The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress,APC, has described remarks attributed to a chieftain of the African DemocraticCongress, ADC, Kenneth Okonkwo, suggesting that President Bola Tinubu can now“rule Nigeria with the military” following a Supreme Court verdict relating tothe emergency rule in Rivers State, as “reckless and misleading”. The party said such remarks by Okonkwo were not only falsebut also “intellectually dishonest”, stressing that Supreme Court verdicts arenot military decrees. Mogaji Seye Oladejo, spokesman of the state arm of theparty, said the Supreme Court did not suspend democracy in Rivers State butmerely interpreted the law as empowered by the Nigerian Constitution. In a statement he signed, Oladejo said that in aconstitutional democracy, court decisions may disappoint political actors, butthey are binding on all. According to Oladejo: “A Supreme Court judgment is thehighest expression of constitutional authority in a democracy. It is neither amilitary fiat nor an executive directive. To deliberately conflate a judicialverdict with military rule is to either misunderstand the basic workings ofdemocracy or to willfully mislead the public for partisan ends. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, contrary to the alarmistnarrative being peddled, has neither sought nor exercised extra-constitutionalpowers. His democratic credentials are well established. He was a frontlineopponent of military dictatorship, a victim of repression, and a contributor tothe restoration of civil rule in Nigeria. The suggestion that such a leaderwould now govern by military proxy is as absurd as it is insulting. “What is evident from Mr. Okonkwo’s commentary is a familiaropposition reflex: when the courts do not validate their politicalexpectations, they attempt to delegitimise the judiciary and sow fear among thepopulace. This pattern of crying dictatorship at every unfavourable verdict isirresponsible and dangerous. “More troubling, however, is the fact that this brand ofanti-democratic rhetoric and the sheer promotion of anarchy now appear to bethe default response of the opposition to constitutional setbacks. Thisconstitutes the single greatest danger to our nascent democracy. When politicalactors deliberately undermine confidence in the courts and demonise lawfulauthority, they weaken the very foundations of the republic they claim todefend.” Oladejo noted that Nigeria remains a constitutionaldemocracy governed by laws, institutions and the separation of powers. He said: “The military is under civilian control asprescribed by the Constitution, and there has been no action, directive orpolicy under President Tinubu that suggests otherwise.” The Lagos APC called on all well-meaning Nigerians,democrats and patriots to condemn what it described as a new low from theopposition in its entirety. “Supreme Court verdicts are instruments of justice, notinstruments of tyranny. They strengthen democracy; they do not destroy it,” headded.
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