Human Right lawyer, Femi Falana has lamented that Nigeria is the only country where the courts elect leaders and not the electorates.
Falana said this during the Nigerian Bar Association NBA,Ondo branch law week held at Ondo city, in Ondo state.
He spoke on the topic ” The role of the court in Electoral Process and the time bomb of section 84 (12) of the Electoral Acts, 20222.
According to him “Nigeria is the only country in the whole world where courts elect leaders, it is the electorate that elect leaders.
“Nigeria courts now elects and imposes leaders on us. Under the current political dispensation, three governors were not elected by their people but they were elected by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
” The Governors of Bayelsa and Zamfara states lost the election but the Supreme Court generously gave the decision that those who lost the election should be sworn in.
“No! There must be rerun election, we must allow people to choose their leaders.
“In Rivers state, they voted for someone but the Supreme Court said that the Rotimi Amaechi was not in the country on the day of the election and ruled on his favour. People must allow to choose their leaders.
” The Supreme Court must show good leadership by ensuring that the wishes of our people are matter.
Speaking on the roles of lawyers during election petition trials, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said that ” On the roles of lawyers, we must begin to deal with ourselves. Only a few justices up there have the confidence and courage to call senior advocate to order. So we must call ourselves to order in this country.
“We must now get to the stage where lawyers are refer to the disciplinary committee for discipline when it is obvious, particularly, the senior lawyers that are trying to ridicule the profession.
” I also appeal to our Judges not to allow INEC to congest our courts where it is unnecessary.
“Under the current Electoral Act, 84, 1, 2, 29, there shall be primary election for all political parties, INEC shall monitor the election and what has INEC done now? INEC has started rigging the election, how can vote count when you’re imposing those who do not emerged through primary on the electorate and that is why I’m pleading with our Judges, to ask INEC let us know their position on this matter before we can move forward.
“On our election petitions, I’m going to appeal to our Judges to be technical. It is not a criminal matters. Our Judges, lawyers must desist from taking frivolous petitions to court, senior lawyers in particular.
“So let us as a Bar stand up to fix the maximum for election petition. I can assure you that the election petitions in this country will reduce..
On the just concluded Ekiti election, Falana said that “The election that was just concluded in Ekiti, people are not happy that there was vote buying with different amount of money, ‘vote and cook soup’, but you can’t blame them alone because senior citizens collected thousand of dollars in Abuja so when they now get home what do you expect.
” So let us start from the top, the children, who engages in yahoo yahoo, most of their parent too are also yahoo yahoo politician, criminals.
“We as lawyers have a duty to save our country. Criminals are apprehended everyday by the police, the ministry of justice I beg you whenever a criminal suspect is paraded in Ondo state, you must contact the Commissioner of Police to ask for the case file and then charge the person to court.”
The state Chief Judge, Justice, William Akintoroye said that the theme of the bar week” insecurity and corruption as a challenge to Nigeria’s Democracy: The rule of law in securing the Nation, was apt.
Akintoroye noted that the role of law in securing the country and Nigerians cannot be over emphasised.
According to him, corruption has eaten do deep into the fabric of the nation, that security of the citizen lives can no longer be guaranteed even in church on Sunday.
The Chairman of the NBA,Ondo branch, Thompson Akinyemi said that said that if the provisions of the constitution are adhered to by the Nigerian leaders, the country, will achieve peace which is a catalyst for development.
Akinyemi added that ” let there be fairness and justice from the leaders and this will ultimately brings a sense of belonging to every ethnic nationalities and this will invariably bring peace to the country.
Earlier, the chairman of the law week planning committee, Adekunle Adetowubo, listed some of challenges of the branch to include, building it’s bar centre, mobility to enhance Smith movement of the branch NEC members and financial assistance.
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