In the wake of the recent court rulings dismissing the cases filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election, renowned lawyer and activist Maxwell Okpara has called for an amendment of the nation’s electoral laws to give petitioners more time to gather evidence and present their cases.
Okpara, who was a peripheral participant in the proceedings at the just-concluded Election Petitions Tribunal, said that he observed that petitioners were given very little time to gather evidence and summon witnesses, which made it difficult for them to prove their cases. He argued that this was an infringement on their right to a fair hearing.
“There is an urgent need for the executive and civil society groups to approach the National Assembly to amend our electoral law to give petitioners more time,” Okpara said. “The current system, where petitioners are given a few days to gather whatever evidence they have and approach the court, seriously works against the principle of fair hearing.”
Okpara also pointed out that the current system does not allow petitioners to amend documents they have filed with the court, which can also be a challenge. He urged the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to address these issues.
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