Jonathan knocks judiciary over verdicts on political cases
….says Nigeria’s democracy at risk
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Abuja
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday, flayed the judiciary over what he described as disturbing judgements that have emanated from various courts in recent times.
Jonathan, who spoke at the 67th birthday celebration of a legal luminary, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, in Abuja, said he was worried about the way things are going in the country, especially as it relates to judgements on political cases.
He said a particular judgement that deeply perturbed him was the decision of the Supreme Court that a ward chairman of a political party could suspend the National Chairman of the party.
Querying the rationale behind such decision, Ex-President Jonathan maintained that what the apex court did was akin to turning democracy, which he described as a cone, upside down.
“When a cone is turned upside down, it cannot stand because any little thing that touches it will fall,” Jonathan added, insisting that such judgements were capable of destablising the democratic dispensation in the country.
According to him, empowering Ward Chairmen of political parties to suspend their National Chairmen was a deviation from the principle of natural justice.
“You cannot tell me that the head of a department can expel the vice chancellor.
“Since that judgement was given, it has created all forms of instability. The PDP is in crisis today because of that judgement. The APC also faced the same problem at a time.
“Look at how other nations work; I have never seen where the sub-unit disciplines the principal.
“I am therefore pleading with the Supreme Court to review that judgement because it had turned the cone upside down,” ex-President Jonathan added.
He made the observations shortly after he was brought to the podium by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Even though Obasanjo was originally named the Chairman of the occasion, however, while proceeding to the podium to make his remarks, he took Jonathan along with him, announcing that he would be the co-chairman of the event.
In his speech, ex-President Obasanjo merely extolled the virtues of Prof. Ozekhome, SAN, whom he described as both “an extraordinary man” and “a radical.”
“Mike is a person who advocates for thorough or complete positive change with conviction, courage, and integrity.
“That is the man that we have come to honour,” Obasanjo stated before he passed the microphone to Jonathan.
Prior to his remarks, Jonathan, who disclosed that he wrote the forward of one of the 50 books that were written and presented at the event by Ozekhome, SAN, said he knew that ex-President Obasanjo would not want to delve into the issue he pointed out about the judiciary and the recent judgements.
Meanwhile, before the duo left the podium, Obasanjo, who took back the microphone, said, “I know that former President Jonathan said that I would not want to say anything.
“But, I want to say that there is much to say and it is not yet time for it.”
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