For humanity to prevail and have considerable meaning in the Society, bold attempts must be made to temper justice with mercy. In this regard, our Justice System should balance fairness with compassion and understanding.
In all human considerations, a mechanism that guarantees that the Innocent does not suffer must have to be activated to make sure that the weak and innocent do not become victims of transferred aggression.
It takes a lot of humanity and, of course, courage for one to stand up in the face of complexities of circumstances to demand that he who has committed neither crime nor any known offence should not be made to undergo punitive measures only desirable for one that has contravened the laws of the land. No doubt, such persons are never found in their hundreds.
Therefore, Kudos must be given to a former Governor of Abia State and the Distinguished Senator representing the very good and politically savvy people of Abia-North, His Excellency, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, for taking the bull by the horn to dispassionately draw the attention of the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in plenary that Consequences resultant of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s misdemeanor and consequent suspension from the Red Chamber for six months should not be extended to her Aides.
Most Distinguished Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s Motion for Amendment in this respect can not, in any way, be controverted. The Aides of the embattled Senator representing Kogi Central are, so far, law-abiding innocent Citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
As long as they did not commit any offence, and being legitimate Staff of the National Assembly Commission, the sins of their Principal should not be visited upon them. If such happens, it would wrongly and unfortunately amount to a miscarriage of justice.
Centre For Equity And Eradication Of Rural Poverty humbly but vehemently calls on the Leadership of Nigeria’s 10th Senate, ably led by His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, to give consideration to the amendment sought by Distinguished Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, and, by so doing, allow justice to prevail.
Sir Don Ubani, a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State, is currently the Executive Director, Centre For Equity And Eradication Of Rural Poverty, and writes from his native Asa land beautifully situated between Aba in Abia State and Port-Harcourt in Rivers State.
