14th June, 2012
The National leader of Action Congress of Nigeria, AC N, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has condemned the amended section of the electoral law which stipulates that resolution of electoral disputes arising from elections should be concluded within 180 days after which such case shall no longer be heard in court.
He described it as a ploy by anti democrats to destroy democracy in the country.
Tinubu spoke at a function to mark the 19th anniversary of June 12, 1993 presidential election organised by the Lagos State government in collaboration with June 12 Coalition of Democratic Formations at LTV 8, Agidingbi, Ikeja.
According to him, “we don’t have democracy now. We don’t have leaders and we don’t have freedom. Before the National Assembly decided to take the people’s right of recourse to law away from them, we used the court to claim our stolen mandates in Edo, Ekiti and Osun states. But immediately the anti democrats noticed that, while we were celebrating, they went through the back door and made the constitution to limit the right of Nigerian voters to fair hearing to 180 days.
“I want you, Governor Babatunde Fashola to lead a team of lawyers to court to determine whether a two-third majority of the National Assembly can take the people’s right away from them. Constitutionally even if you want to do that you must have four-fifth of the members.”
He explained that with the amendment, perpetual rigging would now be freely perpetrated without any hope of justice for the victims. “Once they announced any fake result now, you have only 180 days to do something about it after which you shall no longer be heard. No more recourse to law. When General Buhari said that the monkeys and baboons will be soaked in blood, they took up a fight. But if you have to take my right to fair hearing away, what do you want me to do? No matter how crude, huge or clear the rigging is, you will not hear me. Forget it. They are asking us to take recourse to self-help. It could be a dane gun, it could be cutlass, it could be fight on the streets to settle our grievances and that is dangerous.”
He declared that no matter how powerful the power cabal was, they cannot prevent the resolve of the people to fight for their rights to freedom and democracy.
He called for the immediate convocation of a Sovereign National Conference to resolve all the problems facing the country.
—Isa Isawade