Tribunal: Reaffirm your independence, Obi tells judiciary

[Chukwuemeka Okala]

 

Tribunal: Reaffirm your independence, Obi tells judiciary

29th May 2023

The Labour Party presidential candidate during the last presidential election, Peter Obi, has urged the Nigerian judiciary to utilise the election cases before it to reaffirm its integrity.

Obi, a former Anambra State governor, also urged Nigerians to face the current reality and seek ways to change the bad narratives through legal and acceptable means.The former governor made the call on Monday morning, hours to the inauguration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.

The PUNCH reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Tinubu the winner of the February 25, 2023, presidential poll. The former Lagos State governor defeated Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party to win the election.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, Obi and Atiku approached the court to reclaim their “mandate”. The duo claimed the election was marred with irregularities and that they both won the poll.

But in a series of tweets on his verified Twitter handle on Monday, Obi explained that it had become imperative for Nigerians and his supporters to review “our missed opportunities and disappointments”.

He also said it was important for the Nigerian judiciary to prove its independence to Nigerians.

“For all Nigerians, this is a time for deep reflection. It is also a time to re-examine our assumptions, even as we reaffirm our hopes. Let us calmly review our aspirations, in order to recalibrate our expectations and pin down the causes of our missed opportunities and disappointments.

“We stand at that critical moment in time when, as a people, we must collectively come to grips with the reality of our injured destiny as well as the reasons for that injury. It is for us to reassess our plight as a young democracy and identify clear pathways to a better and greater future for us all.

“As we await the verdict of the election tribunal, I urge all Nigerians to use this opportunity to renew their commitment to the Nigerian ideal. That ideal remains noble and worth every sacrifice we can make.

“Nigeria remains our only patrimony and it is a patrimony we must protect, rather than violate. We have no other nation but this, so let us remain committed to rescuing and rebuilding it.

“The judiciary is part of the democratic enterprise and a critical governance tool for determining the propriety of the decisions and actions of every citizen and every institution of state. To that extent, and for that reason,

“I urge everyone to treat it with the respect and dignity it deserves. We expect that the Nigerian judiciary will use the election cases now before it to reaffirm its independence and integrity. It has to do so, for all our sakes and for itself.

“Nigerians must, therefore, remain peaceful and law-abiding. No matter the depth of anyone’s reservations about what is going on in the polity today, no matter the real and imagined provocations, and no matter the disagreement out there, we should remember that this will not last forever.

“I remain committed, and untiring, in my determination to work with like-minded fellow Nigerians to end the curse of missed opportunities and squandered hope that has become our lot here.

“I will never shrink from that original commitment, because I firmly believe that we must change from the present politics of criminality, and corruption, in order to make a new Nigeria possible.

“I call on fellow Nigerians, especially the youths to remain steadfast, calm, patient, and peaceful. Our journey may be long and difficult but it is worth it in every way. Victory is assured. We have to work together to move our beautiful country from corruption and criminality to a centre of productivity rather than aimless consumption.”

[afis 'Deinde]

FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU 29 MAY 2023

FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU 29 MAY 2023

THE NIGERIAN IDEAL:

My Fellow Citizens,

I stand before you honoured to assume the sacred mandate you have given me. My love for this nation is abiding. My confidence in its people, unwavering. And my faith in God Almighty, absolute. I know that His hand shall provide the needed moral strength and clarity of purpose in those instances when we seem to have reached the limits of our human capacity.

This day is bold and majestic yet bright and full of spirit, as is our precious nation.

As a nation, we have long ago decided to march beyond the dimness of night into the open day of renewed national hope.

The question we now ask ourselves is whether to remain faithful to the work inherent in building a better society or retreat into the shadows of our unmet potential. 

For me, there is but one answer. We are too great a nation and too grounded as a people to rob ourselves of our finest destiny.

This nation’s journey has been shaped by the prayers of millions, and the collective sacrifices of us all.

We have endured hardships that would have made other societies crumble.

Yet, we have shouldered the heavy burden to arrive at this SUBLIME moment where the prospect of a better future merges with our improved capacity to create that future.

To the surprise of many but not to ourselves, we have more firmly established this land as a democracy in both word and deed.

The peaceful transition from one government to another is now our political tradition. This handover symbolizes our trust in God, our enduring faith in representative governance and our belief in our ability to reshape this nation into the society it was always meant to be.

Here, permit me to say a few words to my predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari. Mr President, you have been an honest, patriotic leader who has done his best for the nation you love. On a more personal note, you are a worthy partner and friend. May History be kind to you.

For many years, Nigeria’s critics have trafficked the rumour that our nation will break apart, even perish.

Yet here we are. We have stumbled at times, but our resilience and diversity have kept us going. 

Our burdens may make us bend at times, but they shall never break us.

Instead, we stand forth as Africa’s most populous nation and as the best hope and strongest champion of the Black Race.

As citizens, we declare as one unified people devoted to one unified national cause, that as long as this world exists, NIGERIA SHALL EXIST.

Today, Fate and Destiny join together to place the torch of human progress in our very hands. We dare not let it slip.

We lift high this torch so that it might shine on every household and in every heart that calls itself Nigerian. We hold this beam aloft because it lights our path with compassion, brotherhood, and peace. May this great light never EXTINGUISH.    

Our administration shall govern on your behalf but never rule over you. We shall consult and dialogue but never dictate. We shall reach out to all but never put down a single person for holding views contrary to our own.

We are here to further mend and heal this nation, not tear and injure it.

