Date Published: 10/22/09

Eminent Nigerians calls for resolution of election petitions as panacea to rigging

Eminent Nigerians gathered in Abuja yesterday with a strident warning that the on-going attempt at providing an electoral reform for the nation would come to naught unless all electoral matters are settled at elections petitions tribunals before any candidate is sworn into office. Speakers after speakers at the Raymond Dokpesi Annual Lecture on Electronic Media in Nigeria stated that as to do otherwise was an attempt in futility as it would continue to provide veritable opportunity for would be election riggers to do so since they are certain of at least two or more years in office even if the court eventually sack them.

First to fire the first salvo was the Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko who in his Keynote address the drew cupiously from his titanic battle to wrest his mandate f in his State for 22 months warned that a situation where a man is allowed to sit on an illegal mandate with all the paraphernalia of office spells doom for the nation and would made nonsense of the current efforts at Electoral Reforms. To him, nobody must be allowed to take office unless all adjudications on electoral matter are settled.

To him, the current development makes rigging attractive due to the fact that the process of getting redress is still cumbersome and time wasting, a development which makes illegal occupants of offices to feed fat while the rightful owners of the mandate is bruised.

Mimiko who commended the judiciary for living up to its billings however called for speedy trail of electoral matters in view of the very nature of governance. Specifically, the Governor advocated a situation where the burden of proof be shifted on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) since it was the umpire in order to ensure that it provides all necessary materials for the use of the courts and cut time wasting.

Governor Mimiko also called for the financial independence of INEC as well as the serialization of ballot materials to tally with each polling unit in order to stem the spate of ballot paper snatching and other malpractices in future elections.

Also, the Governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji also towed the same path insisting that it was imperative that all elections petitions be disposed of before those elected are sworn in. This, in his view will eliminate undue influence on the judiciary and the dislocation of the process of governance during the period of litigation.

Also, the former Chairman of t INEC, Professor Abel Guobadia in his paper entitled : Role of the Media in 2011 Election also agreed with both Mimiko and Orji saying that the current situation makes rigging attractive as perpetrators are sure of a little time in office, saying this was clearly a flaw that must be dispense with.

He called on the Media to be more proactive in reporting events that bother on electoral matters in future elections. He called on them to be more vocal and scrutinize members of the INEC in order to place them in the searchlight at all times.

Prof Ralph Akinfeleye who spoke on transparent and vibrant media called for the passage of the FOI bill in order to assist information gathering. He called on the Media to be more proactive in their duties by ensuring that they act their roles as the watchdog of the society saying that they are the mirror with which the world views us.

The Ogun State Governor in his special remarks told the gathering that he has signed his own local version of FOI bill into law in Ogun State and enjoined his colleagues to do same. He also enjoined the media to continue to forge on saying that but for the media, our nation might have been doomed.

Some of the dignitaries at the occasion include Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Bauchi State Governor, Alhaji Issa Yuguda, Dr Frederick Fasehun, OPC founder who chaired the occasion, Mr. Dan Nwanyawu, the national Chairnam of the Labour Party (LP) and captains of the Media industries