The human rights activist celebrated his 67th birthday and also presented 50 books.
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| Mike Ozekhome Constitutional lawyer Prof Mike Ozekhome (SAN) hosted the nation’s who’s who on Thursday at the Abuja Continental Hotel. |
Among the dignitaries at the event were former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, former first lady Patience Jonathan and ex-presidential candidate Peter Obi.
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Also in attendance was former governor of Ogun State Segun Osoba, Senator Shehu Sani, businessman Obi Iyiegbu alias Obi Cubana, businesspeople, lawyers among others.
Prior to earning his LL.M., Ozekhome was posted to the Ministry of Justice, Yola as a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and then to the Federal Ministry of Justice, Lagos State. From there, he served as state counsel for the National Provident Fund (now Nigerian Social Insurance and Trust Fund (NSITF).
He then joined the chambers of the activist human rights lawyer and social crusader, the late Gani Fawehinmi, where he gradually rose to become the deputy head of chambers, a position he held till 1985. He founded his own firm, Mike Ozekhome’s Chambers, in 1986.
In 2010, he was one of 19 senior legal practitioners conferred with the rank of senior advocate of Nigeria.
GEJ: You Can't Tell Me That The Head Of A Department Can Expel The Vice Chancellor
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| Former President Goodluck Jonathan |
Former President Goodluck Jonathan expressed concern over the state of democracy in Nigeria during a speech at the 67th birthday celebration of legal expert Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, held in Abuja on Thursday.
Jonathan questioned the authority of a department head to expel the vice chancellor, emphasizing the troubling trends in the country, particularly regarding judicial rulings in political matters.
He specifically referenced a Supreme Court decision that shocked him: the ruling that a ward chairman of a political party could suspend the party's National Chairman. Jonathan found this judgment perplexing and argued that it undermined fundamental democratic principles.
According to Vanguard, Jonathan said, "You cannot tell me that the head of a department can expel the vice chancellor."
He metaphorically described democracy as a cone, suggesting that the Supreme Court's ruling flipped it upside down. "When a cone is turned upside down, it cannot stand because any little thing that touches it will cause it to fall," he remarked. Jonathan warned that such legal decisions could destabilize the nation's democratic framework.
Furthermore, he asserted that granting Ward Chairmen the power to suspend their National Chairmen deviated from the principles of natural justice, raising further concerns about the integrity of political structures in Nigeria.
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