Why Supreme Court Must Quashe The Rulings Of Presidential Election Tribunal- Chief Mike Ozekhome
By Moses Gbande
Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has expressed concern over the ruling of the presidential election petition tribunal between Atiku and Buhari, saying if left without been challenged, the deteriorating effect, and consequences would destroyed the future of Nigeria.
Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) says the judgement had affected Nigeria’s Locals, International businesses and investmens, including Educational system and qualifications.
Ozekhome who disclosed this in an interview with Journalists in Jos, Plateau State Capital, on 13th Aug, 2019, reaffirmed the resolve of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to challenge the judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal which affirmed the election of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, judgement of Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, “will set a bad precedence, and the appeal court final verdict will go a long way to address the obvious lapses of the Election Tribunal which they fail hitherto to put into consideration during the verdict”.
Reiterating zeal and commitment to working towards strengthening the Country’s Democratic system through ensuring sustainability of justice, legal luminary said, “we will fight it according to the tenet of democracy to enable us widen, deepen, strengthen, deodorised the attitude and amplitudes.
I would prefer to wait for the decision by the supreme court before making up my mind whether the Nigeria judiciary has finally be cajoled and intimidated by the executive to toll it bidding forever.”
He said, “ the court of appeal is a litmus test for the independent of the judiciary whether they have been cajoled by the execution. I want to hear the final say by the supreme court.”
Ozekhome reiterated, “the presidential election tribunal is people by people draw from the court of Appeal, is an intermediate court of law.
The reason is that ,it is the decision of the supreme court that would count ,but for now, l can confidently say that the case was poorly decided by the Presidential Election Tribunal.
He said the election tribunal is grossly poor evaluation of evidence”
The SAN explained, “There was a very poor evaluation of evidence, there was cases and instances where evidence of the respondent that is INEC and Buhari where considered , without considering that of Atiku Abubakar and PDP been considered at all.”
X-raying the points that scored the winning of Buhari St the Tribunal, Ozekhome said, “there was misapplication of the provision of the constitution and electoral Act, the INEC guideline, INEC handbook ,provision relating to a server by INEC.
He described the elections Petition Tribunal behaviour in the Judgement like, “Father Christmas” which he said, by given to the respondent who don’t even ask.
Citing examples with, instances where they where mainly saying Buhari was qualified to contest the presidential election, when the court came out to say Buhari is not only qualified but ”Eminently” qualified”!
“They were even granting to them more then they ask ”. Said Ozekhome.
“We are also concerned that if the judgement is not challenge,will set bad precedent for us in Nigeria in term of business dealings,Educational qualification , international ,international investment”.
On the issue of qualification and false information where the Tribunal also ruled in favour of the president, Mike Ozekhome expounded, “when you begin to say that all that matters is the surname Buhari, and doesn’t matter whether the surname is Mohammadu or Mohammed, then we are in trouble as a country.
“It means because l have Ozekhome, anybody can come tomorrow that my qualification belong to him even though the surname is Mukila or Mishel ,the fact that Ozekhome is the surname is enough to cover ,does not matter if your surname is Mukalia, Mulikat, Mishel, Angelo it doesn’t matter.”
“If you then say it doesn’t matter,it means any body can attach certificate to Form (Cfoo1).
The form itself said attach the certificate if you said you have it.
The tribunal is saying it doesn’t matter ,you can just state that you have the qualification.
Which therefore means anyone can go to court disposed to affidavite ,they say produce the certificate that is a dangerous signal .
Chief Ozekhome further add that the case is going to encourage corruption and destroy our educational quest.
This case is going to encourage corruption, destruction of our very fabric of our moral and ethical eptoes affination which going to school reading hard very vigorously ,and rigorously to possesses a certificate may no longer be important.
All that may be important is that you have gone to the court of law and sworn to affidavite that you have so and so degrees, when you are ask to produce it ,you say it doesn’t matter and refer to the case of Atiku Vs Buhari.”
The rest of the interview where Ozekhome expressed fear of dangers lying ahead read;
“That is the danger ,that is while we are heading to the supreme court ,we went the supreme court to up turn the judgement of the presidential election tribunal.”
Ozekhome stress that democracy is not got on platter of gold as you most for it.
We want democracy to be given face,democracy is a struggle.
“Nobody should expect that people in power should be dislodge easily.”
“Everybody is not Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who made that prophetic statement ,that epong statement
“That my ambition did not worth the blood of any Nigerian.”
There are some people you have to push out.
They could be tranny, absolutism and dictatorship even in democracy, Aduf Hitler pretended to be a democrat ,they where holding an election ,but is regarded in history as the the worst deadest dictatorship.
Saddam Hussain of Iraq was suppose to be a democrat, because they conduct elections ,is regarded as one of the most brutish dictator that ever live.
Nansegbe Eyedema of Togo was going for election is know as one of the greatest dictator in history.
Papador of Hati was going for an elections,was known as one of the worst dictators ever.
Mobutu Seseseko of Zaire was going for elections,it also known in history as one of the brutish and deadest dictators the that ever live.
So the fact that we say we have democracy ,is not itself evidence that we are actually practicing democracy.
As l always say that democracy is not one hundred meters dash race of Ben Johnson ,or Hossen Boat that you finish in thirty second ,is Amaranton race of resilience of competing contifugal or Centrafugal forces that is ever at play with dynamic society.
That is why we have to be patient to fight it according to the tenet of democracy to enable us widen,deepen,strengthen,deodorised the attitude and aplititude”
Recalled that, Atiku and his Party had revealed their resolves to Heads to Supreme Court to challenge the judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal which affirmed the election of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Where the tribunal examined five issues as the basis for deciding the petition to include: One, whether Buhari was qualified to contest the office of the president; two, whether he submitted false information of a fundamental nature to aid his nomination as APC candidate; three, whether Buhari was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes; four, whether the election was not invalidated by reason of corrupt practices; and five, whether the petition has established substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2010, and its ruling was that, Atiku and PDP failed to prove allegations of irregularities against President Buhari and his party over the February 23 elections.
Nasarawa Reporters 