Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, has said that everyone who loves Nigeria should no longer allow politicians to destroy the country’s courts.
Ezekwesili urged Nigerians not to let politicians demolish the judiciary without a struggle.
The former Minister issued the warning in a post on her social media site, X, on Monday.
Ezekwesili’s statement follows the start of hearings in the Supreme Court of appeals filed by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, seeking to unseat President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal affirmed Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election, Atiku, Obi, and the APM each filed a separate appeal before the Supreme Court asking for the outcome to be declared invalid.
Ezekwesili, however, believed that there was more to a nation’s judicial system’s independence and integrity than most people realise.
She said:
“The integrity and independence of a country’s judiciary goes deeper than many think.
“It is in fact everything in a constitutional democracy and so we must not allow politicians to destroy our judiciary without a fight.
“Take the matter of economic prosperity.
It is impossible for a people to prosper without attracting investments into their economy.“Do you know that Board rooms of investors everywhere place Judicial Independence and Integrity at the top of what persuades them to invest in one country and not the other?
“Anyone who cares about Nigeria must not permit politicians to desecrate our judiciary anymore.
“Even more, the judiciary itself – justices, judges, magistrates, etc – must care enough about Nigeria and her citizens, to fight off encroachment of their independence, no matter the cost or benefit to self.”
cc: Daily Post Ng
