With barely 48 hours left for the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) to deliver its judgement, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has reiterated the call on the judges to ensure that the will of Nigerians prevail, pointing out that the judiciary should not be the one to determine the winner of elections but the people.
Chief George made the call on Monday during a press briefing in his office in Ikoyi, Lagos, noting sadly that for a very long time, it had been the judiciary that had been telling the citizens who won or lost the election, notwithstanding the efforts and huge resources committed to the conduct of elections in the country.
According to the PDP chieftain, who is also the Atona Oodua of Yoruba land, democracy is the people’s government by the people and for the people, saying it shouldn’t be the government of the judiciary by the judiciary and for the judiciary.
George lamented the state of affairs, saying that the country was doing very little positively and very much negatively, adding that the nation was derailing from “the positivity of the first democratic dispensation.”
“Is it right for the judiciary to tell us who won or lost the election? What we understand by democracy is that it is the government of the people by the people and for the people but in our own case, it shouldn’t be government of the judiciary by the judiciary and for the judiciary. Is that democratic?” he queried.
“The 1999 Constitution, who prepared it? The constitution is not working. Thank God, President Jonathan came with amendment. but where is the report? If you are in government and people are not happy, your representation is called to question,” he said.
On the last general elections, George described the country’s electoral process as shambolic, and nonsensical, saying such development made Nigeria nosedive due to manipulation of the system.
He pointedly declared that a glitch on the day of the election was unforgivable, saying that the sad occurrence came against all assurances given by the Chairman, of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, that the electoral umpire under him was ready for a hitch-free exercise.
“Our electoral process is shambolic, nonsensical, and makes the country nosediving. It is the manipulation of the system.
“A glitch on the day of the election is unforgivable but INEC chairman told us they were ready but with what happened, generation to come will never forgive him,” George said.
The PDP chieftain, while reiterating his stand against what he termed as “government of the judiciary by the judiciary and for the judiciary,” asserted that the will of the people should be allowed to prevail, urging the judiciary to call for fresh election if it discovered any wrong, even if it takes hundred times to fix as, according to him, “the job of the judiciary is not to tell us who lost or who won.”
“It is the will of the people that should prevail. If you discover any wrong, ask them to go back and conduct fresh election even if it takes hundred times. The job of the judiciary is not to tell us who lost or who won,” he said.
“Adjudication centres on fairness and justice. This is something that affects the people. All eyes, all over the world, are on Nigeria because democracy is the voice of the people,” he added.
. TheWitness
