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Tribunal rules out CPC’s petition on Jonathan’s election victory |
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| Posted on November 01, 2011 | Back to news home | |
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Tribunal rules out CPC’s petition on Jonathan’s election victory The Presidential Election Tribunal in Nigeria has thrown out the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) party’s challenge to President Goodluck Jonathan's victory in April’s election. The tribunal upheld the result and rejected calls by the opposition party for a recount in several parts of the country. Justice Kumai Akaahs told the court that "The petition fails in its entirety and is hereby dismissed” while reading out a unanimous decision by five judges hearing the case on Tuesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. The petition Jonathan was declared winner of the April 16 election with 59 percent of the votes but his nearest rival, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, who polled 32 percent, refused to accept the outcome and his party filed a petition to challenge it in May. The CPC had argued that the vote was marred by irregularities. It said the electoral commission’s computers were manoeuvred to sway the count against Buhari in parts of the north, and that the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP)’s vote was inflated in some of its southern strongholds. The party's national chairman Tony Momoh said it would appeal the decision although election observers and most Nigerians said the vote was the most credible in the country for decades. The CPC says it will appeal Tuesday’s judgment.
NP/Adekusibe/Ekata
Speaker tasks Nigerian Lawyers in UK on democracy, rule of law
Atunwa made the call on the occasion of an annual dinner organised by the British-Nigeria Law Forum (BNLF) in London on Sunday. He was quoted as saying ‘‘it is right to say that democracy cannot be nurtured if the rule of law is not accorded all seriousness as being central to the consolidation of democracy. It is, therefore, incumbent on members of BNLF, as change agents, to participate in activities that will transform the society.’’ Atunwa, who was the guest speaker at the event, noted that in other parts of the world, lawyers were in the forefront of various activities. He said, “Nigeria should, therefore, not be an exception.’’ He said: “BNLF serves as a bridge for the cross fertilisation of ideas and networking for lawyers in Britain and Nigeria….….Many Nigerian lawyers have left the shores of Nigeria for the English and Scottish bar and many have also returned to Nigeria to make a success of their profession.’’ He noted that much of Nigeria’s civil, political, and legal institutions were predicated on the British system. “This is a lacuna, which can be readily plucked by any member of the BNLF,'' he said, and noted that the Nigerian Bar was not traditionally tended towards specialisation. Consequently, Atunwa said it was not uncommon to find a lawyer dealing with the mundane landlord and tenant matters in one day, and being instructed on a complex jurisdiction law the next day. He, however, said that the situation was gradually changing as the need for expertise and specialisation had arisen, particularly in the areas of banking, revenue, oil and gas as well as maritime law. Caution Atunwa cautioned the lawyers saying: “If you must venture into politics, you must have to do it for the right reasons and in good faith.'' Collaboration The BNF
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