Lagos, Nigeria-The Supreme Court rulings that affirmed the governorship elections of: Nyesom Wike (Rivers State), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi State), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibiom State) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State respectively, has kept funds that should have been used in conducting fresh or by elections for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says political commentators.
The Apex Court rulings in the affected states came just as the Federal Government is desperately seeking to borrow money from World Bank and Africa Development Bank to make up for its budget deficit following the global grace to grass fall of oil price.
Tene John, head, Department of Political Science, Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos, said apart from again indicating that some judges in the current dispensation will still stand for unbiased delivery of justice, it also saves the electoral umpire the financial burden that would have accrued to it if the Supreme Court had called for fresh or by elections in the affected states.
“Oh there is no doubt that the Supreme Court rulings in Abia, Akwa-Ibiom, Eboyi and Rivers states respectively saved naira for INEC in millions. It is a welcome development that INEC must be happy about right now. Conducting election anywhere in the world takes huge funds from government’s coffer; and to spend may be, unbudgeted sum for a re-run due to electoral disputes is not in the economy interest of any government. Mind you, the Nigerian government is the moment seeking where it will borrow money to finance the 2016 budget”, he told BD SUNDAY.
He explained that even the affected governors and the opponents who instituted judicial proceedings against them would have also at one time or the other taken deep thoughts on where to get the funds required to mobilise their respective supporters should the Supreme Court call for fresh or by election.
But Gbenga Taiwo, Port Harcourt based political analyst, noted that the rulings did not only save INEC from another money spinning elections, but averted dangers that hitherto looms in the affected states, particularly in Rivers States which he said became extremely tense after the governorship election tribunal sited in Abuja nullified the election of Governor Nyesom Wike.
“You know the Rivers State Election Tribunal was moved to Abuja because the National Judicial Council (NJC) felt that sitting in Port Harcourt will endanger the lives of Judges who will sit at the tribunal. The unguided utterances of members of both parties had also fuelled the atmosphere prior to the ruling. The rulings have now put a stop to the legal tussles”, he said in an interview with our reporter.
He further advised President Muhammadu Buhari to toe the part of peace as a father of the nation like his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan, who called him (Buhari) before INEC’s official announcement of the 2015 presidential poll, and thus, diffused the tensed atmosphere following the ruthless election campaign adopted by both the PDP and the APC.
“So far, President Buhari has not shown that his is ready to be father to all the politicians irrespective of their political affiliation. The President is still yet to congratulate Seriake Dickson after he defeated Timipre Sylva at the Bayelsa supplementary election. The President should as a matter of national interest call to congratulate the governors the Supreme Court has given victory. Is important the President lead by example. That is the way to peace and unity. It was the sacrifice of Goodluck Jonathan that rewrites history before the international community”, he said.
