Peter Obi Ought Not To Have Contested 2023 Presidential Election Under Labour Party – Justice Isa Salami

The former president of the Court of Appeal,Justice Isa Ayo Salami (rtd) on Tuesday said that the former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi ought not to be allowed to contest the 2023 presidential elections under the banner of the Labour Party (LP).

Salami stated this in Ilorin, Kwara State during a courtesy visit and presentation of an award to him by Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ).

The founder and executive director of WSCIJ, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi and Motunrayo Alaka presented the award to Salami in his Ilorin home.

They said the award should have been presented to the recipient in December 2025, but the retired jurist couldn’t make it to the programme.

Salami, who spoke after receiving the award, noted that the inadequacy and incompetence of some of the judges are responsible for some of their wrong verdicts.

He said Obi’s name was not in the register of LP as at the time that he failed to clinch the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that,” though Obi was presented with LP’s membership card afterwards, his name was not in the register submitted to INEC by the party’s leadership.

He said similar thing happened to the Kano State governor in 2023, noting that his name was not in the NNPP’s register but was only presented with membership card by the party’s leadership.

Salami said : “There are few bad eggs amongst some judges. Strictly speaking, I will not say bad eggs. Some of them have problem of learning. They don’t have good background to be judges. Imagine appointing higher registrar as a judge. He has no experience. In the past this would not happen. May be due to population explosion, we have everybody reading law. Every university or college trying to establish law faculty. All these may be responsible, not because they are dishonest or corrupt.

“Personally, they are inadequate. This might be responsible for their wrong judgements. At time, if you see the judgements of some of them, even the Supreme Court judgements, you will be astounded and wondered at what is happening.

“For instance, Peter Obi ought not be allowed to contest the 2023 presidential election. In the sense by the time he lost the PDP primary, LP had submitted it’s list of members to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). And the Constitution says there cannot be an independent candidacy.

” How did he become the candidate of LP if he does not belong to LP? The same thing happened to the Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf who had now defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). His name is not in the NNPP’s register, but they issued him with membership card and the register is supposed to be the mother of the card.

” But the Supreme Court Countenanced it, even though the tribunal and Appeal Court frowned at it. That is the problem of competence. People get to the Supreme Court not because they are good but because there is vacancy from their zones. They supersede people who are their seniors, whom they met at the Court of Appeal and who are more experienced than them.

” I am a practical example. some of them who came ten years after I had got to the Court of Appeal, got recommended to the Supreme Court by me because my zone did not have vacancy. That is the tragedy we have found ourselves. We hope with time everything will be corrected.”

He hailed the WSCIJ for the honour done him by that symbolic gesture.

” I am very happy to receive the award. I hope and pray that your organisation will flourish. I am very sure many people will be eager from time to time, to be honoured by you. There is hardly any judge who will not appreciate this kind of award coming to him. Even if he is a bad judge not to talk of others who are very good and dedicated,” he said.

He hinted that Prof Wole Soyinka’s audacity and principle’s disposition influenced position in the affairs of Nigeria.

He also reveled how the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo influenced his decision to read law.

” Infact, Chief Awolowo was the one that influenced my decision to read law during his treasonable felony’s trial. When the government prevented his defence counsel from coming into the country from Britain, “Chief Awolowo decided to take up his own personal defence. So I thought if I go into politics and I find myself in the same hot pot, I should be able to defend myself,” Salami said .

Earlier, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, had sad that the WSCFIJ was established to train journalists, provide resources for journalists, and encourage journalists to hold the power accountable to the citizens.

On the award given to Salami, Olorunyomi said:” The event took place on December 9, 2025, but you couldn’t attend. Our board decided that we should bring down the award to you in Ilorin. The Wole Soyinka 2025 Human Rights Defenders Awards were for those who worked with integrity and protect the vulnerables. Justice Salami’s
distinguished commitment to justice, demonstrated commitment to the rule of law and due process are some of the reasons why he deserved to be so honoured.