Justice of the Court of Appeal, Benin Division, Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill, has said that the key to keeping judiciary out of politics in Nigeria is the enthronement of internal democracy in the country’s political parties.
Georgewill made the assertion on Saturday while delivering a lecture with the theme, ‘Judicialization of Politics in Nigeria: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities’, on the occasion of the Law Week organised by the Yenagoa branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
He suggested that the ways forward are overall good governance, transparent and credible elections, enthroning and enforcing internal democracy in political parties and amendment of the Electoral Act to accommodate smart card readers.
He also recommended the establishment of an independent electoral offences commission, setting up of political parties’ commission and the reduction of judicial interference in political parties’ affairs.
He equally recommended an amalgam of justices and judges to hear and determine all election petitions once and with finality, stressing that the process would reduce the time, energies and resources as well as tensions in the land over post-election matters. The Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Justice Kate Abiri, has revealed that the judicial arm of government in the state had been granted financial autonomy by the Douye Diri-led administration.
Justice Abiri lamented the adverse effects of the ongoing nationwide strike following the delay by state governments to implement the financial autonomy law. The Chief Judge explained that the strike by judiciary workers in the state was only to sympathize with other protesters whose governments were yet to implement financial autonomy for the judicial arm of government, maintaining that Bayelsa State started implementation since February, 2021.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Yenagoa Branch, Felix Okorotie, and the Chairman of the Law Week Planning Committee, Prof. Solomon Ebobrah, highlighted the importance of the Law Week, saying that the theme was carefully chosen to appraise the prospects and challenges of the legal profession.
The 2021 Law Week session, which was chaired by Hon. Justice Margaret Akpomiemie (retd), also featured T. Y. Abasi, Preye Ageda and Dr. Alabo as panelists.

By Simon Utebor