A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Buba Galadima, has criticised members of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, accusing them of lacking intelligence over their reaction to a court judgment involving the party.
Galadima made the remarks while fielding questions on African Independent Television, AIT, on Wednesday.
He said ADC members were celebrating the reported illness of Justice Peter Lifu, who delivered a ruling against the party, without understanding the legal implications of his absence from the country.
He argued that if the judge had travelled to Europe for medical treatment, it could delay the party’s ability to appeal the judgment because no other judge could sign the records of proceedings in his place.
Galadima said the ADC should be more concerned about securing the records required to challenge the judgment rather than celebrating the judge’s reported illness.
“You know there was a judgment against ADC, isn’t it? Yes. And I’ve just heard you read something that Dino Melaye said. They’ve got a true certified copy of the judgment, and I know some ADC people are jumping up and down that the judge (Peter Lifu) who gave a ruling against them has fallen ill and is supposed to be taken to hospital in Europe,” he said.
He added that the party’s members had failed to understand that the judge’s absence could prevent them from pursuing an appeal until he returned.
“I just found out that maybe there aren’t intelligent people in the ADC. They didn’t know that if that is true, it is deliberate to deny them appeal, because if the judge goes to London or Europe or anywhere and outside the country, the records of proceedings from his judgment cannot be signed by any judge.
“So no appeal could be had until he’s back. They didn’t know that they are playing on their intelligence, and that’s why Nigerian politicians are lazy. They don’t think,” he added.
The NDC chieftain also accused opposition politicians of intellectual laziness, saying they should understand the implications of the judge’s reported absence instead of celebrating it.
