ABUJA – The National Rescue Movement (NRM) has called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to take urgent action against the manipulation of the judiciary by individuals seeking to undermine democracy.
The party made the appeal during a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday, coinciding with Nigeria’s Democracy Day celebrations.
The event was addressed by Prince Chinedu Obi, the National Chairman of the NRM, who highlighted the threats posed by undemocratic practices to Nigeria’s political stability.
Speaking on behalf of the National Management Committee (NMC), National Executive Committee (NEC), and NRM members, Obi condemned attempts to hijack the party’s leadership through frivolous court orders.
Obi detailed how certain individuals had allegedly manipulated the Federal High Court to issue an order of mandamus compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize an unauthorized NRM convention.
“This is a clear case of forum shopping and judicial manipulation,” Obi stated.
The NRM chairman emphasized that such actions pose a significant threat to internal party democracy and the rule of law.
“Democracy is unarguably the best form of government, but our democracy is under threat due to the activities of certain undemocratic forces,” he said.
The party also commended INEC for upholding democratic principles by refusing to recognize the purported convention and instead monitoring the NRM’s legitimate emergency National Convention held on April 14, 2025.“INEC’s actions demonstrate its commitment to promoting internal party democracy and compliance with the constitution,” Obi noted.
In a direct appeal to the judiciary, the NRM urged the CJN to caution judges against succumbing to the antics of individuals exploiting the legal system.
“We will not sit and await miscarriage of justice at the trial courts until the intervention and meticulous judgment of the Supreme Court,” Obi declared.
The party also called on the media to play a more active role in exposing undemocratic practices.
“We ask the media to be vigilant and engage more in investigative journalism to fish out, name, and discourage the antics of enemies of our democracy,” Obi said.
The NRM’s press conference concluded with a pledge to submit a petition to the CJN, seeking to prevent further abuse of the judicial process.
“We will not tolerate any acts of impersonation or misinterpretation of judgments,” Obi reaffirmed.
