Retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, has clarified that her innocuous advice at a Colloquium organised last Friday in Abuja to mark the 25th anniversary of Chief Joe Kyari Gadzama as Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is to all Nigerians and not to any political party or person.
The revered retired jurist, who made the clarification in a statement issued by her Media Assistant, Chief Felix Enebeli, said some mischievous conflict entrepreneurs have since then been hosting comments from persons determined to force her speech to fit jaundiced narratives and political nuances.
According to the statement, “Justice Mary Odili spoke like one “who saw something and said something” without minding whose ox is gored”.
The statement further indicated that in her speech, the learned retired jurist acknowledged that the 2023 general elections “generated a storm”, and advised all those who were not declared victorious in the elections to toe the line of legality and follow the rules of law, in expressing their dissatisfaction through appropriate channels and not “pull down the roof of the nation” because of its far-reaching consequences on everyone, including all agitators, regardless of what side of the fence they found themselves.
While describing this advice as common sense advice, Justice Odili noted that there is nothing in the comments that suggested a reference to those who lost in any particular election in any State or region.
She further clarified that the 2023 general elections were in four categories, viz; the State Houses of Assembly, Governorship, National Assembly, and Presidential elections, pointing out that the lawyers who attended the colloquium, especially the named ones, were called upon, in their professional capacity, to find solutions to the challenges facing the 2023 elections irrespective of their leaning.
The statement also noted that the lawyers like Wole Olanipekun, SAN; Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; and the host, Joe Kyari Gadzama, SAN, are globally acknowledged as strong in litigation, adding that the several other lawyers who equally attended the event are possibly handling various cases for politicians.
On this score, the statement said the unprovoked vituperations are a sad reflection of the reason for the cautionary comments of Justice Mary Odili, and the vain struggle to give it momentum to political gains is unhelpful, saying, “the mischievous efforts to apply a wicked twist of bias, to the innocuous speech, championed by the same persons who are bullying the judiciary and threatening to pull down the roof without recourse to due process, fall flat”.