In this vein, may I offer a few comments regarding the election that brought us to this juncture. It was a hard fought contest. And it was also fairly won. Since the advent of the Fourth Republic, Nigeria has not held an election of better quality.

The outcome reflected the will of the people. However, my victory does not render me any more Nigerian than my opponents. Nor does it render them any less patriotic.

They shall forever be my fellow compatriots. And I will treat them as such. They represent important constituencies and concerns that wisdom dare not ignore.

They have taken their concerns to court. Seeking legal redress is their right and I fully defend their exercise of this right. This is the essence of the rule of law......(1)

Shikena,

Afis

“Hell is empty and all the Devils are here”, by Shakespeare in The Tempest.

Sent from my iPhone

On May 29, 2023, at 3:35 AM, Chukwuemeka Okala <reu...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:



[Drs Ola & Funmi Kassim]

Quote:

"But in a series of tweets on his verified Twitter handle on Monday, Obi explained that it had become imperative for Nigerians and his supporters to review “our missed opportunities and disappointments”.

He also said it was important for the Nigerian judiciary to prove its independence to Nigerians."---Peter Obi

UnQuote

Dear All:

Peter Obi is human after all. He is not as some have presented him, 

a leader that the Almighty God specifically anointed to take

over the governance of Nigeria on this day May 29, 2023.

He has admitted in the referenced series of tweets above  that the Labour

Party and his presidential campaign organization had some "missed opportunities 

and disappointments."

The above are suggestive of the words of a candidate who has personally admitted

(to himself) that he lost the elections fair and square and that the irregularities that occurred

during the elections were insufficient in their magnitude and pervasiveness to have

catapulted him from a third place finisher to being declared as the winner of the

elections. 

Peter Obi is engaging in post electoral autopsy. Let us hope he learns a few

things from the autopsy report enough to help him succeed if he decides to contest

in a future presidential elections in Nigeria.

Bye,

Ola

 

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[Nebukadineze Adiele]

The above are suggestive of the words of a candidate who has personally admitted (to himself) that he lost the elections fair and square and that the irregularities that occurred during the elections were insufficient in their magnitude and pervasiveness to have catapulted him from a third place finisher to being declared as the winner of the elections. (Olola Kassim)

My dear Olola Kassim,

If you were in an English language class and you were assigned to summarizing Obi's speech, if you turned in the above, you would score a comfortable F9 and then sent to remedial classes because you wouldn't be ready for majoring in English or in any subject that requires reading comprehension, logic, and deduction skills. There is nothing in reviewing “our missed opportunities and disappointments” that would lead anyone versed in English or in Logic to draw the type of conclusion that you boldly drew. 

Not only did you not post Obi's tweet, it also smacks of intellectual malpractice for you to have drawn a conclusion of his speech based on this mere phrase and a writers claim that he asked for a review. What gave you the lead into asserting that "missed opportunities and disappointments" means admission of losing an election fairly and squarely? What if he was not referring to the election? Your conclusion is as quantum a leap into logical absurdity as the couple that transitioned into the opposite sexes and got married to marry each other expecting sane people to seeing logic in their bizarreness. 

Any interpretation of the phrase (which you excerpted) away from Peter Obi having resigned to the reality of Tinubu getting sworn-in today as president, and that the fight continues with an expectation that the judiciary would do its job as expected of it, would be an assault on English language and Logic. Let us all try not to devalue our intellect and statesmanship on Tinubu's Yoruba tribalism-tinged presidency. Above all, the Nigeran Supreme Court has set a precedent, via its ruling on Uzọdimma v. Ihediọha, that the position assigned to a contestant by INEC at the end of an election does not matter in finally determining who is the legitimate winner of such an election. Your joining others to fixating on Obi's coming 3rd has no intellectual merit since Uzọdimma came 4th in the election that the Supreme Court later declared that he was the winner; Obi and Tinubu are heading to the same Supreme Court. 

Nebukadineze Adiele
Organized religion sired irrationality.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/naijaobserver/263639231.2070726.1685368675601%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Kayode Adebayo]

Dumbest Obidiot Who Failed High School English Called Nebukadimonkey Adiele: 

"Missed Opportunities" by Peter Obidiot, means:

1. Peter Obidiot had opportunity to build a political structure, but he failed to do so and he lost woefully.

2. Peter Obidiot had the opportunity to be Atiku's Vice President, but he failed woefully to do so. 

3. Peter Obidiot had the opportunity to be Tinubu’s minister when Tinubu invited him, but failed to honor the invitation. He is now jobless.

What a idiot. You wonder why you had F9 in WAEC English.

Go back to High School, you moron of Mbaise Bush.

Hahaha!

Kayode

[Kayode Adebayo]

4. It also means Peter Obidiot had the opportunity to concede the election, accept defeat and save face, but he didn't do so. Now he is all alone and crying in Anambra.

What an idiot!

Kayode

[Nebukadineze Adiele]

Deranged Ape, 

Is semi-literacy killing you? Where did I write that "missed opportunities and disappointments" doesn't mean any of the things you listed? I only said that it could not mean admitting to losing an election fairly and squarely. Yes, if we have the full text of his tweet, "missed opportunities and disappointments" could mean any or all of those things you listed, plus more.

Stop being a pathetic dumb ass, Kayode Adebammuọjọ, you go into subject matters that you are absolutely illiterate in and dumb about shamelessly. Stop it, dummy!

Nebukadineze Adiele
Organized religion sired irrationality.