A retired judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Buba, has said that politicians are overworking the judiciary to sustain the country's democracy.
Justice Buba spoke at a one-day workshop on Judicial Accountability, organised by TAP Initiative in conjunction with Open Society Foundation (OSF) in Abuja on the topic: "Impact of Judicial Accountability on Public Trust in the Legal System."
The retired former Federal High Court judge observed that if politicians play by the rules, a lot of cases ought not to have reached the courts in the first instance.
He said, "No amount of judicial activism by the judges can better a society if the political class is not willing to play by the rules of the game, according to the constitution of their parties enacted by them and given to them, and the Constitution of Nigeria.
"Obedience to court orders is sine qua non to order and good governance. If judgments of courts and court orders go forth without respect and come back without effect, society and by extension democracy will be endangered."
Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Director of Tap Initiative, Martins Obono, called for more accountability and transparency among judicial officers as a call to improve the judiciary and not to disrespect the judges.
