The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Mukhtar, has stated that there is no middle ground and no room on the bench for those found to be contemptible arbiters of truth as the 25 newly appointed judges of the Court of Appeal took the judicial oath at the Supreme Court on Monday, 24th March, 2014.
Furthermore, she reiterated her zero tolerance for corruption as she advised the judges to be politically-neutral in the dispensation of justice, reminding the judges that after the forthcoming general election, they would be called upon to adjudicate in elections tribunals.
Hear her: “As judicial officers you will soon be presiding over election cases, among others, therefore, as judges you must be politically neutral and rise up to safe guard our democracy, and ensure the rights of litigants and the tenets of justice are upheld and help to dispense justice for the purpose of safeguarding and protecting our constitution and its goals.”
She urged them to do their job with honesty so as to sustain public confidence in the judiciary and to bear in mind that the right to implement legal authority in any matter was predicated upon public opinion, and ethics.
“Public confidence in the judicial system rests on public trust and perception as well as the established and sustained propriety of the judiciary which help to encourage citizens’ readiness to comply with the law,” she emphasized.
According to her, societal perception of the integrity of the judicial system occupies an important role in the assistance of social order by directing the law in a manner that guarantees the important requirements of justice.
For this reason, she advised them to contribute their best to efficiently administer justice to the best of their ability.
She stood on her grounds that the judges maintain true allegiance to their judicial oaths and abide by the demands of the Code of Conduct for judicial officers.
judith amarachi ugoh
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