After the Supreme Court on Monday deferred judgment in the appeals filed by him and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over the tribunal's ruling upholding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's election, Obi issued this statement on X (previously Twitter).
Obi addressed the identity crises and scandals that have dogged Nigeria's seat of power ever since the February 25, 2023, presidential elections in his post.
The former governor of Anambra State stated, "There is a saying: "IT IS NOT TITLES THAT HONOUR MEN, BUT MEN THAT HONOUR TITLES."
"If there is emptiness and deceit beneath the grandiose titles that adorn those in positions of authority, they are meaningless.
"Such titles that adorn those in public office mean nothing if they are not authentic and are fake if those who bear them have no honor to support the weight of the titles they carry," the statement reads.
Obi noted that it is the judiciary's responsibility, when requested, to protect the honor of the titles through transparent verdicts in circumstances when there is public question regarding the legitimacy and authenticity of these titles and the claims made behind them.
He continued by saying that the public can only be shielded from the tyranny of suspect and dishonest people and identity thieves through such judicial interventions.
According to the presidential candidate for the Labour Party, the judiciary has a moral obligation to defend society's values in these circumstances.
He contends that as the Rule of law continues to be the foundation of democracy in all countries, by whatever definition, over time, it is one of the duties of an impartial court in a democracy.
It still serves as the basis for all of our fundamental human rights, Obi noted. The rule of law is what holds society as a whole together.
"What keeps citizens' loyalty and belief in democracy," he remarked, "is the expectation by the high and low alike that their rights will be protected and respected by fair judges in transparent courts."
"People, regardless of their social standing, turn to the courts whenever they believe their rights are violated in the hope that just tribunals will treat them fairly and according to the law.
"However, the rule of law will be seriously threatened when the impartiality of the judiciary is not guaranteed and the transparency of judiciary operatives is uncertain."
Obi said, "When the general populace loses faith in the justice system's fairness, the rule of law is threatened, and along with it, faith in democracy is threatened."
