Chieftain Eze Chukwuemeka Eze of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has characterised Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court as a judge who is anti-democratic.
He said the judge was an undercover agent assisting the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in their efforts to silence political opponents in the run-up to the 2027 election.
In a statement released on Friday, Eze said that politicians in urgent need of votes are influencing judiciary judgements in a way that would hurt President Bola Tinubu’s chances of winning the 2027 election by swaying Justice Lifu and others like him.
Neither innuendo nor openly accused nor even blackmail is at issue, he stated. No resistance is what they seek. Mr. President is anxious and perhaps paranoid about the next election. For example, Wike, can Justice Peter Lifu issue a directive or a reprimand? Without a doubt. Wow, that’s just terrible.
In his role as a pawn in his bosses’ plot to dismantle the opposition, the judge has brought shame upon himself. We see the strain on him, but must he put the entire judiciary in jeopardy to further the APC’s agenda?
Eze claimed that Justice Lifu’s extreme enthusiasm was on full display when he disregarded the Appeal Court’s order to halt the deregistration lawsuits of several political organisations.
The day the APC government led by the late Muhammadu Buhari assaulted, detained, and prosecuted Justice Walter Onnoghen, Chief Justice of Nigeria, and other justices of the Supreme Court for reasons that were known to all of us was the day that Nigeria’s judiciary was kidnapped, he said.
Ever since then, out of apprehension about the unknown, several members of the judiciary, including Justice Lifu, have abandoned their impartiality and entered the dark embrace of corrupt politicians masquerading as democratic leaders.
The brave, patriotic, and fearless judges who administer justice according to the letter of the law, free from favouritism or fear, are a blessing, according to Eze.
The ADC leader made fun of the judge on the Federal High Court for defying all previous rulings in an effort to fulfil the wishes of what he called “drowning political misfits”—people who, he said, are so terrified of opposition in the 2027 general election because of poor leadership—.
Following Justice Lifu’s “judicial rascality” condemnation, Eze, who was formerly the National Publicity Secretary of the now-defunct New Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, praised the Appeal Court and INEC.
“Although it is clear that the goal of these manoeuvres is to prevent the incoming president, Atiku Abubakar, and the ADC presidential candidate from running in the 2027 general elections, the Nigerian people are hell-bent on removing them from power, so whatever happens, they will lose.”
The anxiety that Tinubu feels about the Atiku/Amaechi ticket is actually the first step toward enlightenment.
The decision to stay the illegitimate and unpopular judgement is greatly appreciated by the Appeal Court. “We applaud INEC for their courageous move in contesting the ignominious ruling that was supposed to have ordered the deregistration of ADC and four other parties,” he continued.
Justice Lifu’s order “further disparaged the public perception of Nigeria’s judiciary and for subverting the rule of law,” thus Eze demanded that the NJC investigate and punish Liifu.