Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has called on political actors to refrain from politicising judicial decisions, saying confidence in the judiciary remains essential to the survival of Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS, the governor reacted to concerns surrounding the Federal High Court’s ruling affecting the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), urging politicians to respect the courts regardless of whether judgments favour or disadvantage them.
According to Sani, political leaders often praise the judiciary when rulings align with their interests but criticise it when decisions go against them.
“For some of us who believe in democracy, the rule of law and the judiciary, we have to be very careful. Politicising every judicial issue is not healthy for us,” he said.
The governor cited the political career of the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as an example of a politician who benefited from the judicial process.
“Many of the actors involved today have also benefited from judicial decisions in this country. The leader of the NDC himself, Peter Obi, benefited from a landmark judicial pronouncement when he was governor of Anambra State.
“When judgments favour politicians, they describe the judiciary as the best institution. When decisions go against them, they suddenly portray the judiciary as the worst,” Sani said.
While acknowledging that no judicial system is perfect, the governor maintained that democrats must continue to place their trust in the country’s institutions.
“Our judiciary is not perfect. No judiciary anywhere in the world is perfect. But if we truly believe in democracy, then we must continue to have faith in the system,” he added.
Sani also rejected allegations that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or President Bola Tinubu’s administration was responsible for the internal challenges facing opposition parties.
“What is the evidence that the ruling party is behind what is happening to them? In my opinion, many of these politicians are simply moving from one platform to another in search of a vehicle to contest elections. They are not organised,” he said.
The governor argued that recurring crises within opposition parties were largely driven by internal disagreements over presidential ambitions, leadership and power-sharing arrangements rather than external interference.
He maintained that political parties built primarily as election platforms, instead of being founded on shared ideology and long-term principles, would continue to experience instability and internal conflicts.