Nullifying Election On The Basis Of 25% FCT Votes Could Lead To Chaos – Tinubu Tells Tribunal
As Nigerians continue to monitor proceedings at the ongoing Election Petitions Tribunal, All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has told the court that any attempt to nullify the presidential polls on the basis of 25% votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) could plunge the country into chaos.
A report from THISDAY indicates that while filing his Written Address to the tribunal on Friday, July 14, Tinubu’s lawyer, and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wole Olanipekun argued that the Constitution does not back the claims being made by the Labour Party and the People Democratic Party (PDP) that a candidate cannot be declared winner unless he scores a mandatory twenty-five percent of the total votes cast in the FCT.
Going further, Olanipekun insisted that there is no punctuation (comma) in the entire Section 134(2)(b) of the Constitution that describes Abuja as a special entity that is different from other states of the Federation. He then went on to insist that nullifying the entire presidential election on the premise of twenty-five percent votes not being scored in Abuja could lead to a state of chaos and anarchy.
He wrote; “May we draw the attention of the court to the fact that there is no punctuation (comma) in the entire section of 134(2)(b) of the Constitution, particularly after the word ‘States’ was used. In essence, the reading of the subsection has to be conjunctive and not disjunctive, as the Constitution clearly makes it so. Pressed further, by this constitutional imperative, the FCT is taken as if it is the 37th State by section 299 of the Constitution.
With much respect, any other interpretation different from this will lead to chaos, anarchy, absurdity, and alteration of the very intention of the legislature. Our courts have always adopted a purposeful approach to the interpretation of our Constitution, as exemplified in a host of decisions.”
SOURCE: THISDAY (TWITTER).
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