National chairman of the Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC), Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, said on Thursday, October 17, that the time has come when politicians should stop using the judiciary to make a mockery of the nation’s democracy.
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Speaking at the quarterly consultative meeting between the Chairmen of political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dantalle said political party leaders must learn to embrace the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism (ADR) to address the protracted leadership disagreements in some political parties as enshrined in its Code of Conduct.
He said: “As political leaders, we must cultivate and promote the culture of resolving our internal disputes as evidence of leadership capability; rather than over-reliance on the Judiciary. It is time we stop using the Judiciary to make a mockery of our hard-earned democracy.
“The issuance of orders and counter orders, judgments and conflicting judgments by courts of coordinate jurisdiction are appalling as if justice is for sale. Enough of these provocative judicial somersaults that have made a mockery of our emerging democracy. This is also a wakeup call for urgent judicial reform that will sanction and flush out corrupt judicial officers and restore the court as the Temple of Justice and the last hope of all aggrieved people”.
Dentelle said further that “after 25 years of unbroken democracy, the state of the nation is sour. Nigerians are disillusioned. The rising cost of living and political tension have dampened citizens’ morale in the electoral process resulting in low voter turnout in elections.
“Citizens’ participation in elections is critical for sustainable democracy as power resides in the people. The need to create an environment conducive for successful elections, political stability, economic growth and public safety cannot be overemphasized”.
He said governments at all levels must improve the people’s wellbeing in tandem with Section 14(2)b of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, adding that urgent steps should be taken to ameliorate the hardship millions of Nigerians are facing today.
This, he said will spur their political participation that will give more credence to the electoral process.
The IPAC Chairman said: “Nigerians expect INEC to improve on the Saturday 16th November 2024, Ondo State gubernatorial poll. Stakeholders in the electoral process must join in voter education, sensitisation and mobilisation to ensure a free, fair, credible, transparent, inclusive, and peaceful election that will meet international standards.
“IPAC will lead from the front in voter mobilisation as a major stakeholder and urges political parties and their candidates to imbibe issue-based campaigns and eschew politics of bitterness.
“The commission is required to put its act together, provide adequate electoral materials, and test run its BVAS and IReV portal to avoid undue technical hitches and glitches that will cast doubt on the integrity of the election. The issue of late arrival of election materials to some polling units must be addressed to reinforce confidence in the polls.
“Equally important is effective communication by the commission’s officials particularly during the collation of results to avoid suspicion of manipulation of results as it happened in the Edo State governorship election where some politicians stormed the collation centre to know why collation of results was suspended. Nigerians, indeed the entire world expect transparency in the conduct of elections.
“Security agents, election observers and the media have critical roles to play in ensuring the success of the poll. They are urged to discharge their duties with utmost responsibility and patriotism. Vote trading has been the bane of most elections in Nigeria.
“Security agents should apprehend and prosecute vote buyers and sellers and their sponsors to face the full weight of the law. We must sanitise the electoral process to stimulate increased restoration of trust that will encourage citizens’ participation in elections.”
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He asked the National Assembly not to dissipate energy and resources in establishing any Local Government electoral commission but should strengthen INEC to conduct all elections in the country, including local government elections, saying, “The commission’s elections may not be perfect; they are far better and credible than the charades showcased by SIECs acting as rubber stamps of the governors who appointed them.
“IPAC is aware of crises in some political parties and inflammatory statements by politicians and public office holders that tend to overheat the polity. We re-emphasise the call on parties to always adhere strictly to their respective constitution and internal democracy.”
Speaking on the forthcoming Ondo governorship election, the IPAC chairman said: “As Nigerians look forward to a successful Ondo State governorship election on November 16, 2024, let us renew our faith in the democratic process and work assiduously in building a better and greater Nigeria future generations will be proud of.”
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