Court order: Ekiti govt accuses Obasanjo of impunity over new book

The Ekiti State Government has urged the judiciary to sanction former President Olusegun Obasanjo for disobeying the order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, restraining him from publishing or circulating his book, My Watch.

   The state government, which described the former President's action as a deliberate impunity and contempt of the court, said that sanction was necessary 'to serve as deterrent to other people who see themselves as 'super powers' far and above the laws of the land.'

   In a statement, the Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Owoseni Ajayi, on behalf of the government, said the sanctity of the judiciary should be protected, noting that it was embarrassing that a former president 'will be behaving with impunity, disregarding the rights of other Nigerians and recently became contemptuous of court orders.'  

  The statement wondered why Obasanjo, in spite of the clear and unambiguous exparte order by Justice Valentine Ashi on December 5 restraining him from publishing or circulating the book before the December 10 return date, 'did not only publish the book but went ahead to circulate it to the whole world.

   'He even castigated the judge for granting the lawful order, thereby making himself an appellate court. In the lexicon of our legal jurisprudence, a court order, however frivolous, must be obeyed until discharged by that court or set aside by another court.

   'It is therefore a deliberate impunity and disregard to the rule of law and our judiciary for Obasanjo to disobey the said order made by a competent court of law. It stands condemnable.'

   Noting that the society is governed by the rule of law, separation of powers and respect to constituted authorities, the state government added: 'Nobody is immune to these simple tenets of ensuring sanity, discipline and decorum in our society, otherwise our society will revert to the Hobesian State of Nature, where life was short, nasty and brutish.'

   Ajayi further lambasted Obasanjo for seeing other leaders, including President Goodluck Jonathan, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and All Progressives Congress national leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, as 'satanic agents to be sent to the gallows for persecution.'

   He declared: 'This gives the impression that only Obasanjo is a saint. But he must be told the truth that he is not a saint.'