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Fred Ezeh, Abuja and Gyang Bere, Jos
Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad, has cautioned that no nation can grow politically, economically and enjoy peace and unity when its government or influential citizens chose which court order to obey based on how it favours them or their associatesc
Speaking at the 2019 last quarterly meeting of religious leaders under the umbrella of Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), the Sultan who is the co-chairman, cautioned against the devastating effects of disobedience to court pronouncement and bad precedence it will set for unborn generations.
“We must regularly obey and respect the laws our land. We should never disregard the laws to avoid the consequences. If a court makes a judicial pronouncement on a particular matter, it should be obeyed to the later. If you have any problem or disagree with the pronouncement, the next step is to appeal the pronouncement instead of disregarding or violating court judgments.
“If you are served a court order and you deliberately refused to obey it because you are a Governor, President or any influential person, then you are setting a dangerous precedence. There’s no society that will prosper through lawlessness. Citizens must be law abiding so that we can achieve the desired development.”
He appreciated the role of the religious leaders throughout the year particularly as it concerns the 2019 elections, and challenged to always ensure that outcome of the quarterly meeting of NIREC is properly put to use for the betterment of Nigeria.
In a related development, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to obey the rule of law and the Constitution to avert anarchy.
He said since the DSS is the creation of the Constitution, it must operate within the ambit of the law and the Constitution, which President Buhari swore to protect.
“We the democrats of this country demand that this government must respect and obey our laws and the judiciary. The constitution clearly created a separation of powers between the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.
“The DSS’s desecration and affront of our Judiciary by arresting Omoyele Sowore in the court is an abbreviation which must be rejected and condemned by all progressives and right-thinking men and women of honour.”
He noted that what the DSS did was an aberration and desecration of Nigeria’s temple of justice.
“Nigerians home and abroad must condemn this lawlessness and a big slap on Nigerians’ faces. We commend the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), in its effort at defending our judiciary. We will not sit back and let our judiciary be intimidated by the executive arm of the Federal Government.”
Warning the DSS against over-running the judiciary, he said: “The judiciary is the last hope of the common man and our democracy. Anyone that wants to assault and desecrate it must be resisted by all legal means. Nigeria should not be turned into a Banana republic. It must at all times be guided and governed by rule of law. It must be vehemently condemned by all patriotic Nigerians.”
