Former chairman of the Body of Benchers, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, has warned that the sudden call for an interim government in a democracy where elections had just been held and certificates of return issued to winners is an aberration that invites anarchy.
Olanipekun, who spoke in Abuja during the send-forth dinner organised by the Body of Bencher at the end of his one-year tenure as the 50th chairman of the organisation, said the country risked extinction if those behind the call remained obstinate.
“It is unconstitutional. To me, it comes from the pit of hell. How do you compartmentalise it? How do you accommodate it within a constitutional democracy? As a lawyer, I don’t know the jurisprudence that will accommodate it,” he said.
Urging aggrieved parties to explore constitutional options, he said there was bound to be disagreements from elections anywhere in the world.
He added, “You can’t throw away the baby with the bath water. It is never done. I am not saying all is well.
“In every institution created by God for man, there will be minuses. You don’t have 100 per cent anywhere. I am not saying there is no room for improvement. But, don’t let us call for anarchy. No one is going to benefit from it, not even those calling for it.”
Olanipekun, however, said he felt fulfilled for what God had done through him for the law profession during his time as the chairman of the Body of Benchers.
Also speaking, Ekiti State Governor, Abiodun Oyebanji, described Olanipekun as a great philanthropist, an inspiration, and a pride to the state.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ayoola Ariwoola, said it was impossible to doubt the sterling contributions that Olanipekun made to the development of the profession in the country and beyond.
A retired justice of the Supreme Court who stepped in as the new leader of the Body of Benchers, Justice Mary Odili, said Olanipekun discharged his duties without blemish and promised to build on his achievements.
