A Coalition of civil societies and leaders of thought has called for live television broadcasts of electoral court cases and for the judgments to be delivered before the swearing-in of newly elected winners.
The group invites Nigerians to sign up an appeal on common voicing, a non-partisan platform built to enable citizens and consumers to express their views on issues concerning their lives to government and corporations.
In a statement issued by the Director, Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), Prof. Anthony Kila, the group observed that the 2023 elections left Nigeria more divided.
“A significant part of the country considers the elections free, arguing that election results reflect the wishes of the people, while another significant part of the country considers the elections highly flawed and considers the results unacceptable. The dualism is causing a lot of tension in the country.
“As concerned citizens, we believe that one of the best ways to douse the tension in the country, restore unity and legitimise the incoming government is to make sure that all parties get a convincing, transparent and timely adjudication of electoral cases that will give all sides in the country a sense of clarity and justice that will bring an end to all ongoing controversies,” the professor of Strategy and Development stated.
It appealed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to use his discretion to ensure that electoral cases in court were made public by ensuring TV coverage of proceedings, and that electoral cases were adjudicated upon before May 29, 2023.
Leading human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) and National President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau, are backed calls for the televising of the presidential election tribunal proceedings.
