Adegboruwa SAN
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has proposed punishment for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) any time it failed to fulfill its promises of delivering credible elections to Nigerians in 2023.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Adegboruwa said that there must be consequence for INEC any time they fail to deliver on the promises of credible elections.
“The opinion of people concerning election matters to the outcome of that election, it is not just a matter of figures and that is why I thought that if it became clear to all of us that INEC failed Nigerians, that INEC reneged on its promises, there should be some penalties.
“You won’t just walk away from that, not just walking away, INEC participated in the process of the election petition from the Court of Appeal up to the Supreme Court even opposing the views of the appellants.
“I thought that it is something that we can learn from, that if the body did not fulfil its promises to the people of Nigeria, what will be the consequence for that failure?” he said.
He said that INEC would be more circumspect and fairer in the conduct of election if it knows that there will be punishment for reneging on the mandate to conduct credible election.
As a way of maintaining the independence of the electoral umpire, he said that the President should not play any role in the appointment of the Chairman of INEC and the Resident Electoral Commissioners.
Adegboruwa while dissecting the 2023 general elections and the role of the judiciary also commended the opposition candidates, Atiku Abubakar of PDP and Peter Obi of Labour Party for opting for the rule of law in seeking redress rather than engaging in violence.
