NDC deregistration: Peter Obi once benefitted from judicial decisions — Gov Sani
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has urged politicians to refrain from politicising judicial decisions, saying the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, was among those who had benefited from court rulings in the past.
Speaking during an exclusive interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Sani reacted to concerns surrounding the Federal High Court’s ruling affecting the registration of the NDC, stressing that confidence in the judiciary remained critical to the survival of Nigeria’s democracy.
The governor said politicians should not applaud the courts when judgments favour them and condemn the judiciary whenever decisions go against their interests.
For some of us that believe in democracy, rule of law, judiciary, we believe we have to be very careful. Politicizing every judicial issue is not healthy for us,” he said.
Recalling Obi’s political history, Sani noted that the former Anambra State governor had secured his mandate through a landmark judicial pronouncement.
Because many actors that are involved, they were also beneficiaries of some judicial decisions in this country. Whether the leader of NDC himself—I mean the presidential candidate, Peter Obi—remember he was also someone that benefited from a very strong judicial pronouncement when he was governor.
When it favors politicians, they feel the judiciary is the best place to go. When it goes against them, they feel the judiciary is the worst place to go,” he added.
While acknowledging that no judicial system is perfect, the governor insisted that democrats must continue to place their trust in the courts and other democratic institutions.
“You have to understand, if you’re a democrat, believe in the system. Believe in our judiciary. I have no doubt in my mind. Our judiciary is not perfect. Neither is it perfect anywhere in the world. But in any case, can we have faith in the system?” he said.
Sani also dismissed allegations that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or President Bola Tinubu’s administration was behind the internal challenges confronting opposition parties.
What is the evidence that the ruling party is involved in what is happening to them? If you ask me, sincerely speaking, it’s simply because they are only jumping from one party to another looking for just a platform to contest the election. They are not organised,” he said.
He argued that political parties built solely as vehicles for elections, instead of on shared ideology, would continue to struggle to remain united.