A Civil Society Organisation, Citizens Gavel, has called on the President of the Court of Appeal to take decisive action to ensure that the appointment of judges for the election petition tribunals for the Edo and Ondo governorship elections is conducted with the utmost transparency and integrity.

Stressing the critical responsibility of the judiciary in upholding the integrity of the electoral process, the organisation urged the President of the Court of Appeal to develop and make public a structured set of criteria that will govern the appointment of election petition judges for the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

Communications Associate of the organisation, Charles Akintola, in a statement, said the framework should aim to promote transparency and accountability in the judicial process.

Akintola said: “Include specific provisions within the criteria that explicitly prohibit the appointment of judges who have any connection, however remote, with any of the candidates contesting the governorship elections. This measure is crucial to maintaining the impartiality and fairness of the judiciary.

“As the new Chief Justice of Nigeria takes the reins of leadership within the Nigerian judiciary, the forthcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections present an opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to uphold a transparent process and significantly redeem the image of the judiciary.

“We recommend that the Chief Justice establish a monitoring system to oversee the election petition tribunals, ensuring that the processes are transparent and accountable.

“We believe these steps will strengthen the judiciary’s integrity and uphold democratic principles at this critical time. We appreciate His Lordship’s attention to this urgent matter and look forward to seeing the judiciary rise to the occasion in these critical elections.”