By Attah Ede
Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi has criticized the Nigerian justice system, accusing government of selective justice following the controversial treatment of a female passenger involved in a dispute on board an Ibom Air flight.
The former Anambra State governor expressed both his apology to the airline crew and his deep concern over the handling of Miss Comfort Emmanson’s disruptive behaviour.
Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Obi noted with dismay both the assault by the passenger and the disproportionate and dehumanising response by security officials, calling it a “shameful display of double standards, abuse of power, and injustice.
He lamented that stripping Miss Comfort Emmanson publicly was not only unnecessary but also represents the height of rascality and abuse by our agencies.
Mr. Obi faulted the reaction of the State, stressing that it is unacceptable that the passenger was hurriedly taken to court and remanded, while someone who visibly held a plane from taking off and put hundreds of lives at risk is still at large.
He argued that the state’s reaction exposed a deeply rooted culture of selective justice, where the poor are punished swiftly, and the influential are shielded from consequences.
“Justice in Nigeria must never be about who is poor or powerless versus who has influence or access to government officials,” he said.
“While Emmanson was arrested, stripped in public, and promptly jailed, another high-profile individual who delayed a commercial flight jeopardizing the safety and schedule of countless passengers has not faced arrest, trial, or any formal consequence”.
“We must build a country where justice is fair, equal, and not selective, especially against women who are seen to be weaker,” he stated, calling the contrasting outcomes “a damning indictment of our system.”
The former Anambra State governor went further, demanding that the Minister of Aviation and all relevant authorities provide answers for what he described as an unjust, shameful episode.
“The Minister of Aviation and other relevant authorities owe the public an explanation for these double standards in their adjudication,” Obi insisted.
He warned that failure to uphold consistent and civilised standards of law enforcement would only continue to erode public trust and worsen social division.
“This young lady’s offence does not compare to the crimes committed daily by those parading themselves as ‘excellencies’ while looting public funds without consequence,” he added.
“Yet they have not been stripped or dehumanised in the name of justice.”
“Justice must be just, or it is nothing at all,. The rule of law based on justice for all must remain the guidepost of our democracy. A new Nigeria is POossible”, Obi concluded.
