The Labour Party has expressed worries over what it called a preemptive pronouncement by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Mary Odili, about Wednesday’s judgement of the 2023 Presidential Election Petition Court.
This was expressed in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, in Abuja, on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.
Retired Justice Odili, in her speech during a colloquium, organised in Abuja last week, to mark the 25th anniversary of the elevation of JK Gadzama, to the rank of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, praised Mr Wole Olanipekun SAN, who is defending President Bola Tinubu, noting that he is a professional in the field of litigation and master of electoral disputes whose expertise in tribunal litigation inspires confidence for victory.
Similarly, she praised the members of the presidential election petition, for being professionals in their field, noting that no amount of unguided statements and pressure from the people, will make them do their bidding.
Reacting to her comments, Ifoh said, “The unguarded statement from the former Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Justice Mary Odili, in Abuja, last week at a colloquium to mark the 25th anniversary of the elevation of a renowned jurist, JK Gadzama to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
“And the boasting of some persons, serving ministers and notable legislators about the outcome has left our party in shock.
“When those who should know the importance of the sanctity of the judiciary descend to the arena of abusing it with their preemptive utterances just to show loyalty and support to their interests, we as a party see this as unfortunate and dangerous to our democratic journey as a nation.
“We note also, the needless lavish showering of praises on the legal counsels of both APC and Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the retired Justice when the gathering was not theirs.
“We find this extremely undignified of a renowned jurist who rose to the peak of her career in the country’s Apex court and who as the Chairperson of the body of benchers, should be at the forefront of defending the virtuousness of the courts.”
