Fmr. President Jonathan urges Judiciary to Maintain Integrity, Fairness in Their Duties

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has urged the Judiciary to maintain integrity and avoid compromising their duties.

He made this statement on Tuesday in Asaba, the Delta State capital, during the commissioning of the state’s High Court Complex and the presentation of 20 Toyota Prado Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to judges in the state. He commended the state government for their credible performance.

Jonathan emphasized the importance of the Judiciary performing their roles without compromise, stating, “If the Judiciary do their work well without compromising, I see no reasons why a candidate who fails an election and knows fully well that he or she fails should run to court to be declared winner. If the Judiciary is uncompromised, next time such candidates will not have reason to go to court because he or she knows they can’t win any case.”

This call for judicial integrity highlights the former president’s belief in a fair and transparent electoral process, where the judiciary plays a crucial role in upholding justice and deterring frivolous legal challenges by election losers.

“In South Africa when a candidate loses an election and goes to court, it’s regarded as abnormal, but in Nigeria when a candidate loses an election and did not go to court, it’s regarded as abnormal.

“This is one of the remarkable things that we Nigerians do differently from others countries. We hope someday, we shall get there”

Jonathan also praised Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for his prudence and integrity in returning unutilized funds of over N500 million to the state Treasury during his tenure as Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

Jonathan remarked, “It is not easy for a public officer or even a civil servant to refund money to the government in most cases; it is extremely difficult, but as a Speaker, you were able to do that and that shows that you are somebody of a high level of integrity and you can be trusted.”

“Please, continue to manage the resources of the state in that manner and use the money in a way that it will affect the people positively.”

This commendation highlights the former president’s recognition of Governor Oborevwori’s commitment to transparency and accountability in public service, underscoring the importance of integrity in governance.

The former President urged the people of Delta State to rally round their Governor for the overall development of the state, noting; “there are some people who believe that they must bring a government down for the purpose of politics, but when you are struggling to bring a governor or president down for the purpose of politics, you are bringing the state or country down.

“This is because the Governor or the President is sitting with public resources and everybody must encourage him to succeed and that’s the only way we, as a nation, can grow”.