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NigerianNews

NigerianNews
Editorial

May the unbiased judge interpret 142(1) and 146(3)(c) of the 1999 constitution?

May the unbiased judge interpret 142(1) and 146(3)(c) of the 1999 constitution?
NigerianNews Editorial

Quotes from Agbakoba:

"Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), said the right thing for the President to do was to go to court to seek an order allowing him to declare the office of the Vice President vacant.
He said only the court is empowered to interprete the provisions of the constitution.
On the political side however, Agbakoba said, "if somebody ceases to be a member of a political platform which produced him, it is a matter of honour for him to resign. But that is on the political side." - Thisday

Sidebar:

Mr Agbakoba, going to court can come by taking 1 of 2 roads, the road you mentioned and the road that the president took! Either road satisfies your desire sir!! Do you also know sir that this Vice President does not see resignation as the honorable way? Remember also that he got to be VP on the "political side" Separation of Power also means Obasanjo gets advice from his Attorney General and legal Counsels, and the aggrieved VP seeks succor in the court for constitutional interpretation if he feels any part of the constitution is being abridged, is that not so sir? So long sir.

Quotes from Agbaje:

"Mr. Fred Agbaje, said the PDP and President Obasanjo had the powers to declare the seat of Atiku vacant and request for the conduct of a bye-election under section 109 (g) of the Constitution." - ThisDay

Sidebar:

We agree sir, with a minor disagreement. VP is always a product of selection process, so, we need a just court that will interpret the intents of the constitutional provisions in contention. The court which is also totally corrupt does not know the right from wrong, it only follows its own cynical interest. Nigerian Democracy is not the Whitehall (Parliamentary Democracy) type democracy, this is of the American type. A honorable Vice President, by now would have resigned sparing the country this impending doom, but you can bet it, this man also does not know right from wrong. The way he sees things is always only the right way regardless of the alternatives. To him, right now he figures, he is still trying to save the country from Obasanjo's rampart lawlessness. To him, "Third Term" is a forever fight, and this is part of it.

We are now left weeping for Nigeria because no one would do the right thing at the end of the day. This man has many followers in both arms of the Government that will never put the country first. Otherwise, a VP is a product of party selection in a convention where the presidential candidate is ELECTED and not SELECTED. In other words, Yar'Adua and Buhari were ELECTED recently by their various party conventions, and then Yar'Adua SELECTED Goodluck Jonathan, while Buhari SELECTED Ume Ezeoke. Is this a paradox? We don't think so!

Why section 142(1) of the constitution is so difficult to understand is in turn very difficult for us to comprehend. Either way, the man is no longer in the same party as the one that brought him in as Vice President, and the only arbiter of righteousness is now the court if Atiku will not do the honorable thing. We are not so sure here at the NigerianNews that this court will discharge its obligations with an eye on the future. It more than likely will do it on account of prejudice for an individual, and for that, posterity will not treat this court of nurtured prejudice very kindly.

Obasanjo has taken the only right step open to him, it is now up to Atiku, to go to court, and of course, not shop for a judge that will rule in his favor as the vogue is now in Nigeria, but a court of total neutrality and integrity with eyes on how history will judge us all.

We at the NigerianNews will like to know how section 142(1) and 146(3)(c) of the 1999 constitution need to be interpreted in this instance. May the Lord Almighty give us the right judge. Until then, Obasanjo has no other recourse but to apply these 2 sections the way he knows how. It is up to Atiku to prove that he is extra ordinary, and thus, these sections do not apply to him. Obasanjo was elected on a promise, if Atiku can no longer tag along with this promise, the honorable thing Vice Presidents do where this kind of system is operated is to quit without subjecting a country he professes to love to this kind of uncertainty. Right now, we can only say Atiku loves Atiku.

"We at the NigerianNews will like to know how section 142(1) and 146(3)(c) of the 1999 constitution need to be interpreted in this instance. May the Lord Almighty give us the right judge. Until then, Obasanjo has no other recourse but to apply these 2 sections the way he knows how. It is up to Atiku to prove that he is extra ordinary, and thus, these sections do not apply to him. Obasanjo was elected on a promise, if Atiku can no longer tag along with this promise, the honorable thing Vice Presidents do where this kind of system is operated is to quit without subjecting a country he professes to love to this kind of uncertainty. Right now, we can only say Atiku loves Atiku."