Chinedum Treasure
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi has described recent court ruling delivered in Lokoja as “an unnecessary serious setback for Nigerian democracy
Obi who made the statement on Friday after learning of the judgment while attending an engagement at Madonna University, Okija, warned that it further weakens the country’s democratic institutions.
According to Obi, he received news of the court’s decision through former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, after a day that had taken him from Lagos to Emekuku.
He was in the town to inspect projects he had previously funded at the School of Nursing Sciences, including a computer laboratory, and later to the 80th birthday celebration of Emeritus Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Dr. Anthony Obinna.
Reacting to the judgment, Obi said every Nigerian committed to the nation’s progress should be deeply concerned, describing the ruling as another setback for democracy and the institutions upon which Nigeria’s future depends.
He lamented what he described as a growing pattern of weakening democratic institutions, arguing that some individuals who profess to defend democracy now appear determined to undermine the very institutions that sustain it.
According to him, this trend erodes public confidence and threatens the future of millions of Nigerians.
The NDC presidential candidate expressed concern that both the legislature and the judiciary are increasingly being drawn into institutional decline, stressing that democracy cannot flourish where institutions lose their independence and credibility.
Obi maintained that those seeking to weaken Nigeria’s democratic foundations would ultimately fail. He recalled that when a similar situation recently affected the ADC, he publicly condemned it, insisting that his position has always been guided by principle rather than political convenience.
“My concern is not about who becomes President. My concern is that Nigeria works,” Obi said, urging political leaders to move beyond the pursuit of power and focus instead on building a united nation founded on justice, strong institutions, the rule of law, and equal opportunity.
He called on Nigerians to rise above partisan interests and defend the country’s democratic institutions, insisting that the survival of Nigeria’s democracy is inseparable from the survival of the nation itself.
About Author
