JUST IN: Kila criticises court ruling on NDC, warns against judicial interference in politics

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — Professor Anthony Kila, Director of the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies, has criticised the recent Federal High Court ruling in Lokoja ordering the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), warning against what he described as growing judicial interference in Nigeria’s political process.

Speaking on the Arise Television Morning Show on Monday, Kila said the judiciary was becoming excessively involved in partisan politics, a development he argued could undermine the country’s democratic system.

“You can just go about deregistering political parties. Our partisan politics should not corrupt our political process,” he said.

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He argued that democratic principles require electoral regulators and institutions to encourage political participation rather than restrict it.

According to Kila, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should publicly condemn actions capable of weakening multiparty democracy, including judicial decisions that remove political parties from the electoral process.

“When you manage an organisation that is too big to fail, your mindset is keeping them alive, not destroying them,” he said.

Kila also called for far-reaching constitutional reforms to strengthen the independence of key democratic institutions, particularly the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He criticised the current process in which the executive appoints the heads of institutions expected to act independently.

“We live in a system where the executive power buys them cars and houses. Let us reform our Constitution to make sure no president or governor nominates anyone,” he said.

The political analyst further advocated stronger accountability within the judiciary, saying judges who deliver what he described as frivolous or controversial judgments should be subject to appropriate disciplinary measures.

“If a judge makes a case that smacks of judicial rascality, we need to hear the bench speak immediately. But now the bench seems slow and silent,” he said.

Kila maintained that Nigeria’s democratic institutions could only function effectively if they were insulated from executive influence.

“We need to come up with plans to make our national institutions independent. One arm cannot nominate another arm of government and expect that arm to be independent. We need a radical shift,” he said.

He identified the appointment process for the INEC chairman and heads of other national institutions as one of the areas requiring urgent constitutional reform, arguing that greater institutional independence would strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.