Senators take on Buhari, say rule of law is sacrosanct

Tuesday, 28 August 2018 06:11

Senators take on Buhari, say rule of law is sacrosanct

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

Rate this item

(0 votes)

Senators yesterday, took a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari for elevating national interest above the rule of law.

According to the senators, the rule of law is sacrosanct and the grundnorm of any democracy.

Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Bwacha, said: “Rule of law is national interest number one.” On his part, spokesperson of the Senate Caucus of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), said: “Rule of law is the grundnorm of any democratic society. Elevating any other thing above it means moving away from democracy to autocracy.”
Also speaking on the issue, Chairman, Senate Committee of Public Accounts, Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo South), said: “The rule of law is sacrosanct, if we have a legal system that is dictated by laws that are made. Of course, the laws that are made are supposed to be obeyed. ‘’Where they are violated, you go to a law court or any enterprise as such and you seek a redress or an intervention. That intervention will pronounce whether there is a contravention or not. And if it is so, what are the consequences. “These are laid down procedures. So, processes and procedures, as far as legal system is concerned, must be obeyed because they were within the confines of the rules of laws that are already made. “When a court makes a pronouncement, it is supposed to be adhered to. There is no question of variable in it or other interpretations because the court has given its own interpretation. And when they pass a judgment or make a ruling, it must be adhered to strictly. So, rule of law itself is already an issue that cannot be controverted. It must be adhered to by any society, citizen, country or system that believes in orderliness. “So, that again cannot be violated or overlooked, if a system has to be orderly. To say national interest can overrule rule of law, I ask what national interest is. If our national interest says that we should not obey rule of law, what is the national interest that will cause citizens not to obey rule of law. “If somebody kills another and the judgment is that that person be jailed, will you say national interest? It can only give room to brigandage, disorderliness and criminality; that means, anybody can just do anything in the name of national interest.”

Vanguard