Nigeria’s political class has destroyed judiciary — Utomi
By Jeffrey Agbo
Political economist, Prof Pat Utomi, has criticised Nigeria’s political class, stating that it has destroyed the judiciary which is supposed to be home to justice.
In an interview with PUNCH published on Sunday, the former presidential candidate said the lack of trust in the judiciary is able to scare away foreign investors.
Utomi said: “The political class has destroyed the judiciary. Very few people will take the judiciary seriously. Foreign investors will tell you that this is one of the reasons they won’t invest in Nigeria because when there is a trade dispute, they can’t be sure that they will get justice from the legal system.”
The 67-year-old said he was on social media one day and heard somebody saying he was thanking God that (President Bola) Tinubu could have asked the judiciary to rule against him, but he chose not to do so, and that he was grateful to him (Tinubu).
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According to Utomi, statements like that should bring shame to the judiciary.
“Are judges not ashamed to hear this kind of statement? Even the man that they are thanking should be ashamed to hear that kind of statement because people will believe that he can influence the judiciary. I don’t know whether it is true or a lie, but I feel ashamed that such can be said by a person,” he said.
Utomi debunked claims that he said the 2023 presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party were considering a merger to unseat the All Progressives Congress in 2027.
The founder of Centre for Value in Leadership said he was misunderstood, adding that he meant that he had spoken with the former presidential candidates and they are all open to the idea of forming a new party that will be built on ideals and values.