In a recent development, Pauline Tallen, former Minister of Women Affairs, has extended a formal apology to the judiciary for her previous characterization of a court verdict as a “kangaroo judgment.” This apology comes in the form of a letter dated January 15, wherein Tallen clarified that her comments were not intended as a call for civil disobedience against judges or the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
The apology letter, addressing the judgment delivered on December 18, 2023, by the FCT High Court in suit No. FCT/HC/CV/816/2022 (The Incorporated Trustees of Nigerian Bar Association and Dame Pauline Tallen, OFR, KSG), expresses regret for the statement that the court’s decision in suit No. FHC/YL/CS/12/2022 (Mallam Nuhu Ribadu Vs APC & 3 Ors) should be rejected, deeming it a “kangaroo judgment.”
Tallen clarified, “The said statement was, by and large, misconstrued and quoted out of context, as it was not in any way, or by any stretch of the imagination, intended to malign or undermine the integrity of the nation’s judiciary, neither was it a call for civil disobedience against the Bar and the Bench.”
The former Minister had initially made the controversial remark in response to the federal high court’s October 2023 decision nullifying the candidacy of Aishatu Dahiru Binani, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate for Adamawa in the last general election.
Following her comments, President of the NBA, Yakubu Maikyau, urged Tallen to withdraw the statement and issue an unreserved apology to the court for the disparaging remarks. Subsequently, the NBA filed a suit against Tallen, leading to a high court in Abuja barring her from holding public office in December 2023.
The court issued an injunction restraining Tallen from holding any public office in Nigeria, with a provision that the injunction would become perpetual unless she complied with the directive to publish an apology within 30 days. In response, Tallen filed 32 grounds of appeal in January, seeking to overturn the lower court’s decision, citing a miscarriage of justice. The former minister has requested the court of appeal to set aside the judgment. The case continues to unfold, with legal proceedings expected to follow.