Winning Election In
The Senator-elect representing Rivers East Senatorial District, Andrew Uchendu, says the trend of winning elections in the courtroom means well for Nigeria’s democracy.
Courtroom Means Well For Democracy – Senator-ElectFile photo
Uchendu believes most elections in the country are conducted in a way that is contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act.
“We have had situations where those who have been saddled with the responsibility of conducting elections in Nigeria do completely the wrong thing,” he said.
“They go outside the provisions of the Electoral Act to do it their own way, impose on us their own style with impunity and because the judiciary is there, it is important that those who felt shortchanged or cheated should proceed straight to the tribunal and that is exactly what I did.”
The Senator-elect, who replaces Senator George Sekibo who was sacked by the Appeal Court, criticised the rate at which ballot boxes are hijacked during electoral conduct.
Delaying Reparation Is An Aspect Of Corruption – Andrew UchenduAndrew Uchendu
He said nobody would accept the results of such election, stressing that the court remains the last hope for those who feel cheated.
“A situation where people have gone out to vote and instead of sitting down to collate results of votes that have been cast, people will now run away with those results and at the end of the day, after two or three days, they will announce to Nigerians the results of an election purported to have been held.
“Of course, nobody will accept that and so you proceed to the court and that I did and for me, from what I have seen, the judiciary will continue to be the last hope of the common man,” he noted.
Uchendu, who noted that challenging election results at the tribunal was his best option when he appeared on Politics Today on Tuesday, said he would not have been a senator if not for the judiciary.
He said, “If it would have been left to those who conducted the affairs of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), then I would have been shortchanged. I wouldn’t be a senator today, I thank God the judiciary is there.”
“So it means well for all of us that after INEC had conducted the election, you have another opportunity to challenge the conduct of that election and that’s exactly what has happened in my own case.”
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