Ex-AGF: Politicians who rig elections shouldn’t expect God’s help

Kanu Agabi, former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, says the prayer of a politician who rigged his way into power is an abomination before God.

Agabi spoke when he appeared as a guest on Laolu Akande‘s “Inside Sources,” a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television on Sunday.

The former minister said there is a misconception about democracy among political parties in Nigeria.

“We believe that in politics, good and bad are equal. They are not,” he said.

“We believe that the end justifies the means. If you can get away with it, you can take it illicitly now and negotiate later. The political parties are not democratic institutions.

“They don’t comply with their own rules. They make peace and compromise. So as long as that is happening at the party level, what do you expect the end product to be? precisely the kind of problems that we’re now having. Primaries are rigged at the party level.

“But giving it a spiritual dimension, when you have stolen the office that you are holding, do you expect God to partner with you in it? No!

“Can you pray over that office? No, you can’t. Can you use it to do any good? You can’t. So that’s the problem.

“St. Paul said, I am an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the grace of God. Whatever office you hold, you must be able to say the same thing. You must be able to say, I am a governor by the grace of God.

“Yes, I am a senator by the grace of God. If you can’t say that, your prayer in calling upon the Lord to join you in that office is an abomination.”

‘JUDICIARY IS THE BEST ARM OF GOVERNMENT’

Speaking further, the senior advocate said the judiciary is the best arm of government, surpassing both the legislature and the executive.

Agabi said the hard work and dedication of judges are often overlooked by the public.

“The judiciary is better than the legislature, and it is better than the executive. I’ve been in the executive. I was a senator, right? Yes, the judiciary is the best arm of government. The problem is this, and people don’t know this; the judges work so hard,” he said.

“On the judges’ lists, there may be 30, or 40 cases a day. How can he cope? As long as they go on struggling with that system, they cannot cope.

“No matter what they are paid, if they are overwhelmed, they cannot cope.

“The problem of the judiciary arises from the fact that from the streets, we are not controlling ourselves. These matters end up in court.”

The former minister of justice said more judges should be appointed, adding that the jurisdiction of magistrates should be expanded.