Don’t Undermine Judiciary Over Unfavourable Rulings, Uba Sani Tells Politicians

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has cautioned political leaders against attacking the judiciary whenever court judgments do not favour them, noting that many prominent politicians, including the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, had previously benefited from judicial pronouncements.

Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, the governor addressed the controversy surrounding the Federal High Court’s decision on the registration of the NDC, stressing that preserving public confidence in the judiciary is essential to Nigeria’s democratic stability.

Sani argued that judicial decisions should not become subjects of political sentiment, warning that selective acceptance of court rulings weakens democratic institutions.

“For some of us that believe in democracy, rule of law, judiciary, we believe we have to be very careful. Politicizing every judicial issue is not healthy for us,” he said.

The governor recalled Peter Obi’s emergence as governor of Anambra State through a landmark court judgment, saying it demonstrated that judicial intervention has often protected democratic mandates.

“Because many actors that are involved, they were also beneficiaries of some judicial decisions in this country. Whether the leader of NDC himself—I mean the presidential candidate, Peter Obi—remember he was also someone that benefited from a very strong judicial pronouncement when he was governor.

“When it favors politicians, they feel the judiciary is the best place to go. When it goes against them, they feel the judiciary is the worst place to go,” he added.

While acknowledging that the judicial system is not without flaws, Sani maintained that democrats must continue to place their faith in the courts and other democratic institutions rather than discredit them over unfavourable outcomes.

“You have to understand, if you’re a democrat, believe in the system. Believe in our judiciary. I have no doubt in my mind. Our judiciary is not perfect. Neither is it perfect anywhere in the world. But in any case, can we have faith in the system?” he said.

The Kaduna governor also dismissed suggestions that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or the administration of President Bola Tinubu was responsible for the internal challenges confronting opposition parties.

Questioning the basis of such allegations, Sani said opposition groups were largely battling self-inflicted organisational problems.

“What is the evidence that the ruling party is involved in what is happening to them? If you ask me, sincerely speaking, it’s simply because they are only jumping from one party to another looking for just a platform to contest the election. They are not organised,” he said.

According to the governor, the persistent crises within opposition parties are rooted in internal struggles over presidential ambitions, leadership positions and power-sharing arrangements rather than interference from the ruling party.

He further argued that political parties established primarily as electoral platforms instead of being built around shared ideology and long-term political vision would continue to experience instability and internal divisions.