The All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised that the call in some quarters, on the basis of constitutional provisions, to subject candidates seeking political offices in the country to psychiatric tests, to prevent people with a mental imbalance from taking over the affairs of state.
According to the party, the attack on judges in Ekiti State has shown the importance of psychiatric testing for prospective political office holders.
APC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed after a sitting on the matter by the National Judicial Council (NJC) said “Now that the Chief Judge of Ekiti has confirmed, in a petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC), that Fayose was complicit in the attack, the NJC should treat the issue expeditiously by taking a decisive action that will make it very costly for anyone to ever attack a judge again.
“The need to act is urgent so that no judge gets killed simply because some powerful personality does not like his or her ruling. Had the relevant authorities acted with dispatch when another court in the same state was invaded by pro-Fayose thugs earlier the same week, the attack on Justice Adeyeye would have been averted,” it said.
According to the party, no decent society tolerates attack on judges, as it portends danger for democracy.
The party also slammed the police authorities in Ekiti State for not protecting judges and lawyers from hoodlums who attacked the state High Court on September 25th.
APC called on the IG to sanction the policemen, “who stood idly by as thugs were attacking judges, lawyers, litigants and others.”
The APC reiterated its call for the arrest of Ekiti State Governor-elect Ayodele Fayose, who allegedly led thugs to attack a judge of the High Court, saying the police “must always carry out its constitutional duties no matter which politician is flouting the law”.
According to the party, it is more important to ensure judges are secured and the administration of justice in unfettered as this transcends politics.
The APC also appealed to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to look into the matter and ensure that anyone found guilty of the senseless attack on judges does not go scot-free. Fayose should therefore be prosecuted as soon as possible before Fayose assumes office.
