The inaugurated members of the 2011 election petition tribunals were drawn from a total of 210 qualified judicial officers in the country.
By this arrangement, each state of the federation is to have two tribunals to preside over the national and state Houses of Assembly election disputes and a governorship election tribunal to handle election petitions arising from the forthcoming polls.
Whereas it was the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, that drafted members of the panels in accordance with provisions of Section 9 and paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Second Alteration Act), 2010, the CJN, however, okayed and gave the list his approving nod yesterday.
Performing the swearing-in at the Supreme Court complex, the CJN lamented that allegations of corruption had in recent past, placed the role of election tribunals in jeopardy, just as he warned members of the newly inaugurated panels to strive to be above board in the discharge of their duties, warning that anything contrary from them, may portend danger to the already battered integrity of the Nigerian judiciary and tenets of democracy in the country.
Katsina-Alu said: “By the appointment, you are assigned the original and exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine petitions as to whether any person has been validly elected as a member of the National Assembly, or any member has been validly elected as a member of the House of Assembly of a state or any person has been validly elected to the office of Governor or Deputy Governor of a state.
“You have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders and the earlier you appreciate this, the better for the nation and the image of the judiciary. The judiciary plays a very important role in the determination of election conflicts in any part of the world.
“In Nigeria, allegations of corruption have in recent past placed the role of election tribunal in jeopardy.
Election petitions, just like the ordinary day-to-day civil cases, are intended to be dealt with by tribunals consistently, fairly without bias or partiality. You must bear in mind that in most cases in this country, when Election Petition Tribunals fail in their duties, the consequences had been violence resulting in murder, arson and grievous bodily harm.
“Attempts will no doubt be made by unscrupulous persons to corrupt, influence and/or coerce you into taking wrong decisions. This you must resist at all cost. You must act in accordance with the dictates of the oath which you have just taken as well as your good conscience. I am confident that you will not fail the nation at this crucial moment of our nascent democracy and our effort to build a nation on the principle of the rule of law, justice and fair play.
“Finally, I want to warn you the Chairmen and Members of the Election Tribunals that you are under the scrutiny of the eyes of the litigants that will come before you, as well as members of the general public. Any substantiated complaint of impropriety against you will go before the National Judicial Council and you will pay dearly for such.
“It is, therefore, up to you to work honestly, diligently and with integrity. Let your conscience guide you according to the oath that you have just taken.”
Meantime, the event got an added piquancy when the Appeal Court President, Justice Salami, refused to exit through the same door used by the CJN immediately after the event.
In line with judicial hierarchy, the PCA, being next in command, was expected to leave the hall immediately after the CJN. He, however, declined the honour, preferring to rather follow the door used by other judicial officers that attended the ceremony.
Whereas the CJN who followed the back door exclusively reserved for justices, exited the hall at exactly 11: 13 am, the PCA stalled his exit till 11.17 a.m. when he exited through the side door at the Supreme Court, just as the warring duo shunned any form of exchange of pleasantries.
It would be recalled that the conduct of the CJN and the PCA are presently under scrutiny by both the NJC and the NBA, following several allegations of judicial misconduct levelled against them from different quarters, with majority of the allegations bothering on election petition malpractices.
Meanwhile, the National Judicial Institute, NJI, yesterday, commenced a five-day refresher course for judges and Kadis, with a view to keep them abreast with new ideas and developments that will aid their adjudicatory duties.
The CJN, who was represented at the event by Justice Aloma Mukhtar of the Supreme Court, maintained that “the enormity of the responsibilities which the democratic governance has placed on the Judiciary demands that the Courts must rise to their constitutional responsibilities.”
He added: “Remember that the continued relevance of our work as Judges depends to a great extent on public confidence. We must collectively avoid anything that will compromise the preservation of the rule of law.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com