Ballot, Not Courts, Should Decide Election Winners, Says Ex-President Jonathan
- Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has shared his thoughts on the way forward to sanitise Nigeria's electoral system
- The former Nigerian leader frowned at the role of courts in determining the winner of an election
- Dr. Jonathan said elected public officials should be in office based on ballots and not court pronouncements
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Former President Goodluck Jonathan has advocated the need for legislation that will prevent the courts from declaring a winner after an electoral contest.
The ex-Nigerian leader made the comment while speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, April 12.
According to him, a situation, where the judiciary is allowed to declare winners in an election, because of electoral fraud, is undemocratic.
He explained that the ballot papers should be the only means of choosing political leaders, adding that the courts should limit themselves to order for a re-run and not to declare a winner.
Source: Twitter
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Channels TV quoted Jonathan as saying:
“I am not saying the judiciary is not doing well but our laws should suppress the idea of our judiciary returning candidates. The ballots should decide who occupies the councillorship seat up to the presidency; that is democracy.”
While lamenting a situation whereby politicians use gifts to sway voters during the electoral process, the ex-President called for punitive measures against those who indulged in the unwholesome act.
He noted that in Nigeria where politicians induced voters with money and foodstuff on election day, such action is a criminal offence in other African countries.
Daily Trust reports that Jonathan made the comments when he visited the digital pan-African news network, the TOS TV network, led by Ms. Osasu Igbinedion.
He also urged the nation’s youths to participate in politics, saying that the political system controls everything globally and that the nation’s youths should not be left behind.
Meanwhile, a lot of stakeholders in Nigeria are becoming increasingly skeptical about the possibility of achieving a free, fair, and credible election in 2023 amidst the worsening security situation in the country.
With the current trend of insecurity in the different geo-political zones of the country, there is a general apprehension that things could get worse before the next election.
Legit.ng had previously reported that Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue said the much-talked-about 2023 general elections may never happen.
Ortom said the election not holding would become the reality in 2023 if nothing is done by the federal government about the menace of insecurity.
Source: Legit.ng
