Election Tribunals: We’ll Establish ‘Hall Of Shame’ For Compromised Judges – NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to establish a ‘Hal of Shame’ for any judge of the Election Petition Tribunals that jeopardise the process.

This was as the NLC noted that there were growing worries that the Election Petition Tribunals are yet to commence sitting with regards to petitions from aggrieved candidates who participated in the elections.

The umbrella labour organisation in the country said that the mantra “Go to court” was shameful, stressing that “when people tell you to go to court, they are telling you that that is the end of the matter”, adding that all hands must be on deck to rescue the judiciary.

The NLC therefore warned members of the panel of the election tribunals against allowing themselves to be compromised as they look into suits arising from the 2023 general polls.

President of the NLC, Mr Joe Ajaero, who stated these on Sunday in Abuja while briefing journalists at a news conference organised by the Labour and Civil Society Movement Front, said that even though the President-elect Bola Tinubu is set be inaugurated as the nation’s new president on May 29, there are a number of suits before the Presidential Election Tribunal challenging his victory.

In the words of Ajaero; “The judiciary has set many states and institutions on fire. The judiciary has set Imo State on fire and up till now, people are wondering how a person who was not a candidate of his party be declared the governor?

“The judiciary has so many questions to answer. If they failed to answer those questions within a short time, we would create a Hall of Shame for those judges that come up with some judgments and that could happen soon.

“There is the need for the Nigeria Bar Association and all arms in the judiciary to speak out on what is happening in the judiciary. Nigerians would want know if the judiciary is still the last hope of the common man.

“Now the destiny of the country hangs on them. It is either they fulfil the role of being the last hope of the common man or they betray it.

Speaking in turn at the press conference, convener of the Labour and Civil Society Front, Amb. Nkoyo Toyo, said that the ripples from the 2023 elections are really worrisome and frightening.

The Civil Society Front condemned what it described as “the outright manipulation” of the electoral process and abdication of responsibility by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stressing that it has succeeded in destroying trust in the democratic process.

Toyo noted that some Nigerians, who are the architects of the country’s current democratic experience, watched with utter astonishment how the processes and procedures, meant to consolidate the 24 years of democratic wins, was greatly eroded during the 2023 general elections.

According to Toyo; “This dark cloud of angst arising from a terribly mismanaged 2023 General Elections has jolted the confidence and hope of many Nigerians, thus propelling us as ‘Citizens of Conscience’ to take the bold step of beginning to resist and mitigate the intended and unintended crisis looming over our dear country”.