‘You Are Shameless’ — ADC slams APC for praising Tinubu, Wike over Judges’ Quarters

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its celebration of newly commissioned residential quarters for judges in Abuja, describing the action as inappropriate and potentially damaging to public confidence in the independence of the judiciary.

In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC argued that while judicial officers deserve decent accommodation, security and welfare, such provisions should not be presented as personal achievements or favours granted by political office holders.

According to the opposition party, the construction of judges’ quarters and other judicial infrastructure projects are constitutional responsibilities of government funded with public resources and should not be converted into partisan political achievements.

The ADC’s reaction followed remarks by the APC praising President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the commissioning of an ultra-modern Court of Appeal Complex and a 20-unit residential estate for Court of Appeal Justices and Federal High Court judges.

The ruling party had described the projects as evidence of the Tinubu administration’s commitment to strengthening democratic institutions, promoting the rule of law and supporting judicial independence.

However, the ADC rejected that narrative, warning that portraying judicial welfare as a product of executive generosity sends the wrong signal to Nigerians and raises concerns about the proper separation of powers.

“The issue is not the construction of the quarters itself, but the dangerous impression of the Executive arm of government presenting itself as the benefactor of another constitutionally independent arm,” the party stated.

The ADC argued that judicial independence should be measured by institutional autonomy, financial independence, security of tenure and freedom from political pressure rather than by infrastructure projects commissioned by politicians.

The party further described the APC’s celebration of the projects as an attempt to cultivate the perception that judges should be grateful to political leaders for benefits that are, in reality, funded by taxpayers.

It also warned that such actions could deepen existing public concerns about the relationship between the Executive and the Judiciary, especially at a time when courts continue to determine election petitions, constitutional disputes and politically sensitive cases.

The opposition party maintained that public institutions should not be transformed into instruments of political patronage, insisting that the judiciary belongs to the Nigerian people and not to any political party or government official.

The ADC also urged members of the judiciary to remain conscious of the ethical implications of their relationship with political office holders, stressing that public trust in the courts can only improve when judges are seen as accountable solely to the Constitution and the law.

“The independence of the courts is too important to be sacrificed on the altar of political vanity and partisan self-congratulation,” the statement added.