Tribunal: Electoral Law Needs To Be Amended To Give Petitioners More Time To Gather Evidence- Okpara

In the wake of the judgment delivered by the five-man panel of Appeal Court Justices against 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, Barrister Maxwell Okpara has called the need to amend the nation’s electoral laws to aid petitioners in presenting solid cases at election tribunals.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE TV’s ‘ Night’ a few hours ago, Okpara explained that as a result of his peripheral involvement during proceedings at the just-concluded Election Petitions Tribunal, he discovered that petitioners were given very little time to gather much-needed evidence, and to summon enough witnesses in the bid to prove their respective cases. According to him, this was an infringement in their rights to a fair hearing in court.

He then urged civil society groups to mount pressure on the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act so as to aid petitioners in that area.

He said; “There’s every urgent need for the executive and civil society groups to approach the National Assembly on the need to amend our electoral law to give petitioners more time. This issue of petitioners being given a few days to gather whatever evidence you have and approach the court, and whatever document you have filed that cannot be amended, seriously works against the principle of fair hearing.

I participated partially in this election petition tribunal, and I discovered that one of the challenges they (petitioners) have is that before they can gather evidence, get their witnesses to court, time is already running against them. That issue really affected them.

SOURCE: YouTube (Forward video to 1:00).

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