…saying, Enough of these provocative Judicial somersaults
From David Onuoja, Abuja
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), as a matter of urgency, has called on all the Political Parties and Politicians alike to henceforth stop attitudes that give room for the Judiciary to make mockery of “our hard earned democracy”.
IPAC National Chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, who lamented during an extraordinary meeting with Political Parties organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said “Enough of these provocative Judicial somersaults”.
He said, time has come for all hands to be on desk and ensure the reason for Nigerian hard earned democracy to thrive.
According to him, “After 25 years of unbroken democracy, the state of the nation is sour. Nigerians are disillusioned. The rising cost of living and political tension have dampened citizens’ morale in the electoral process resulting in low voter turnout in elections.
“As political Leaders, we must cultivate and promote the culture of resolving our own intermal disputes as evidence of leadership capability; rather than reliance on the Judiciary.
“It is time we stop using the Judiciary to make mockery of our hard earned democracy.
“The issuance of orders and counter orders, judgements and conflicting judgements by courts of coordinate jurisdiction are appalling, as if justice is for sale.
“Enough of these provocative Judicial somersaults that have made mockery of our emerging democracy.
“This is also a wake up call for urgent Judicial reform that will sanction and flush out corrupt Judicial officers and restore the court as the Temple of Justice and the last hope of all aggrieved people.
“We re-emphasise the call on parties to always adhere strictly to their respective constitution and internal democracy.
Council appeals to political leaders to also explore IPAC’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism to address the protracted leadership disagreements in some political parties as enshrined in its Code of Conduct”, he lamented.
IPAC warned political parties against incessant crises and inflammatory statements by politicians and public office holders that tend to overheat the polity in Nigeria.
Mamman Dantalle equally, urged governments at all levels to improve the people’s wellbeing in tandem with Section 14(2)b of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
He equally advised INEC to use effective communication, particularly during the collation of results to avoid suspicion of manipulation of results as it happened in the Edo State governorship election where some politicians stormed the collation centre to know why collation of results was suspended.
IPAC frowned at Vote trading which it described as the bane of most elections in Nigeria. Urging Security agents to apprehend and prosecute vote buyers and sellers and their sponsors to face the full weight of the law. “We must sanitise the electoral process to stimulate increased restoration of trust that will encourage citizens participation in elections”, he said.
