A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Known as the African Parliamentary Advocates and Reform Groups, APARG, in collaboration with a Coalition of Parliamentary Advocate and Democracy Consolidation Nigeria, CoPAdeCoN, have lamented the poor and low media coverage of the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, NAEPT.
Speaking with newsmen in a world press conference in Abuja, the Director of the group, Ambassador Chibuzo Okereke, explained that there was a low interest of major news media organisations in the coverage of proceedings of National Assembly Election Petition Tribunals, adding that Kano State Central District Senatorial judgement was going to be a litmus test of the NAEPT in Nigeria
The group was highly worried that about 50% out of the 469 seats in the National Assembly were being challenged at various tribunals in the country, lamenting that flagship media platforms in the country were only concentrating on the reportage of proceedings of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunals.
“The fourth estate of the realm saddled with the responsibility of setting the agenda, enlightening the public, and obligation of accountability of the government to the people has unfortunately not shown the required interest in the coverage of the proceedings of the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunals,” he said.
The APARG boss said this may have serious negative implications in the country if not urgently addressed.
According to Okereke, the most prominent of these cases in this category includes the Kano Central Senatorial district petition judgement which has been fixed on July 24th, emphasising that Kano Central is about the largest Senatorial District in Nigeria as it is the only Senatorial District in the last 2023 General Elections where the person who was returned as the winner by INEC immediately relinquished his victory after the declaration on the grounds that he had resigned his membership of the Party that sponsored him as the candidate before the election.
Sources said the resignation of the candidate was at the time the window for candidates replacement and substitution had elapsed in accordance with the relevant extant provisions of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution as well as the Electoral Act, 2022 and the INEC 2023 General Elections Guidelines.
He disclose that the matter went to court and was eventually taken to the Supreme Court where a ruling on the case was made while a certificate of return was issued to another member of the Party.
Ambassador Okereke had explained further that the Kano Central Election Petition will be a litmus test to the Judiciary in terms of procedure and the extant provisions of Nigeria’s electoral governance laws and framework.
According to him,”Our eyes are on the Kano Central judgement being expected. This and more are what have made the Kano Central Senatorial District Tribunal Case unique and intriguing as it presents an observable lacuna in the much-celebrated 2022 Electoral law.
“But more importantly, it is a litmus test for the judiciary and judges saddled with that responsibility in line with the prescriptions and predictions of section 285 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, Electoral Guidelines, and the point of law.
“We believe this should agitate the minds of all promoters and defenders of democracy that is based on the rule of law.
