The presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi,
has, in his latest jibe at President Bola Tinubu, said titles don’t honour men
but men bring honour to titles.
In a veiled reference to the President, Obi in a statement
released by the Obi-Datti Media Office, late on Tuesday, declared that identity
crisis and controversies have continued to haunt the Nigerian citadel of power
since the February 25, 2023 presidential elections.
He said: “There is this saying that ‘It is not titles that
honour men, but men honour titles’.
“The lofty titles that decorate people in power have little
meaning if there is a hollowness and falsehood underneath them. Titles such as
“President”, “Governor” etc, which decorate those in public office, mean
nothing if they are not original and are fake if those who bear them have no
honour to support the weight of the titles they carry.
“In situations where there is public doubt as to the
veracity and authenticity of these titles and the claims behind them, it is the
role of the judiciary, when called upon, to uphold the honour of the titles
through transparent rulings.
… judiciary
“It is only through such judicial interventions that the
public can be protected from the tyranny of dubious and duplicitous characters
and identity fraudsters.
“In such situations, the judiciary has a bounding duty in
this regard to protect the value system of the society. This is one of the
obligations of an impartial judiciary in a democracy.
“The rule of law remains the lifeblood of democracy in all
societies and by whatever definition across time. It remains the foundation for
all our basic rights as humans.
“It is the rule of law that binds society together. The
expectation by the high and the low alike that their rights will be protected
and respected by fair judges in transparent courts is what keeps citizens’
loyalty and belief in democracy.
“People, irrespective of their station in life, approach the
courts whenever they feel their rights are assailed in the expectation that
fair courts will serve them justice according to law.
“However, when the fairness of the judiciary is not assured
and the transparency of judiciary operatives is uncertain, the rule of law will
come under severe threat.
“Once ordinary people lose faith in the fairness of the
judiciary, the rule of law is threatened. With it, faith in democracy comes
under threat as well.
“A society is endangered when the rule of the powerful, the
rich and the mighty replaces the rule of law.
“When that obtains, justice becomes a commodity to be traded
on between the rich and powerful on the one hand and a cult of corrupt
judiciary operatives on the other.
“When a democracy lives based on faulty justice, it opens
society to obvious dangers. Governments become subject to impunity and casual
violations of the rights of ordinary citizens.
“The rich and powerful can trample on the rights of the
lowly as there are no consequences for infractions or lawless acts. This can be
the groundwork for a democracy to graduate into an autocracy.
“US President Joe Biden could not be more apt when he said
‘For any young democracy, the most difficult but important step is burying the
legacy of tyranny and establishing an economy and a government and institutions
that abide by the rule of law’.”
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