Presidential candidate of the NDC, Peter Obi, has described the recent court judgment delivered in Lokoja as a serious setback to Nigeria’s democracy, warning that actions capable of weakening democratic institutions pose a grave danger to the country’s future.
Obi made the remarks on Friday after learning of the court ruling while attending official engagements in Imo State.
According to him, he had departed Lagos in the early hours of the day for Emekuku, where he visited the School of Nursing Sciences to inspect projects funded through his previous interventions, including a computer laboratory established to support learning.
He also attended the 80th birthday celebration of the Emeritus Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Dr. Anthony Obinna, whom he praised for his lifelong commitment to justice, peace and the common good, before proceeding to Madonna University for another engagement.
The former Anambra State governor said it was while at Madonna University that he received news of the Lokoja court judgment from former Kano State governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Obi expressed concern over what he described as a growing pattern of institutional decline in the country, stating that every Nigerian committed to national progress should be worried about developments capable of eroding public confidence in democratic governance.
“This judgment represents another setback for our democracy and the institutions upon which our future depends,” he said.
He lamented that some individuals who profess commitment to democracy now appear determined to undermine the very institutions that sustain it, adding that such actions threaten the confidence of citizens and endanger the future of millions of Nigerians.
Obi noted that both the legislature and the judiciary were increasingly being drawn into what he termed a pattern of institutional weakening, stressing that democracy cannot flourish where institutions lose their independence and credibility.
He maintained that those seeking to weaken Nigeria’s democratic foundations would ultimately not succeed, recalling that he had similarly criticised actions taken against the ADC when they occurred.
“My concern is not about who becomes President. My concern is that Nigeria works,” Obi said.
He urged political leaders to move beyond the pursuit of power and concentrate on building a nation founded on justice, strong institutions, the rule of law and equal opportunity.
The NDC presidential candidate also appealed to Nigerians to rise above partisan considerations and defend democratic values, insisting that the survival of the nation’s institutions is inseparable from the survival of Nigeria itself.
“It is when we work together that a new Nigeria of our dreams becomes possible,” he added.
