The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has said judges are no longer appointed based on merit.
The former Vice President stated this on Monday during a World Press Conference at the National Secretariat of the PDP in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Atiku asserted that judges are now products of the interplay of politics and nepotism, adding that the appointment of electoral officials has also been hijacked by the ruling party, as seen in the latest nomination of Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC).
He said: “Judges are no longer appointed based on merit but are products of the interplay of politics and nepotism. Worse still, the appointment of electoral officials has also been hijacked by the ruling party, as seen in the latest nomination of Resident Electoral Commissioners, where card-carrying members of the ruling party and aides to politicians in the APC are being appointed into INEC. When two critical institutions like the court and the electoral commission are trapped in an evil web of political machination, it becomes next to impossible for democracy to thrive.
“As a stakeholder in the presidential election of February 25, I, along with other well-meaning Nigerians, have done my bit in ensuring that our democratic process enjoys the privilege of full disclosure of the character deficiencies of the current political leadership. I also believe that even if the Supreme Court believes otherwise, the purpose of technology in our electoral system is to enhance transparency and not merely as a viewing centre. We have to move with the world and not be stuck in time.”
