The flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP) during the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, on Tuesday called on the judiciary to uphold democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria.
Obi made this call on X
(formerly Twitter) after the Supreme Court on Monday reserved judgement in the
appeals filed by him and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, against the tribunal’s judgement affirming
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s election.
Obi in his post spoke on the
identity crisis and controversies that have continued to haunt the Nigerian
citadel of power since the February 25, 2023, presidential elections.
“There is this saying: “It Is
Not Titles That Honour Men, But Men That Honour Titles.”,” the former governor
of Anambra State wrote.
“The lofty titles that decorate
people in power have little meaning if there is a hollowness and falsehood
underneath them.
“Such titles which adorn those
in public office mean nothing if they are not original and are fake if those
who bear them have no honour to support the weight of the titles they carry.”
Obi stated that in situations
where there is public doubt as to the veracity and authenticity of these titles
and the claims behind them, it is the judiciary’s role, when called upon, to
uphold the honour of the titles through transparent rulings.
He added that it is only
through such judicial interventions that the public can be protected from the
tyranny of dubious and duplicitous characters and identity fraudsters.
The Labour Party presidential
candidate said that in such situations, the judiciary has a bounding duty to protect
society’s value system.
According to him, this is one of
the obligations of an impartial judiciary in a democracy because the rule of
law remains the lifeblood of democracy in all societies, by whatever
definition, across time.
Obi pointed out that it remains
the foundation for all our fundamental rights as humans. It is the rule of law
that binds society together.
“The expectation by the high
and low alike that their rights will be protected and respected by fair judges
in transparent courts is what keeps citizens’ loyalty and belief in democracy,”
he said.
“People, irrespective of their
station in life, approach the courts whenever they feel their rights are
assailed in the expectation that fair courts will render justice to them
according to law.
“However, when the fairness of
the judiciary is not assured and the transparency of judiciary operatives is
uncertain, the rule of law will come under severe threat.”
Obi added that once ordinary
people lose faith in the fairness of the judiciary, the rule of law is
threatened, and with it, faith in democracy comes under threat as well.
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