AfriPulse
Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has urged the National Assembly to review Nigeria’s electoral litigation process and establish a Constitutional Court to handle election-related disputes.
Naija News reports that Jonathan made the call in Abuja on Wednesday during the 70th birthday celebration and book launch of Senator Gbenga Daniel (APC, Ogun East).
The former president said creating a specialised court for election matters would reduce pressure on Nigeria’s political and judicial systems by streamlining the litigation process.
He criticised the current three-tier system for governorship election disputes, which moves from the election tribunal to the Court of Appeal and then the Supreme Court, describing it as ineffective.
According to him, a single specialised court would help resolve election disputes more efficiently.
Jonathan said, “If the Supreme Court continues to be the terminal court for governor’s elections, then they don’t need to go through the lower tribunal so that it would just be one step.
“I believe the ideal thing to do, which I was considering when I was in office, was to make sure that it’s only one tribunal that listens to any litigation relating to politics.”
Jonathan recalled a controversial case during the 2011 elections where a gubernatorial candidate lost his seat due to a technical issue involving the colour of ink used by voters.
He further stated, “I remember a particular case where someone lost an election as a governor because the law then stipulated the use of red ink to tick voters’ names.
“In an entire senatorial district, they were not provided with red pens and used available black or green pens.
“As a result, those votes were cancelled. The Appeal Court upheld this, even though the lower tribunal felt that a tick is a tick.”
He noted that although the National Assembly later amended the law to allow governorship election cases reach the Supreme Court, the reform did not address the lengthy litigation process.
Jonathan urged Nigeria to adopt the judicial model used in many Francophone African countries, where constitutional courts handle election disputes.
“This is done, especially in the Francophone countries in Africa. They have constitutional courts, anything about elections, only the constitutional courts that take decisions,” he said.
The former president also called on the judiciary to demonstrate firmness in handling political cases to sanitise Nigeria’s political environment.
“Politics is like soccer and the judges are the referees. If the referee looks the other way, players will break legs or score with their hands,” he said.
Jonathan Praises Gbenga Daniel
Jonathan also commended the celebrant, Senator Gbenga Daniel, describing him as a constructive leader who brought an engineering mindset into politics.
He recalled Daniel’s role as the South-West Zonal Coordinator of his 2015 presidential campaign, noting that he was chosen because of his credibility and ability to bridge political divides.
“I can attest to the fact that he is a man that really thinks like an engineer, very constructive and dedicated,” Jonathan said.
He further praised Daniel for documenting his life experiences in books, noting that personal accounts help correct public misconceptions.
Jonathan added, “I always appreciate people who put on paper their experiences and what happens to them. I pray and hope that I will do it one day so that younger people will read about Goodluck Jonathan.
“There are a lot of stories about me. Maybe 50 per cent of them, whenever I read, they are not correct… It’s only when the author himself, when the actor documents it, then people say, oh, this is what happened.”
The event was attended by several dignitaries, including President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, traditional rulers, and political leaders.
Source: Naijanews.com | Read the Full Story…
