The utterly absurd in defence of the completely outrageous!

Yes, the above quotation is from a speech delivered by the Chief Justice of Nigeria a few weeks ago, around the time of their epochal presidential elections last month, during the swearing into office of the new judge for the Federal Capital Territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It certainly does resonate very loudly in this country, taking our experience during the last elections in this country in December 2012, and its aftermath. We all had to endure eight long months in needless, purposeless anxiety as one side went to court to challenge, unsuccessfully, the verdict of that election.

The relevance of this citation by the highest judicial officer in Nigeria to today’s epistle would become evident presently.  This is because I am not writing on our judiciary today, but nonetheless an equally important matter that has captured the headlines in recent times: Who becomes the next chairman of the Electoral Commission, as the long-serving chairman, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan,