Obi: Nigeria’s judiciary weak, compromised by highest bidders

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, says he was the highest beneficiary of judiciary in the country when there were incorruptible judges.

Obi said this at Justice Anthony Aniagolu’s Memorial Lecture organised by the family and hosted by the Godfrey Okoye University (GOUNI) in Enugu on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.

Delivering a lecture on the topic ‘The Judiciary and the Future of Nigeria’, Obi said he won the gubernatorial election in Anambra State and when another candidate was declared winner, he approached the court for justice.

The two-term former governor said: “I spent three years in court and it was given to me and after few months I was impeached but judiciary restored me to power.

“After one year in office, they conducted another election and elected another person.

“But I went to Supreme Court where judges with respect for the rule of law reinstated me to complete my tenure.

“All these things happened because there were incorruptible and independent judges.”

Obi, who noted that such jurists were hard to find in present-day Nigeria, added: “Our judiciary is weak and compromised by the executive and highest bidder.

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“The future of our society is compromised because the independence of the judiciary has been destroyed.

“We need a strong judiciary to fight criminality. Rule of law is the foundation on which any society survives and develops and the only thing that makes it sacrosanct is the independence of the judiciary.

“It is a strong judiciary that makes businesses, investments and democracy thrive.”

Obi stressed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not the problem of Nigeria but the judiciary whom those denied their rights approached but ended up being disappointed.

The former governor said Nigerian institutions are weak because there is no strong judiciary where litigants could report wrongdoings and get desired justice.

Proffering solutions, Obi advocated for independence of judiciary and non-interference by the executive, saying: “As a governor, I never appointed any judge but left the power to the Chief Judge.

“I bought cars for them but never appointed any judge throughout my tenure.”

Obi, however, extolled Aniagolu for his exemplary life, stressing that he served his country and practised law in an exemplary manner.

Also speaking at the event, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Emmanuel Obi, described the lecture as “apt”.

Mbah said the state has made several laws, noting that the government used the instrument of law to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

The Star