Opposition parties using social media to terrorise us, Supreme Court justices lament

The Supreme Court on Friday complained that opposition parties are deploying social media to terrorise the apex court and its justices, particularly over cases relating to the 2023 general elections.

This was contained in the judgement of the court in the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking the disqualification of President-elect Bola Tinubu and the vice-president-elect, Kashim Shettima, from the last election.

Before dismissing PDP’s appeal regarding the double nomination case against Mr Shettima, Justice Adamu Jauro, who delivered the lead judgement on the suit, described the use of social media by the appellants to terrorise and bully the justices of the Supreme Court as “appalling and unprofessional.”

“Using the social media to terrorise and bully the justices of the Supreme Court,” Justice Inyang Okoro wrote in his May 26 opinion, “is appalling and unprofessional.”

The PDP, in an appeal marked SC/CV/501/2023, had sought Mr Tinubu’s disqualification on grounds that his running mate was doubly nominated in violation of the Electoral Act.

The party claimed that the vice president-elect, Mr Shettima, was nominated twice, both for the Borno Central Senatorial District and for the vice presidential position at the same time.