Nigeria needs strong judicial system to avoid anarchy ― Adebutu

A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, on Wednesday, emphasised that the nation’s judicial system must be strengthened to prevent anarchy.

He stated this while briefing newsmen during an interactive meeting with the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms.Harriet Thompsons, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, that a weak judiciary would not achieve justice and truth.

The former lawmaker who represented Remo Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber from 2011-2019 described the judgement of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal which validated the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari during the February 2019 election, as a sad narrative of the country’s judicial system.

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According to the PDP stalwart, there is a desperate need to strengthen the nation’s institutions, especially the judiciary, insisting that they must be allowed to function without threats and coercion.

“We saw the Supreme Court on Tuesday in Great Britain where eleven judges unanimously went against the position of the government. That is an institution working. We must work such that our institutions in Nigeria should work. We must work in a way that we prevent precedences that call into question our future existence.

“You do not have to go to the University again, you just have to swear an affidavit that you are a Professor. It is sad. We must gradually work towards a system where people can genuinely and legally pursue their ambitions and aspirations through a peaceful and legitimate means.”

“If you shut the doors to peaceful coexistence and peaceful expression of opinion and position, then you are deliberately calling for people to act in a way that is different from this. We do not want anarchy.  People must feel safe and secure to pursue their agenda.”

The former federal lawmaker said the meeting was further proof that Britain remains genuinely concerned about the plight of Nigerians, and are thus “willing to help the nation build a stable, progressive, fair and just society.”