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By Oluyemi Ogunseyin
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 tribunals judgement affirming President Bola Ahmed Tinubus 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 judiciarys 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 societys 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.
