Nigerian Bar Association President Advocates for Transparency and Fairness in 2023 Presidential Election Petition Tribunal Proceedings through Live Broadcast
Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has urged for the live broadcast of the proceedings of the 2023 Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. This call is being made in the interest of openness, justice, transparency, and trust in the judiciary.
The Labour Party and the People’s Democratic Party are both challenging the results of the 2023 Presidential Election held on February 25, 2023, which produced Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President-Elect. With such a contentious election, the need for transparency and fairness in the proceedings is essential.
Maikyau noted that a live telecast of the tribunal would be in the best interest of the Nigerian people. Section 36 (1) and (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that judicial proceedings should be conducted in public, making it imperative that the proceedings be made available to the public.
By providing public access to the proceedings, the aspirations of the public to participate in the process would be met. The Nigerian people have the right to be informed about the proceedings of the tribunal that will decide the fate of their elected leader.
The NBA president also noted that a live telecast would help build trust in the judiciary and its processes. It would assure the public that the judiciary is committed to fairness and transparency.
The call for a live broadcast of the 2023 Presidential Election Petition Tribunal by the NBA President is a move in the right direction towards a more open and transparent democracy in Nigeria. It is essential that the judiciary works to build trust in the electoral process by ensuring that the proceedings of the tribunal are conducted openly and fairly.
