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The Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, ASSPT, has expressed worry over the recent decisions of courts in the country relating to the electoral process.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The director of ASSPT, Dr Sam Amadi, who spoke in Abuja during the weekly briefings of the organization on the preparation towards free, fair and credible elections in 2023, noted that the development was dangerous to the development of the nation’s democracy.
He explained that democracy is about the freedom of the people to elect their leaders, adding that stakeholders in the country must address the situation to avoid post-election violence.
According to him, “We are worried by the fact that the courts are taking over the electoral process. This is dangerous to the development of democracy and sustainable peace in the country. The electoral process is based on the freedom and the will of the people to choose their leaders. This process needs to be strengthened to avoid the possibility of violence post-election. The role of the courts in electoral disputes has become controversial.
“A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court declared former Governor Akpabio the lawful candidate for Senate in Akwa Ibom. This is a matter that the INEC REC reported that Akpabio did not partake in the right primary. The intervention of the Court in such cases as the Akpabio case often suggests usurpation of the right of party members to elect their candidates.
“The worst case is the case of the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, who never contested for the Senate because of his involvement in the primary for the presidential candidate of his party. The Court basically imposed Lawan on the ground of mere technicality of the form of originating the suit by Machina. These decisions have exposed the highest Court of the land to the complaint of taking over the work of INEC and the voters.
“The 2023 general election calls for less judicial intervention. The courts must develop a better jurisprudence that will enable it to revert ultimately to INEC.”
On the controversy over the engagement of the transport unions by INEC for the movement of election materials in Lagos, Amadi said, “in the case of MC Oluomo, INEC should disengage the road transport union from distribution of materials in Lagos State following his open and obvious involvement in the presidential campaigns of the All Progressive Congress, APC, candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
