‘Adherence to rule of law will sustain democracy’

Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN) has said that strict adherence to the rule of law remains the sure way to sustain the nation’s democracy.

The legal luminary who spoke as a guest lecturer at an event organised by the Law Students’ Association of the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus said no matter the circumstance, for a nation to mature in the democratisation process, all interests whether political, personal, economic, religious,  tribal and howsoever must yield to rule of law.

Speaking in the topic: “Politics, Interest and Rule of Law: the Equilibrium for Sustainable Democracy”, he hailed the ongoing fight against corruption by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

Alegeh whose paper dwelt so much on the interplay between politics, interest and the rule of law in sustaining the nation’s democracy took time to highlight the different ways that our democratic experience had been impacted by politics and personal interest.

Among cases he highlighted included the the conflict that existed between the federal government and the Lagos state government as a result of the creation of new local government areas by the later, the impeachment of Dr Rasheed Ladoja as governor of Oyo state following the misunderstanding he had with his then political godfather, late Chief Adedibu and the controversy that trailed the emergence of Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the governorship of Imo state in 2007.