Following the Supreme Court judgement which affirmed the election victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the human rights lawyer and activist Femi Falana, SAN, in an interview with Channels TV’s Politics Today, said that it is not ideal for the judiciary to decide winners of elections.
According to him, determining winners of elections is an exclusive reserve of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
He said, “No doubt the judgment of the Supreme Court has ended the electoral contestation as far as the presidential election conducted in February this year is concerned.
“But for sure, it is not a judicial endorsement of the conduct of the election by INEC.
“And what I mean is that even with the judgment, it is very clear that Nigeria has a long way to go in terms of ensuring that credible elections are conducted; elections that will be devoid of acrimony, elections that all of us will be proud of.
“But we are still a long way from there even with the judgment.
“Yes, for now, the presidential election is concluded. It should have been concluded in February, but it has just been concluded by the Supreme Court, and it should not be so.
“The judiciary should not determine the winners of elections.
“Judges are not suited to determine the winners of election; that is a job that is the exclusive reserve of INEC if things are done properly, and that is why we must put an end to the shame that has become our law in terms of conducting elections,” he said.
The activist, while noting that Nigeria must realise its status as the largest concentration of black people on earth, added that the country has a greater responsibility to do the right thing for black people to earn respect all over the world.
The Informant247 reports that the apex court, in its ruling on Thursday, affirmed the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while dismissing the appeals by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi.
Justice John Okoro-led seven-man panel held that the opposition appeals over fraud claims, electoral law violations, and Tinubu’s ineligibility to run for President lack merit.