Atiku said Nigerian leaders must be decided by voters, not judges

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised a new concern about the future of Nigerian democracy, insisting that the will of the people should not be replaced by a judicial decision.

He urged for urgent reform both for the electoral system and judiciary to restore trust in the democratic process.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Atiku praised the Nigerians for changing on a large number of ongoing voter registration (CVR). However, he regretted that enthusiasm had not been translated into actual participation during the election.

“In the 2023 election, only 24.9 million Nigerians, who represented 26.72 percent of 93.47 million registered voters, gave ballots,” Atiku said. “This is the lowest number of voters since the return of democracy in 1999.”

He argues that rebuilding voter confidence requires an urgent amendment to the Election Law, especially in ensuring transparency and eliminating gaps.

“The collection of results must be strictly based on the numbers uploaded to the Inec results that see the portal rather than manual collection,” Atiku said.

He further demanded that the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the transmission of electronic results made mandatory at all levels, without exception for manual alternatives.

Also read: Nigerian Govt Rewards World Best Student World with N200,000

In the credibility of election management, the former vice president proposed reforms for the appointment of the leadership of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC). According to him, the process should no longer only depend on the President’s nomination.

He stressed: “The designation of Inec’s leadership must be determined through the polling system, not merely with the President’s nomination, to ensure credibility.”

Atiku also urged that the burden of proof in the election petition be diverted from the applicants. Conversely, he said, must be the responsibility of INEC to show that it is entirely in accordance with the law.

Citing Legal Expert Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, Atiku warned the dangers of allowing judges to decide on the legitimacy of Nigerian leaders. He referred to the book Odinkalu The Selectorate: When the judge dropped people, which caused concern about the court to be the main mediator of the election results.

“The task ahead is to ensure that the Nigerians are free to choose their leaders in the ballot box without fear that their mandate will be canceled in court,” Atiku said.