Concerned by Justice Odili’s pre-judgment remarks, LP

The comment made by retired Supreme Court Justice Mary Odili concerning the impending ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Court has drawn criticism from the Labour Party, which views it as a preemptive declaration.

In a statement released in Abuja, the party’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, voiced the party’s worries and emphasised the importance of bringing attention to the development before to Wednesday’s PEPC verdict.

The unguarded remarks made by Justice Mary Odili, a former justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, last week in Abuja at a colloquium commemorating the 25 years since famous lawyer JK Gadzama was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, were made by Ifoh.And our party is shocked by certain people’s gloating about the result, including prominent lawmakers and serving ministers.

“We as a party see this as unfortunate and dangerous to our democratic journey as a nation when those who should know the importance of the sanctity of the judiciary descend to the arena of abusing it with their pre-emptive utterances just to show loyalty and support to their interests.”We also take note of the retired justice’s unwarranted profuse accolades of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s and the APC’s legal teams, even though the gathering was not theirs.

“We consider this to be incredibly dishonourable for a well-known jurist who reached the pinnacle of her career at the nation’s highest court and who, in her capacity as Chair of the body of benchers, ought to be leading the charge in upholding the integrity of the legal system.

Every astute observer following the happenings in Nigeria after the February 25th presidential election finds it puzzling that the PEPC, which initially baulked at providing live coverage of the petition hearings, is suddenly eager to broadcast the proceedings live.

“What is the reason behind the abrupt change in live coverage, which they claimed was a policy issue, at the delivery point between the hearing period and the judgement delivery?”

“We are aware of the efforts of the agents of the States to orchestrate problems and blame them on the political opposition,” the party spokeswoman continued.

“We want to underline that state security personnel have a duty to safeguard both those who are demonstrating and those who are not, and that it is the right of the people to demonstrate in a democracy.

“We beseech Nigerians to maintain composure and harmony, adhere to the law, and recognise that this issue has not yet achieved a rational and definitive resolution.

As important stakeholders in Nigeria’s project, we are concerned that Nigeria as a nation, not just an individual, is being undermined by all of these cunning attempts to play smart, especially when it comes to the democratic progress of the country.

“Anyone who loves this country should understand how important the rule of law and due process are to the future of this country.”