•Formally rejects Supreme Court Judgement and calls for judicial reform as well as return of the Nigerian People’s Sovereignty to Nigerians

The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) USA has formally rejected the Supreme Court judgement on the February 25, 2023 presidential election, drawing a parallel between it and the annulled June 12, 1993 poll.

“Justice Musa Muhammad Dattijo’s recent proclamation on the state of the Nigerian judiciary serves as a compelling validation of NADECO USA’s long-standing concerns. His departure from the apex court marked an occasion for a sober reflection, with particularly damning critiques of the judiciary and Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN Olukayode Ariwoola.

“The hallowed image of the Supreme Court of Nigeria as the bastion of justice for the common man has been significantly tarnished in the eyes of the nation’s populace, and NADECO USA is no exception to this disillusionment. In this vein, the organization unequivocally rejects the Supreme Court’s judgment rendered on October 26, 2023, regarding the February 25 presidential election,” NADECO USA said in a statement issued on Sunday, October 29, 2023.

NADECO USA in the statement signed by the Executive Director, Lloyd Ukwu, Esquire, and Publicity Secretary, Comrade David Adenekan, drew “a disconcerting parallel between the events of February 25, 2023, and the historic June 12, 1993, election”.

“While the key distinction is the involvement of General Sani Abacha in the latter case and Mr. Bola Tinubu as a civilian candidate in the former, the fundamental principle of justice and the people’s trust in the judiciary remains steadfast.

Consider for a moment that, hypothetically, Abacha had secured a Supreme Court judgment declaring him the civilian President of Nigeria during the June 12 era—NADECO and the Nigerian populace would have, without hesitation, rejected such a judgment, regardless of its source at the apex court. This is analogous to NADECO’s rejection of the current judgment on February 25, 2023,” the coalition said.

NADECO USA “firmly” advocated “for a comprehensive and extensive institutional reform that transcends anything less than a complete overhaul. Nigeria urgently requires a fresh, organic constitution that accurately reflects the nation’s political history, both pre and post-independence.”

“While the Nigeria Supreme Court has delivered its judgment, the time has come for the true “People’s Supreme Court” to hold sway. Sovereignty inherently belongs to the people, and the transfer of such sovereignty from the populace to a select group of Nigerian elites, or to the so-called “last man standing”, is beyond the scope of judicial authority. No Nigerian court can diminish the inalienable sovereignty of the people,” NADECO USA said.