2023 Presidential candidate Peter Obi has lambasted the Nigerian justice system in a post on his X page, as he commends Governor Ademola Adeleke for intervening in the case of a man that was sentenced to death by the Osun State High Court earlier this week, for stealing a foul fourteen years ago.
On December 17, 2024, the Osun State High Court had sentenced a man named Segun Olowukere to death by hanging after already completing a fourteen years prison term.
The internet was put in tumult for the judge’s pronouncement. Governor of Osun State, Mr. Ademola Adeleke waived the sentence and pardoned Segun, thereby inducing some relief on the internet.
A lot of people commended the Governor for his swift intervention into the matter, and pardoning Segun Olowukere who had served 14 years in prison already, for the same crime of stealing a foul to which he was now sentenced to death.
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Peter Obi also commended Governor Adeleke, and expressed his displeasure with the justice system in Nigeria, stating that the sentence alone far exceeded the demands of justice, and that the case underscores the harsh inequalities of the Nigerian legal system.
The Labour Party Presidential flag bearer explained that justice in Nigeria favors only the politicians who are often acquitted and celebrated after embezzling public funds, and not the common man who are involved in their legitimate businesses for survival.
“This case underscores the harsh inequalities of the Nigerian legal system. If you dare to speak freely, you are treated as a criminal and silenced. If you embezzle billions of public funds, you are celebrated, even when caught and taken to court. Yet, those pursuing honest, legitimate businesses are burdened by oppressive regulations and treated with suspicion, as though success through integrity is a crime,” he said.
Peter Obi added that the Nigerian justice system rewards impunity while punishing integrity, which is an indictment that shows our need for urgent judicial reform and genuine accountability in governance.
