Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, chairman of the senate committee on judiciary, human rights and legal matters, has called on governors to implement autonomy of the judiciary in their states.
The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) is currently on strike to protest the government’s failure to implement autonomy for the judiciary.
Bamidele said an independent judiciary is needed for true democracy in Nigeria, adding that no one stands to lose anything with such in place.
He, therefore, wondered why the governors are reluctant to endorse the autonomy which had been approved by the national assembly at the federal level.
“Nobody stands to lose anything by granting independence to judiciary at the state level since it has been done at the national level. We are hereby calling on the state governors to do the needful because the independence of the judiciary is non-negotiable.
“No democracy can survive without being founded on the rule of law and independent judiciary.”
Bamidele said state houses of assembly must do “what they are supposed to do” and enact a law for the judiciary to be fully autonomous.
“The national assembly does not make laws for the states; such power resides in the state houses of assembly. Judiciary at the federal capital territory is independent because we have done what we are supposed to do.
“What is next is for the state houses of assembly to do what they are supposed to do.”
