For those who forgot, this was a statement flaunting around the media after INEC announced the results of the 2023 election, and other aspirants who didn’t win went to court to challenge the results. Well, everything is now history.

I recall back in secondary school, we had a subject called Civic Education, which taught us how to be good citizens. Three statements I find so hard to forget from that subject are the Independence Of The Judiciary, The Supremacy Of The Law, And Equality Before The Law. I think they were all under the Rule of Law.

The young Reverend Sister made me believe in all these principles. But as I grew older, I began to see that some exceptions were being made.

Our leaders can no longer be held accountable because they seem to be above the law. Citizens and leaders, when standing before the law, are never treated equally. But all these, perhaps, are because the judiciary is not truly independent.

In a country where judges, magistrates, and the courts are hungry and thirsty, how can they deliver clear and impartial judgments? How can they not be bribed?

In a country like this, where the law is not supreme, some people can commit crimes and go scot-free. And most importantly, if the judiciary is not independent, please tell me: WHAT IS THE HOPE OF THE COMMON MAN?