A former President of the Court of Appeal, Isa Salami, has stated that Peter Obi should not have been allowed to contest the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party.
Salami made the remarks on Tuesday in Ilorin, Kwara State, during a courtesy visit by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, where he was honoured with an award.
The retired jurist argued that constitutional provisions do not support candidacy without proper party membership, questioning how Obi emerged as a candidate after the party had already submitted its list to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“For instance, Peter Obi ought not be allowed to contest the 2023 presidential election,” Salami said, stressing that there is no provision for independent candidacy under Nigeria’s Constitution.
He also cited a similar case involving Abba Yusuf, noting inconsistencies in party membership records and judicial decisions surrounding his emergence.
Beyond electoral matters, Salami expressed concern over what he described as declining standards within the judiciary. He attributed some controversial rulings to inadequacy and lack of proper training among certain judges.
“There are a few bad eggs amongst some judges… some of them have a problem with learning. They don’t have a good background to be judges,” he said, adding that the expansion of law faculties across institutions may have contributed to declining quality.
He further criticised the process of judicial appointments, alleging that some judges are elevated to higher courts based on regional vacancies rather than merit or experience.
According to him, this has led to situations where less experienced judges are appointed ahead of more qualified colleagues, sometimes resulting in questionable judgments—even at the Supreme Court level.
Salami, however, expressed hope that the system would improve over time.
During the event, the award was presented by the Founder of WSCIJ, Dapo Olorunyomi, and its Executive Director, Motunrayo Alaka.
Reacting to the honour, Salami expressed appreciation and commended the organisation for recognising excellence in the judiciary.
He also revealed that his views on national issues were influenced by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, while his decision to study law was inspired by the late nationalist leader Obafemi Awolowo during his historic treason trial.
Salami explained that Awolowo’s decision to defend himself in court motivated him to pursue a legal career, with the aim of being able to stand for himself in similar circumstances.
