At the Justice Anthony Aniagolu Memorial lecture held at Godfrey Okoye University, GOUNI, in Enugu on Tuesday, Peter Obi, the Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, claimed that he had been the greatest beneficiary of the judiciary in the country during the era of incorruptible judges.
Delivering a lecture on “The Judiciary And The Future of Nigeria,” Obi said he won the election in Anambra State, and another candidate was declared the winner, so he approached the court for justice.
“I spent three years in court, and it was given to me. After a few months, I was impeached, but the 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,” he said.
The former Anambra governor, who noted that such jurists were hard to find in present-day Nigeria, said, “Our judiciary is weak and compromised by the executive and highest bidder.”
According to him, the future of society is compromised because the independence of the judiciary has been destroyed.
“We need a strong judiciary to fight criminality. The 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.
“And it is a strong judiciary that makes businesses, investments and democracy to thrive,” Obi said.
He pointed out that the Independent National Electoral Commission was not the problem of Nigeria but the judiciary, whom those denied their rights approached but ended up being disappointed.
Obi explained that institutions were weak because there was no strong judiciary where litigants could report wrongdoings and obtain the desired justice.
Proffering solutions, Obi advocated for the independence of the 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”.
In a remark, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, represented by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Emmanuel Obi, described the lecture as “apt”.