We find it particularly sad that Chief Bode George was accused of having a clear intent to blackmail the Judiciary, and with prejudice to the right of
By Moses Okorie
The Democratic Front (TDF) has strongly rebuked Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over his recent criticisms of a Court of Appeal judgement concerning the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The political pressure group described George’s remarks as a reckless attempt to blackmail the Nigerian judiciary, maintaining that the court merely performed its constitutional role as an impartial arbiter in an internal party dispute.
In a joint statement issued by TDF Chairman Danjuma Mallam Muhammad and Secretary Chief Wale Adedayo, the group expressed deep concern over what it called a calculated effort by opposition figures to delegitimize the justice system.
The TDF noted that as a former military administrator, Chief George ought to respect judicial boundaries rather than portray legitimate legal interventions as political conspiracies.
According to the TDF, the recent appellate court ruling did not disrupt democracy but rather protected it by upholding a prior order that restrains the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing controversial state congresses held by the ADC.
The group traced the roots of the ADC’s internal turmoil to high-handedness within the opposition leadership. According to the TDF, the crisis erupted when external elements overrode established party frameworks and abruptly dissolved validly elected State Executive Committees (EXCOs) before their tenures lapsed. The TDF argued that the Court of Appeal’s decision was a necessary intervention to correct these internal irregularities.
“We find it particularly sad that Chief Bode George was accused of having a clear intent to blackmail the Judiciary, and with prejudice to the right of aggrieved members of the ADC to seek redress in a court of law…
“The attempt by Chief Bode George and the other members of the opposition to spin the narrative as a conspiracy by the Judiciary against the ADC is irresponsible, rascally, and unfounded.”
Blaming the instability of opposition parties on internal greed and desperate power struggles rather than judicial interference, the TDF called on the public to disregard the ongoing negative narratives being pushed against the nation’s courts.