Jonathan Wants Electoral System To Reflect Primacy Of The Ballot

BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Former President Goodluck Jonathan has canvassed for the strengthening of the nation’s electoral laws to allow only the ballot paper determine winners of elections as against the courts.

He stressed that the standard practice is that the electoral management bodies exercise the sole responsibility of returning candidates and declaring winners while the judiciary only complements by either upholding declared results or nullifying flawed elections and ordering a rerun.

Jonathan, who stated these on Monday while interacting with newsmen during a visit to TOSTV Network studios in Abuja, said: “I had already made a public statement on that to the effect that the ballot paper and not the judiciary should determine who wins elections or select political leaders.

“The ballot paper should be the only basis for selecting political leaders,” he stressed.

The former President also said that countries that conduct free and fair elections, experience less election-related litigations, adding that on the other hand, numerous court cases following elections are the hallmark of fragile democracies.

In the words of Jonathan; “I am not saying the judiciary is not doing well. My point is that our laws should suppress the issue of the judiciary returning candidates.

“If a candidate is declared winner after a flawed electoral process, what the courts can do is to annul the election and order a fresh one, where a winner will finally emerge through the ballot. The ballot paper should decide who holds any elective office from the councillorship to the presidency. That is democracy”.

Jonathan also noted that some funds might be needed in elections, especially in the area of logistics during campaigns, but frowned at the negative way money is deployed in inducing electorates, officials and security operatives.

He pointed out the weakness of governance at local government level particularly with regards to the exercise of its autonomy and capacity to manage development issues.

The former President therefore stressed the need to review the local government system to enable the third tier of government perform better in delivering democracy dividends to the people.