*Says FG Using Uncompleted Projects As Bait For Next Year’s Elections
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A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has called on politicians to learn to accept defeat during electoral contests rather than always trying to maneuver their ways to leadership through the judiciary.
He warned that if courts continue to choose leaders for the people, elections will soon become irrelevant as more politicians would explore the judiciary to impose themselves on the people.
“In my own counsel, both judges and politicians, we should allow people to choose their leaders so we have less governors declared by the courts, less of legislators, less of councillors declared by the courts.
“Otherwise, everybody will seek to use that as a means to upturn the will of the people (and) election then becomes irrelevant in a choice of democracy and that is really unacceptable,” Adegboruwa said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday.
Many past and present governors in Nigeria came into power through court judgement overturning the declaration of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Some of the governors include Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State.
Asked if the Electoral Act has addressed the indiscriminate manner leaders are decided through the courts, the SAN said there are still a lot of ambiguities in the Electoral Act and called for its review after the 2023 elections.
“I think it is important for the National Assembly by now to take a second look at the Electoral Act. Yes, it is commendable, that it is an improvement upon the old one but the ambiguities created in several sections of the electoral act is enough to give us cause for concern about what we will probably witness in 2023 and beyond that period.
“But it’s probably too late now to amend the current Electoral Act before the 2023 elections because it will cause a lot of disruptions but immediately after the 2023 elections it will be important to review the electoral act and rework it,” Adegboruwa said.
The Chief Justice of the Federation (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola on Monday sworn in members of the Election Petition Tribunal for the 2023 general elections in Abuja and warned them against any form of judicial recklessness.
On his part, Adegboruwa also urged members of the Tribunal to discharge their duties according to the laid down ethics of the profession.
He also said: “The federal government is using projects as bait to tie the hands of Nigerians so they can get continuity which is wrong.
“They promised to complete the Second Niger Bridge in 2022, we are already in December and it’s still there. How long will it take to complete a Lagos-Ibadan expressway that is about 200 km?
Sharing a personal experience, he said: “I’ve been on that road and nearly lost my life. You see people sandwiched between trucks and inhaling fumes. I know people who have died and have various degrees of health challenges from using that road.”
“This is the longest project anyone has embarked on in the world. Being probably the busiest road in Sub-Saharan Africa, it shouldn’t take up to the time it has taken now. Anyone who has suffered a health challenge should take the FG to court because they are liable.”
While commending the government for some infrastructures, he emphasized that any road construction or reconstruction that ends up taking lives is not worth it, and that projects should not be used as political capital.
He pleaded with the Minister of Works and Housing to show responsibility and the construction company in charge to adopt globally acceptable standard in delivering the project.
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