By Alphonsus Nweze
The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), Nze Emeka Umeagbalasi, has said that the Chief Justice of the Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, is the major stumbling block on the way of getting justice from the Judiciary in the on-going Presidential Election Petition in Abuja
Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential candidate and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) dragged both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Ahmed Bola Tinubu, who was declared the winner of February 25 presidential election to Election Petition, both claiming they won the election.
They said in their petition that the conduct of the Presidential election did not substantially follow the provision of the Electoral Act 2022.
But Umeagbalasi said that the Election Petition Tribunal would strive to ensure justice to the parties as it would not be easy for them to dismiss the matter just like that because of the enormous consequences of doing that.
He said the electoral fraud through ballot box or judicial process has high consequences, warning that if the tribunal does not handle the matter with utmost care to ensure that justice is done , the consequences on Nigeria would be enormous.
“The country is now at cross-road. They want to use intimidation and propaganda to silence everybody but it is not possible. It can’t work,” he said.
The activist however said the Judiciary has the opportunity to redeem the country but lamented that the CJN was deeply involved and therefore cannot be neutral in the case.
Umeagbalasi alleged that the CJN has the capacity to betray the Judiciary and Nigerians, saying that up till now he has not openly come out to clear himself of his alleged trip to London where he was said to have met with Tinubu.
The Intersociety boss accused the British Government of being behind the alleged meeting and the plot to undermine democracy in Nigeria because of their economic interest.
“The British Government is fundamentally the problem of Nigeria.The role they played in Rwandan Genocide is not different from the role they are playing in Nigeria now,” he said.
Umeagbalasi said the British Government through their citizens and companies, Europeans like Belgium supplied arms and ammunition to parties in Rwandan Genocide.
“But we are telling them that the same thing they are doing in Nigeria since independence to this time. They should stare clear of our democracy and leadership,” said Umeagbalasi.
He flayed the eight years administration of Muhammadu Buhari as a flop, calling on whoever succeeds him to set up National Commission to study and review all Buhari’s policies and laws made under him.
He said Buhari should be made to render the account of his stewardship to NIgerians, saying that almost 95 percent of his policies and laws should be totally overhauled because rule of law and democratic ideals died natural death under his regime.
“Buhari’s administration was a disaster. There was nothing like rule of law, nothing like democracy, nothing like separation of powers. He wanted to islamise the country. There is no positive scorecard on Buhari’s administration,” he concluded.
