The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, has promised to advocate for “electoral justice” in Nigeria as a primary method to decrease the significant quantity of legal disputes following elections in Nigeria.
Prof Amupitan, who made this commitment in an interview with reporters in Awka, the capital city of Anambra state, acknowledged that it is the right of a candidate or political party to seek legal compensation in a court of law over an election.
He said that the INEC under his direction would attempt to conduct elections where competitors would find no valid reason to go to court but would instead accept the result because it followed the laws.
“One of the things I want to bring into this country is electoral justice. So that if you are defeated, you understand that you have been defeated,” he said.
“When you feel deceived, or you have been short-changed by INEC or by unfair benefit through the security personnel or whatever the circumstance is, and you decide okay, I must go to court and challenge it.”
“But if internally, you are aware that fairness has been achieved. I am certain that some individuals will then begin to accept the result. Nobody can compel anyone not to go to court. There is a concept known as access to justice, and the courts must wait for an individual to present a case to the court.”
“So, if no one presents a case, even if you establish a tribunal and no one approaches the court, the court cannot force you to bring your case. It may not happen immediately, but we are aiming for a scenario where our elections will not be criticized,” Amupitan said.
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