Former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon Thursday urged politicians with cases before election petition tribunals to accept the outcomes in good faith.
Gowon, who insisted that it was only an independent Judiciary that could protect the nation’s democracy, advised that the Judiciary must be allowed to work without external interference.
Also, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, enjoined Nigerians, especially politicians, to set aside their differences on the just-concluded general election and chart a way forward for nation-building.
The two elder statesmen spoke at different fora in Abuja and Calabar, Cross River State.
Gowon spoke at the 15th edition of Punuka annual lecture in honour of the late Justice Chike Idigbe, a former Justice of the Supreme Court, who died in 1983.
The Abuja event had as its theme: The life and legacy of Honourable Justice Idigbe: 100 years of a gold standard for judges in Nigeria.”
Gambari gave his advice while delivering the 35th convocation lecture of the University of Calabar (UNICAL). The topic of the lecture was: “The Leadership and Followership Question in Nigeria: Imperatives of an Ethical Re-Orientation.”.
At the Punuka annual lecture/symposium, Gowon hailed the Judiciary for always acting as a stabilising force in many instances when Nigeria confronted challenges.