A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof Paul Ananaba, has suggested that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should no longer be a respondent in election tribunal cases.
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Instead, he proposes INEC should be considered an independent party.
Appearing on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily program Wednesday, Ananaba claimed making INEC an independent party would ease the burden on the judiciary handling numerous election petitions. He stated that calling on INEC directly to provide all electoral processes would allow cases to conclude within 5-6 weeks up to the Supreme Court.
The senior lawyer believes shifting the burden of proof to INEC as an independent arbiter would cut the number of election petitions by half.
Ananaba advocated that the respondent should swear an affidavit or witness statement within 21 days if they want INEC to testify at any stage.
He reiterated that with INEC conducting elections, it is currently the losing party that approaches tribunals while having just 21 days to provide evidence.
Ananaba insists reforming INEC’s role as an autonomous party would streamline adjudicating contentious polls.
The SAN stated that the change could significantly reduce Nigeria’s litany of post-election court cases that drag on for months. His proposals have sparked debate given INEC’s critical duties in upholding credible and conclusive elections.
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