AYRIN urges President Tinubu to speak up on judicial crisis

The All Youth Re-Oriented Initiative (AYRIN), a youth group, has taken a critical stance against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s silence on what it perceives as confusion and a miscarriage of justice within the Nigeria judiciary. AYRIN warns that this silence may pave the way for anarchy and potentially invite military intervention into the political landscape.

In a statement released on Thursday, spokesperson Kilamuwaye Badmus expressed concern over what the group sees as a troubling trend of biased and provocative judgments that could undermine the nascent democracy in the country. AYRIN urged President Tinubu to urgently call the judiciary to order through the Chief Justice of Nigeria, emphasizing the potential consequences of annihilating opposition parties’ victories through questionable legal decisions.

The statement highlighted recent judgments by the Court of Appeal concerning governorship elections in Zamfara, Plateau, and Kano states. AYRIN condemned what it perceived as the court’s desperation to undermine democracy, especially through the use of technicalities to overturn the decisions of millions of voters.

The group drew specific attention to the judicial confusion surrounding the Kano State governorship election, describing it as alarming. AYRIN criticized the Court of Appeal for delivering conflicting judgments and accused it of mistakenly including contradictory conclusions in the True Certified Copy of the judgment.

AYRIN argued that this judicial debacle in Kano state goes beyond a mere typographical error, as claimed by the Court Registrar. The group asserted that the situation, particularly where costs were awarded, requires comprehensive reform within the judiciary.

In a direct call to action, AYRIN called on President Tinubu, eminent members of the bench (both retired and serving), and legal professionals to take a keen interest in the unfolding scenario. The group emphasized that the situation in Kano cannot be rectified through the usual ‘slip rule’ and urged swift action to uphold the integrity of the judiciary and protect the hard-earned democracy that many Nigerians have fought for, both past and present.