The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for celebrating the commissioning of residential quarters for judges, describing the action as a shameless attempt to undermine judicial independence.
ADC Condemns APC's Celebration
In a statement released on Wednesday, the ADC accused the APC of turning a constitutional obligation into a partisan public relations exercise. The opposition party argued that while judges deserve decent accommodation and welfare, these should not be presented as personal achievements of government officials or favors from politicians.
Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC's National Publicity Secretary, emphasized that the issue is not the construction of the quarters itself but the dangerous impression created by the executive branch presenting itself as the benefactor of another constitutionally independent arm of government.
Constitutional Obligations vs. Political Patronage
“Let it be clearly understood: judges deserve decent accommodation, adequate security and proper welfare. However, these must not be packaged as personal achievement of government officials or as favours from politicians. They are constitutional obligations of the government funded by the Nigerian taxpayer,” Abdullahi stated.
The ADC further argued that neither President Bola Tinubu nor Minister Nyesom Wike is entitled to personal acclaim for discharging responsibilities financed from public funds. The party warned that by awarding personal acclaim to both the President and his minister for building houses for judges, the APC has created the impression that the welfare of judges is subject to the whims of government officials.
Separation of Powers at Risk
“In every constitutional democracy governed by the principle of separation of powers, the Judiciary must never be placed in a position where its welfare can be publicly portrayed as a favour granted by political actors whose actions and interests may ultimately come before the courts,” the statement read.
The ADC expressed particular concern that the celebration glorifies President Tinubu and Minister Wike as patrons of the Judiciary, sending the wrong signal to Nigerians and raising legitimate concerns about the boundaries between the Executive and the Judiciary.
Undue Influence Concerns
The opposition party noted that this development is especially troubling given the widespread perception that the President and Minister Wike already wield undue influence over the judiciary. “After all, he who pays the piper dictates the tune,” the ADC remarked.
The ADC dismissed the APC's portrayal of the project as part of efforts to strengthen judicial independence, calling it an Orwellian irony. “Judicial independence is not achieved by the number of buildings commissioned by politicians. Rather, it is measured by institutional autonomy, financial independence, security of tenure, freedom from political pressure, and the confidence of citizens that judges are accountable only to the Constitution and the law,” Abdullahi said.
Call for Restraint and Ethical Conduct
The ADC urged public officials to exercise the highest degree of restraint in a political climate where election petitions and constitutional disputes are routinely determined by the courts. The party accused the APC of converting a public project into a partisan public relations exercise, thereby undermining the perception of judicial neutrality.
“The ADC therefore views this partisan fanfare as a shameless assault on the spirit of separation of powers and an affront to the constitutional ideal of an independent Judiciary. Public institutions must never be transformed into monuments of political patronage or instruments for cultivating judicial gratitude,” the statement emphasized.
The ADC also called on the judiciary to be wary of the ethical implications of its relationship with the government. “Already, the Nigerian Judiciary suffers a massive trust deficit. The public can only begin to trust in the courts again when judges stop putting themselves in a position that makes the people believe that they are beholden to a few individuals and not the law itself,” the party concluded.
