Former National Vice-Chairman of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, Olabode George, has expressed displeasure over the role of the
judiciary in electoral matters in Nigeria.
The elder statesman said it should not be rested on the
judiciary to tell Nigerians who won a particular election.
According to him, the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, should be able to stand its ground in making the right
decision at all costs, even if it takes conducting multiple elections to arrive
at the right results.
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, on Monday, announced its readiness to deliver judgment on the petitions filed in the aftermath of the 2023 presidential election.
Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, and former Vice
President, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are challenging
the victory of Bola Tinubu as declared by INEC on March 1, 2023.
George insisted that it is wrong that Nigerians should be
waiting for a court to declare the winner of elections, warning the judiciary
against taking away the rights of the people to determine election winners.
“The most contentious issue in Nigeria today is the
judiciary, it is one of the pillars of government,” he said in a press briefing
in Lagos on Monday.
“Is it right for the judiciary to tell us who won or lost
the election? What we understand by democracy is government of the people by
the people and for the people but in our own case, it shouldn’t be government
of the judiciary by the judiciary and for the judiciary. Is that democratic?
“It is the will of the people that should prevail. If you
discover any wrong, ask them to go back and conduct a fresh election even if it
takes a hundred times. The job of the judiciary is not to tell us who lost or
who won.”
Advertise 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