7th September, 2023
Dr Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, the lawyer of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, said election litigants may resort to self-help if they continue to find it very difficult to establish their case.
He cited obstacles from government institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Uzoukwu spoke Wednesday in Abuja following the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court, that upheld the election of President Bola Tinubu and dismissed the case filed by his client.
The Punch quoted the lawyer as warning that if care was not taken, sound electoral jurisprudence would disappear in the country.
“If we are not careful, our electoral jurisprudence will eventually disappear. I am saying this with every amount of sincerity because when the litigant, when those who contested the election continue to find it very difficult to establish their case due to obstacles on the way, starting with INEC, certainly they may resort to some other means of trying to get justice, which may not be lawful.
Uzoukwu said his client will appeal the case in the Supreme Court.
he commended the Court of Appeal for introducing live streaming. You may recall that we applied to the court to have live streaming of all the proceedings, but the court, in its wisdom did not grant the application.
“But now, in the end, they saw the wisdom in it and the need to guarantee transparency, hence, live streaming of the judgement.
“Certainly, it would have been better if it was live streaming of the entire proceedings so that the public would have the chance to watch and be able to relate properly with the judgement.
“So, I will hope and pray that this time, it will be continuous, starting from the beginning of a case.
“That is the only way that you can guarantee transparency because when something is open, Nigerians will see things for themselves and they will make up their minds, one way or the other,” he said.
Justice Haruna Tsammani, who led the five-man panel said dismissed Peter Obi’s petition for lacking material facts and being unmeritorious.
“This petition accordingly lacks merit. I affirm the return of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The parties are to bear their cost.”
The court also dismissed the petition by Allied Peoples Movement and PDP’s Atiku Abubakar.
