…Expresses Pessimism that the election tribunal would be fair:
Civil Rights Advocacy Group:- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has faulted the outcome of the Presidential Poll February 25th 2023 in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) controversially awarded the pyrrhic victory to the All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
HURIWA which says those aggrieved by the result certified by INEC should immediately challenge it in the judicial system but was quick to add that the judicial arm of government in Nigeria has since become subservient to the dictatorial executive arm of government under President Muhammadu Buhari and may not be independent, impartial and neutral in determining the election related litigation contesting the result of the Presidential Poll just as HURIWA recalled that Nigeria’s Supreme Court has a notoriety of never ever overturning a badly hijacked Presidential election since the nation gained independence in 1960.
HURIWA has therefore lambasted the APC’S Presidential campaign Council for bullying the other presidential candidates who are feeling aggrieved with the result of the election to put a call to the INEC’s awarded President- elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
HURIWA said the outcome of the Presidential election as announced by INEC is fraught with inconsistencies, and should ordinarily be overturned in the court but the group said the judges in the judicial system of Nigeria lacked integrity and may go for the highest bidders in the dispensation of the so-called justice. HURIWA cited a typical example of the last Supreme court’s judgment on the 2019 governorship poll in Imo State in which the apex court coronated the candidate of All Progressives Congress Hope Uzodimma who came fourth in the poll to become the winner thus displacing Emeka Ihedioha of PDP who was declared the winner, sworn in and had served meritorious for 7 months.
HURIWA also cited the judgment of the Supreme Court in which the outgoing Senate President Ahmed Lawan who ran unsuccessfully to be APC’s Presidential candidate but when he failed he never ran for the Senatorial primary election but the apex court certified him as the candidate of the Senatorial election when he never contested at the party’s primary election.
The Rights group said it is undemocratic, irrational, irresponsible and insensitive for anyone to expect that those candidates allegedly robbed of victory by INEC would just swallow the perceived injustice and unfairness, hook, line and sinker and then fail to exhaust their constitutionally allowed right to seek judicial intervention to try to remedy the perceived failings of the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the courts of competent jurisdiction in compliance to section 6 of the 1999 constitution.
Specifically, section 6 (1) of the constitution provides thus: “The judicial powers of the Federation shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established for the Federation”. Besides, section 6 (5) (k) states that: “This section relates to:- (k) Such other court as may be authorised by law to exercise jurisdiction at first instance or on appeal on matters with respect to which a House of Assembly may make laws.
HURIWA blasted the INECannoynced winner of the controversial poll which the Rights group believed, was manipulated, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for making a public Statement of acceptance of the rigged poll without even recognising that many Nigerians got killed by armed political thugs that allegedly worked for All Progressives Congress.
Specifically, in his accrptance spedch, Bola Ahmed Tinubu said: ” 16 . . , .
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HURIWA faulted his statement and said the INEC declared winner is insensitive and is pretending like all was well when the election that has now thrown him up as the winner is not credible, neither was it free, fair, transparent and peaceful. HURIWA is therefore warning the judiciary not to set Nigeria on fire by failing to do substantial justice in the election petitions from the Presidential candidates that may be filed. HURIWA accuses the Supreme Court particularly of compromised and being pocketed by the executive arm of government.
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