posted 5th March 2025
Peter Obi Denies Calling Supreme Court Ruling on Rivers State ‘Reckless’
Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 Nigerian elections, has refuted claims that he described the Supreme Court ruling on Rivers State as reckless.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Obi clarified that his earlier remarks were made in general terms about the attitude of Nigeria’s political elite amid the country’s deepening poverty. He asserted that his words were misrepresented and that he did not specifically criticise the Supreme Court’s decision in such a manner.
“My attention has been drawn to a news report saying that I described the Supreme Court ruling on Rivers State as reckless. The statement I made, from which the report was drawn, was on the general terms of the attitude of the political elites in the face of deepening poverty in the land,” Obi stated.
He further emphasised that he would never directly refer to a ruling by the apex court as reckless, even if he personally disagreed with it.
“There’s nowhere I made direct remarks on the Supreme Court ruling as reckless. Even if a ruling of the apex court is not agreeable to me, I cannot describe it as reckless,” he said.
Obi concluded by stressing the necessity of issuing this clarification to prevent misinformation and misrepresentation of his statements. His response comes amidst growing public scrutiny of political discourse in Nigeria and the role of judicial decisions in governance.
