A human right lawyer, Barrister Kanmi Ajibola has petitioned the United
Nations (UN) over the persistence disobedience to court orders by
President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
The former Chairman of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ilesa, Osun State
branch in the letter addressed to the UN Secretary General urged the
international body to put pressure on Buhari to obey court orders and
allow full operation of the rule of law.
In the letter dated December 16 and forwarded to the UN’s New York’s
Secretariat same day and which he titled “Re: injustice here is a mark
of injustice everywhere”, Ajibola further sent the copies of his letter
to the European Union (EU), the African Union (AU) and the ECOWAS.
Parts of the letter reads, “For several decades, Nigeria was ruled by
military dictators, during which the political and human rights of
Nigerians were manacled until 29th May 1999 when the country returned to
democratic rule.
“From 29th May 1999 to 28th May of 2015, the Federal Government of
Nigeria disobedience to Court orders was not undauntedly conspicuous if
any.
“On the 29th May 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in as the
president and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, and re-elected and sworn in for another four year
term on the 29th day of May 2019.
“Since the ascendancy of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Nigeria
presidency, he has treated the rule of law and orders of competent
Courts with unprecedented despisement and disdain.
“In the almost five years of Buhari’s governance he has Disobeyers over
forty orders of competent Courts within the Nigerian and ECOWAS
jurisdictions.
Ajibola cited cases which involved Dasuki, El Zakzaky, Sowore, Shagari
and Labinjo as some of the matters Buhari’s administration had
repeatedly shunned courts’ pronouncements granting their bails.
While he reechoed objectives of UN, the human right activist noted that
obedience to court order and total submission to the rule of law is a
duty of very person, private and public institutions in the whole world.
According to him, wherever this is being flouted, everybody has a right
of duty and inborn locus standi to call for its correction.
“For the prayers of the anointed ones the Buhari led administration has
turned the Nigerian state to a state of anomie.
“Resulting from the pernicious attitude of Buhari led administration to
rule of law, the Nigerian state is in a social instability from a
breakdown of standard, values and ruined economy.
While listing several former presidents around the world being tried by
International Criminal Court, Ajibola urged the UN to pay serious
attention to Nigeria’s government in the area of rule of law, electoral
manipulations and disobedience to court orders.
He noted the prominent Nigerian jurists including the Chief Justice of
Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad had expressed grave concerns over
persistent disobedience to court orders but Buhari’s government has
turned deaf ears to them.
He alleged that, “in the Nigeria of the President Muhammadu Buhari, the
Federal Government is the law and above the law”.