By Tony Adibe
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi has said that a compromised judiciary was the biggest threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), even with its obvious shortcomings, was not the real threat to Nigeria’s democracy, stressing that the activities of the judiciary in the dispensation of justice, and administration of rule of law, coupled with weak institutions, posed the biggest challenge to the country’s citizens.
Obi, who spoke during the 5th Justice Anthony Nnaemezie Aniagolu Memorial Lecture held at the Faculty of Law, Godfrey Okoye University (GOUNI), Enugu, insisted that Nigerians of goodwill must join hands to “dismantle rascality in the system” and build a future that was acceptable to her citizens.
“Whenever we talk about democracy, they will say the problem is INEC. But I tell you that it is not INEC. It is the judiciary. The Judiciary is the biggest threat to Nigeria. If our judiciary is effective, our businesses will thrive. Our judiciary has become transactional and depends on how much you pay. It has become difficult for people who don’t know people to get justice in the judiciary and at any point in time, where the judiciary is not working, the society suffers,” Obi stated on Tuesday before the huge crowd inside the large auditorium.
He quickly added: “The level of rascality going on in the country is because the judiciary is compromised If the system is not fair, we are finished. Go to prisons and see awaiting trial list of people. You will shed tears.”
NewsBits recalls that Justice Aniagolu retired from the Supreme Court of Nigeria on October 1987, having put in 22 years on the Bench, and 35 years as a member of the legal profession. He died in 2011and ever since the Aniagolus instituted the annual memorial lecture series in his honour. Many prominent Nigerians have been invited as guest speakers to discuss the way forward for the country. Legal luminary and human rights activist, Femi Falana delivered the year 2022 memorial.
The lecture was themed, “The Judiciary And The Future of Nigeria” and Obi was the guest speaker. Obi, therefore, advocated for stronger institutions and rule of law to save the country’s democracy and future of it’s people.
He insisted that the future of the country was seriously threatened by the purported compromise and transactional activities in the judiciary, emphasising that urgent steps need to be taken to rescue the country. Commenting specifically on the theme, ” The Judiciary and the future of democracy in Nigeria”, Obi said that it has become difficult for foreigners to invest in the country, “due to weak institutions, lack of rule of law and ravaging insecurity.”
According to him, “Nigeria has become a country where anything goes. There is no rule of law, there is almost no judiciary. It is a place where you can go to anywhere and they give you land. You pay into the government purse, and they issue you with receipts and the next governor will come and pull the place down without even looking at the papers. This is because there is no rule of law. You can push everybody down because there is no rule of law.”
Obi, who further bemoaned the implications of Nigeria having weak institutions, said: “It is impossible for people to invest in a society of such nature. Anybody calling foreign investors has to be sure there is security, strong institutions, and rule of law; in the absence of all these, makes it impossible for foreign or even locals to invest here.
“Whenever we talk about democracy, they will say the problem is INEC. But I tell you that It is not INEC. It is the judiciary. The Judiciary is the biggest threat to Nigeria. If our judiciary is effective, our businesses will thrive. Our judiciary has become transactional and depends on how much you pay. It has become difficult for people who don’t know people to get justice in the judiciary and at any point in time, where the judiciary is not working, the society suffers.”
Obi remembered that he was the greatest beneficiary of the judiciary, adding, however, that although he had gone to court to recover his election as governor of Anambra state, upturned his impeachment as well as recovered his tenure in office, he quickly emphasised that the judiciary then and now were not the same.
“This is not to say that there are no good and courageous judges presently, but they are very few. We need to have a situation where those who are ready to protect the sanctity of rule of law are more in number than those who will compromise it. Nigerians are suffering because those who have voice are very few. Majority in the system are not ready to do what is right and this is seriously affecting our development.
“In the absence of doing the right thing, the people suffer. Conflicting court injunctions everywhere is an indication that something is wrong with the system. Members of the judiciary should review their actions and activities to know how far they have been used to help the country.
“When we talk about the future of our country, it revolves around rule of law. The level of rascality going on in the country is because the judiciary is compromised. If the system is not fair, we are finished. Go to prisons and see awaiting trial list of people. You will shed tears.
“The days we had strong judiciary, people were able to challenge what was wrong. The days we had strong institutions, people were able to do things in the interest of the country. It is no longer like that.
“That is why people contest election to win at all costs and go to court to get endorsement. The future of Nigeria with what is happening today, with the level of lawlessness, if we don’t do anything, none of us will be here any longer. We have a problem that we all need to see how we can start solving. The biggest threat of Nigeria, and our democracy is the judiciary. Let us rise and be patriotic for the good of Nigeria.”
Obi, who also commented on the reported refusal of the Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly to swear in a PDP lawmaker declared by the Court of Appeal, said that the Speaker’s action was akin to contempt of court. He called on the Speaker to toe the path of justice and swear in the lawmaker in the interest of peace, justice, and fair play.
Commenting on the late Justice Aniagolu, Obi praised him for what he stood for while alive and served in the Supreme Court, and advised other justices to emulate him.
