Obi tells Nigerian Judiciary to protect country’s value system

Obi tells Nigerian Judiciary to protect country’s value system

Former Anambra Governor and Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi has called for Judicial Reform and Praises Victory in Landmark P&ID Arbitration Case

 

He urged the country’s legal system to safeguard the nation’s core values and embrace a transformative approach to justice.

Taking to his X account (formerly Twitter) on  Wednesday, Obi expressed belief in the potential of a just and equitable New Nigeria. He emphasized the pivotal role that the judiciary must play in bringing about this change, calling on the legal fraternity to adopt the spirit and ethos of reform.

Obi extended his hearty congratulations to Nigeria for its triumph in the high-stakes $11 billion arbitration case involving Process & Industrial Developments (P&ID) Limited. In a groundbreaking ruling delivered on the preceding Monday by Justice Robin Knowles of the Commercial Courts of England and Wales, Nigeria successfully prevented the enforcement of an award that had initially favored P&ID. Justice Knowles stated that the award against Nigeria had been tainted by fraud.

In response to this significant legal victory, Obi expressed his delight. He emphasized the importance of the case being decided in the United Kingdom, a country renowned for its reverence for the rule of law and its commitment to dispensing justice impartially and fairly to its citizens. Obi saw this as a valuable lesson for the Nigerian populace as a whole and, in particular, for the nation’s judiciary.

He stressed that every lawful society is founded on a robust system of justice and that every democratic society thrives on the principles of the rule of law. Obi highlighted the judiciary’s paramount duty to safeguard Nigeria’s cherished core values, particularly in addressing issues such as identity crises, electoral disputes, and the pervasive corruption cases that have plagued the nation.

While celebrating the successful defense against an $11 billion damages claim in the controversial P&ID deal, Obi also pointed out that many other substantial amounts of public funds have gone unaccounted for in Nigeria, with those responsible for such losses remaining at large.

Obi used the occasion to call upon public officials across different branches of government to recognize that there is no alternative to Nigeria, and they are collectively obligated to work towards the country’s development and prosperity. He appealed for a commitment to administering justice to fellow countrymen, in the same way that justice was delivered to Nigeria on the international stage. He asserted that a truly just and equitable New Nigeria is within reach if the judiciary embraces the call for change.

The P&ID case originated in January 2010 when the company signed a Gas Supply and Processing Agreement (GSPA) with Nigeria, aiming to develop a processing plant in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State. However, the deal fell apart in August 2012, leading P&ID to seek $5.96 billion in compensation from Nigeria. Subsequently, arbitration proceedings were initiated against Nigeria at the London Court of International Arbitration.

In January 2017, the arbitration panel ruled that Nigeria had breached the contract and ordered the country to pay P&ID $6.6 billion, along with interest dating back to May 2013. The accrued interest, set at seven percent per day ($1 million daily), had grown to over $11 billion.

Nigeria promptly appealed the enforcement of the award, and in September 2020, the court granted the country’s request. Nigeria argued that there was substantial evidence indicating that both the contract and the arbitration award had been obtained through fraudulent means. The Nigerian side asserted that some individuals involved in the case were facing charges of money laundering and corruption.