Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Abia State counterpart, Governor Alex Otti, and many other public figures have tasked judges and lawyers on their critical role in upholding the integrity of the electoral process in the country.
The call was made in Lagos yesterday at the annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, Section of Public Interest and Development Law, NBA-SPIDEL.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said Nigerians, especially lawyers, must desist from casting aspersions on the judiciary, no matter how they feel about the outcome of legal processes.
He said in any democracy, the court’s decisions provide a way and opportunity for those who feel dissatisfied in an electoral contest to seek redress in the court of law.
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Abia Governor Otti in his goodwill message, said the NBA needs to seriously look into the activities of some lawyers whose craving for monetary gains in their practice has undermined their ethical obligation to stand for justice.
On his part, former NBA President, Olisa Agbakoba SAN called for the unbundling of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, noting that the commission is saddled with many responsibilities which have made it ineffective in the handling of its constitutional role.
In his contribution, Mr. Femi Falana SAN cited examples from other jurisdictions and noted that there is nowhere politicians are sworn into office before the conclusions of the court matter challenging their emergence.
They called for the conclusion of all election petitions before inaugurations and decried a situation where the courts are deciding future leaders of the country as against through the votes of the electorates.
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