SENATE, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOLD JOINT CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON ELECTORAL MATTERS
The senate and house of representatives today held a joint consultative meeting with election litigation lawyers and security forces to chart a way forward for pre election and post election matters in the country.
The meeting which was held in collaboration with Policy And Legal Advocacy Centre (P LAC) also had support from the UK Foreign, CommonWealth And Development office (FCDC).
The focus at the plenary session was overview of election related legal disputes matters as they relate to pre election and post election matters and proposals for for necessary amendment.
Members of the judiciary and legal luminaries made presentations with papers on “reforming Nigeria’s Electoral Act, Identifying problematic Areas And Proposing Amendments”
The 2-day event also addressed issues on strengthening the role of the security agencies in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Security agencies, the police, the Nigerian Army, the Air force, the Navy and the Federal Road Safety Corps were on ground with their contributions for the way forward on maintaining a conducive and peaceful order before and during elections.
Speaking, the senate committee chairman on electoral matters Sen. Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli and his house of representatives’ counterpart Hon. Adebayo Balogun noted the indispensable role security forces play at ensuring free, fair and credible election as the bedrock of democracy that depends significantly on the ability of security agencies.
The legal luminaries dwelt on the way lawyers treat the law as a Nigerian project and the key issues with valuable insight on the challenges and the desire to understand the implementation process
The voices of those who hold sway in the judiciary drawn from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Afam Osigwe, Prof Mike Ozekhome SAN, made great and credible contributions on possible ways forward in areas of election dispute resolutions, timeline for filing adjudication and petitions, alongside unhindered justice, judicial conflicts and interpretation and consistencies in electoral adjudications, fostering predictable clarity, pre election and post election disputes streamlining procedures of handling litigations to prevent unnecessary litigation, resolving pre and post election including primary elections.
Post election matters focused on streamlining issues on procedures of handling all post primary elections disputes matters before swearing–in winners of election victory.
They pointed out that the issues and conversations are not on the act or the law but the judiciary with concerns on how to apply the law.
They maintained that the major challenges of credible election in Nigeria is not Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but the judicial interpretation.
Prof Ozekhome who presented a paper on “Reforming Nigeria’s Electoral Act: Identifying Problematic Areas and Proposing Amendments.” stated the need to conclude litigations on election matters before swearing in a candidate.
He advocated the need for sufficient time for losers to complete their cases.
SAN Afam spoke on the lacunae of result transmission records identification and clarity which often lead to confusion.
SAN Uche harped on quasi nomination process and the need to challenge nomination even outside the party with respect to candidates qualification even by outsiders.
The senator for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Ireti Kingibe called lNEC’s attention to issues of members who cross carpet.
She stated that such positions should be declared vacant according to the constitution.
