A former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami (retd.), has said that former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, should not have been allowed to contest the 2023 presidential election under the platform of the Labour Party.
Naija News reports that Salami attributed the situation to what he described as incompetence among some members of the judiciary.
The retired jurist spoke in Ilorin, Kwara State, during a courtesy visit by officials of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, who presented him with an award at his residence.
Salami expressed concern about the appointment and promotion of judges without adequate regard for competence and experience.
He stated, “There are a few bad eggs amongst some judges. Strictly speaking, I will not say bad eggs. Some of them have a problem with learning. They don’t have a good background to be judges.
“Imagine appointing a higher registrar as a judge. He has no experience. In the past, this would not have happened.”
According to the retired judge, Obi’s candidacy in the 2023 presidential election should have been disallowed based on constitutional provisions.
Salami further stated, “For instance, Peter Obi ought not be allowed to contest the 2023 presidential election.
“In this sense, by the time he lost the PDP primary, LP had submitted its list of members to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“And the Constitution says there cannot be an independent candidacy, so how did he become a candidate of the LP if he does not belong to the LP?”
Salami also cited the case of Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, noting that similar issues arose during his election.
He said, “The same thing happened to the Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, who had now defected to the All Progressives Congress.
“His name is not in the NNPP’s register, but they issued him a membership card and the register is supposed to be the mother of the card.”
He added that the Supreme Court eventually upheld the outcome despite earlier concerns raised by lower courts.
“But the Supreme Court countenanced it, even though the tribunal and Appeal Court frowned at it. That is the problem of competence,” he said.
The former Appeal Court president also criticised the promotion process within the judiciary.
Salami said, “People get to the Supreme Court not because they are good but because there is a vacancy from their zones.
“They supersede people who are their seniors, whom they met at the Court of Appeal and who are more experienced than they are.”
Salami cited his own experience as an example, noting that some judges he had recommended for elevation were appointed ahead of him due to the absence of vacancies in his zone.
The retired jurist expressed appreciation to the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism for the honour.
He said, “I am very happy to receive the award. I hope and pray that your organisation will flourish.
“There is hardly any judge who will not appreciate this type of award coming to him. Even if he is a bad judge, not to talk of others who are very good and dedicated.”
Salami also revealed that the late nationalist, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, influenced his decision to study law.
He added, “In fact, Chief Awolowo was the one who influenced my decision to read law during his treasonable felony tria.
“Chief Awolowo decided to take up his own personal defence. So I thought if I go into politics and I find myself in the same hot pot, I should be able to defend myself.”