Wisdom Durueke, a lawyer and human rights campaigner, has attributed the ills associated with the recently held Presidential and National Assembly elections to the refusal of the President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.
Durueke stated that if Buhari had listened to voices of reason and gave his assent to the bill, the issue of alleged tampering with the results of the election would have been drastically reduced to the barest minimum.
He said: “When you transmit the result electronically, it will reduce the possibility of doctoring or manipulation and the result will be the same all over the place.”
Durueke argued that if the bill had been signed into law, it would have made collation of election results faster.
He said: “Collation of election results in this country is like a Nigerian home video, where you have Part I, Part 2, Part 3 and so on, which increases tension and casts doubts in the system.”
Durueke expressed fears that the forth-coming Governorship and State House Assembly elections might go the same way as the Presidential and National Assembly elections with more disturbing challenges.
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According to him, for free, fair and credible elections in the country to become reality, Nigerians should not relax in discharging their public duties, adding that party primaries and litigations should be conducted five months to the elections.
This, he argued, would give INEC enough time to prepare adequately for the polls, with the parties involved getting robust campaigns and touring different parts of the country.
He said presidential election result should not be delayed beyond 48 hours, noting that non-adherence to this would breed endemic corruption, adding that plans by Atiku Abubukar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate to challenge Buhari’s victory in court was part of the electoral evolution, which would contribute to the development of jurisprudence and electoral documentation.
“Atiku should not be seen as a bad loser by going to court to challenge the victory of President Buhari, and people should not mock him, because, it is one’s right to seek redress if one feels aggrieved.
“Going to court helps in peace building and it brings legitimacy. If Atiku loses in court, it increases the legitimacy of the Presidency, and if he wins, it strengthens our democracy and rule of law,” he added.
