves much to be desired.

He insisted that Tinubu, the then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was not qualified to contest the February 2023 presidential poll.