A Former NBA President and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, JB Daudu has reacted to SAN Femi Falana’s assertion that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike cannot build houses for judges in the FCT. He identified that the purchase of vehicles, construction of residential quarters for judges, and renovation of courts, have often been labeled as attempts to induce or purchase justice.
He firmly rejected these allegations, describing them as untrue and malicious, aimed at damaging the judiciary’s reputation. He acknowledged the Honorable Minister of the FCT’s denial of any wrongdoing through his Special Assistant, stating that there is nothing illegal or unethical about the construction of judicial quarters by the executive branch. He emphasized that it is the doctrine of separation of powers that stands as a fundamental principle of constitutional law.
He said in a live coverage by Symfoni from 5:57, “In the past few months, a cross-section of the legal intelligence here have labeled the executives’ actions, like the purchase of vehicles and other hardware, the construction of official residential quarters for judges, the renovation of courts, and the construction of new courtrooms by the executive arm of government, states and federal, as amounting to inducements and the purchase of justice from the courts. From all available empirical evidence, the foregoing allegations are untrue and malicious and only designed to portray the judiciary in very bad light.
Even though the Honorable Minister of the FCT, through his Special Assistant, has denied that there is anything illegal, unlawful, unethical or unconstitutional in the building of judicial quarters by the executive arm of government, the same intelligence here is adamant in their position that such a measure is illegal and unethical because it amounts to a breach of the rules of the separation of powers.
I want to debunk this postulation by giving my brief description of my understanding of the doctrine of separation of powers. It is a basic principle of constitutional law that defines the functions and responsibilities of the three branches of government: the legislature, the executive, and judiciary framework. It is designed to prevent the concentration of power in any single entity, thereby safeguarding individual liberties and promoting a system of checks and balances.”