Speaking at the 67th birthday anniversary of Professor Mike Ozekhome in Abuja on Thursday, October 17, 2024, former President Goodluck Jonathan spoke about court rulings on some electoral issues by comparing the situation to an upside-down cone.
He said: “The way things are going in this country, especially listening to judgments on political cases, we are beginning to see that democracy in Nigeria is like an upside-down cone.
And if a cone is upside-down, it cannot be stable and at the slightest change, it will fall. When I heard eminent lawyers like Olisa Agbakoba comment on some judgments of the Supreme Court, I felt great sadness that the country has reached this point.”
Jonathan suggested a solution
For democracy to flourish in Nigeria, the former President cautioned the Bar and Bench against political influence.
“If our democracy is to endure, people, both at the Bar and the Bench, must not be influenced by political interests. That is the only way to stabilise the political process.
I know lawyers take advantage of this because after elections, there is always a flood of litigation because it is like Christmas for lawyers. But in most other countries, people do not go to court, whereas in Nigeria, pre-election and post-election cases clog up all the courts and that does not bode well for democracy,” he added.
Jonathan revealed that he has been haunted by one particular court verdict since its pronouncement because it has overturned the cone, symbolising a threat to democratic stability.