Delta State deputy governor and eminent professor of Law, Professor Amos Utuama, SAN, has advocated a review of the nation’s electoral process to make its outcome more credible.
Utuama, who spoke at the 2013 Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, NIALS, fellows lecture, said that the electoral process was seen by many as devoid of transparency, and therefore, classified as emerging democracy because it lacked integrity.
Utuama identified the inadequacies in the nation’s electoral process and advised the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and other stakeholders, including politicians, to learn to play by the rules.
Two distinguished jurists and seven legal practitioners and scholars, including former presidents of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Joseph Daudu, SAN, were awarded the NIALS’ fellowship this year.
In his lecture titled ‘Maturing the Nigerian Democracy,’ Utuama, who was honoured with similar fellowship last year, argued that the nation’s electoral process lacked integrity because they were mostly conducted in disregard of the law.
He said a credible electoral process was where participants accepted election result, electorate refused to yield to corrupt practices and the court resolved electoral dispute fairly and in accordance with the law.
Utuama said: “Prolonged litigation over election results sends wrong signal to the world, who wonder, ‘are these people practising democracy?’”
He cited the case of Bush and Al-Gore, where within seven days, the US Supreme Court decided the dispute that resulted from the country’s year 2000 presidential election.
Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Mohammed Adoke and Justice Tanko Muhammad of the Supreme Court praised the effort of NIALS management over the institute’s contribution to the development of the field of law.
Mukhtar, who hailed the school’s director general, Professor Epiphany Azinge, SAN, for his satisfactory performance, urged the honourees to remain good ambassadors of the institute.
Azinge said the choice of the nine honourees was because they had made meaningful contributions to the development of law and assist the institute in realising the dreams of its founding fathers.
Justice Tanko Muhammad, one of the honourees, who spoke on behalf of the others, expressed delight over their choice for the awards.
Other honourees include Justice Mary Odili (of the Supreme Court), Professor Akintunde Obilade, Charles Ilegbune, SAN, Awa Kalu (SAN), George Etomi, SAN, and Damian Dodo SAN