A Rule of Law or A Rule of Presidential Discretion ?

President Muhammadu Buhari

A protest, or in Pro-Buhari words, a Revolution was planned. Abduction of the Lead Convener, Sowore, by operatives of the DSS  followed suit. An application was filed before the Federal high court sitting in Abuja seeking to detain the defendant for 90 days for the conclusion of investigations was filed.

A seven-count charge bordering on Treason, Cyber-stalking and Money Laundering followed. Bail was granted to detainees and the court compelled the DSS to comply.

There was partial compliance judging from the release of detainees, albeit for a short while, and subsequently, a pantomime of a re-arrest in a court of law which may have been caused by an adjournment of the case. A ruling stemming from the failure of the prosecution to produce a Witness.

Alleged DSS Re-Arrest of Sowore at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

And in what some power centers and ordinary citizens including this writer. believe is a Christmas Present to the Family of the concerned parties, the Federal Government ordered the release of the detainees.

Between the arrest and release, we had outcries both on social media - the most notable one being a bold move by the Punch Newspaper to refer the Democratically elected Government of a sitting President as a Regime loosely modeled on travail of the Rtd Major General as the Head of State where disobedience to court injunctions and Kangaroo trials were the order of the day - and on the streets of the FCT in form of pro-sowore protests, counter-protests; most recently the Resistance met by Deji Adeyanju and other like-minded citizens on display in the most expressive form of pummeling by  Thugs and Street Urchins in support of the actions of the DSS, supposed executioner of the best interest of the Presidency. 

Activist Deji Adeyanju after Monday's Protest

And in cliché terms, the straw that broke the Camel’s back was the intervention of the United States Congress, questioning the selective manner in which the Rule of law was adhered to; and by extension, questioning the integrity of our Democracy and Judicial System.

Abubakar Malami, SAN, who hitherto said he didn’t have the power to order the DSS to release Sowore, without regard to the courts, in a matter of days,  metaphorically, gained the Wisdom of a sage upon the arrival of the correspondence of the United States’ Congress at his desk by virtue of his position as the Attorney General of the federation.

It was after this and the visit of the US Envoy who highlighted the fact that Nigeria is in the watch list for Nations abusing Human rights that he and his Principal who earlier stated his clear conscience in pursuance of a unified Nigeria remembered the right thing to do is to release two high profile persons in the Custody of the Department of State Services - One granted bail two weeks ago and the other spending his Fourth Year behind closed bars without being pronounced "guilty as charged" by a recognized court of law.

The latest development bids the present government no good in the court of Public opinion. And some may argue that it further lays credence to the claim of the opposition that constitutional rights of citizens are subject to whims and caprices of the civilian dictators masqueraded as a Democratic Government.

And to be candid, it’s a sad day for Buharists who in days past defended the re-arrest of Sowore but now have to retrace their steps and support his release.

Nevertheless, this editorial isn’t set out to state who is in the right or who is in the wrong, I leave that out to the courts –  the revered chamber of Justice, the Roadside Newspaper Stand and of course, the students ‘ debate councils.

It is to point out that non-adherence to the rule of Law, flagrant disobedience to court injunctions, treating proposed government policies beyond accepted limits of skepticism and equally fanning the embers of discord and hatred amongst Nigerians by reporting false news are all clogs to the wheel of progress of our dear Nation.

It is with this premise, that a clarion call is made to all concerned parties - The Government, The Press, The Opposition and of course, the law-abiding citizens of Nigeria- to borrow a leaf from the campaign trail of The Speaker House of Representatives by taking Nation Building as a joint task.

Happy Holidays!!!!

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