Judges are not magicians nor soothsayers who employ the services of a magic wand or crystal ball in delivering judgments. Even if a Judge witnesses a murder firsthand, he or she is not at liberty to pass judgement without hearing the case and developing a strong evidence against the perpetrator of the crime.
The judgment in a case delivered by a judge is a function of the strength in the convincing evidential argument from the perspective of the plaintiffs or defendants in the matter before it.
The supreme court judgment today has further exposed the average Nigerian lawyer’s inability to prove a case beyond reasonable doubt. I find it unacceptable that having parted with a handsome oodles to fund a legal team, they appear ill-prepared, incompetent and unprofessional in handling a case. It is preposterous if you ask me.
The bench and the bar have got a long way to go. When cases that hitherto appear straight to the point are handled with levity and subsequently lost, it becomes a thing of concern .
It is embarrassing for a lawyer, not just an ordinary one but a senior one, to be chastised for rudimentary issues such as typographical errors, paragraphing, font size etc. It is, to put it mildly, expressing the height of incompetence and unprofessionalism having been paid for their professional services.
Shouting on social media does not translate to winning cases. If one cannot proof their case beyond the realms and fringes of reasonable doubt, then they know better than approaching the hallowed chambers of the courts to expect victory.
Plaintiffs must ensure that their lawyers do their due diligence properly before appearing before judges to argue their cases. They must give a good account of the outrageous amounts they charge for fees by digging deep for evidences, dotting their “i”s and crossing their “t”s and using their wits to outsmart their colleagues in order to get the buy-in of the judges thereby reposing the trust and financial commitment in them.
This is one judgment I think I do not see the fault of the supreme court judges.
I am only disappointed in the various team of representative lawyers.
By
Dr. Okeme Arome
State Secretary,
SDP, Kogi state.