Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called on the National Assembly of Nigeria to overhaul Nigeria’s electoral litigation framework and consider establishing a Constitutional Court to handle election-related disputes more efficiently.
Jonathan made the recommendation in Abuja during the 70th birthday and book launch of Gbenga Daniel. He argued that a specialised court would simplify the resolution of electoral cases by consolidating them into a single process, thereby reducing prolonged legal battles.
He criticised the current three-stage system for governorship election disputes, which progresses from election tribunals to the Court of Appeal and ultimately the Supreme Court. According to him, the structure has proven to be inefficient and unnecessarily time-consuming.
Reflecting on past experiences, Jonathan cited a 2011 electoral case where a candidate lost due to a technicality involving the colour of ink used by voters. He noted that despite the tribunal’s position that the votes were valid, higher courts upheld their cancellation based on strict legal interpretation.
While acknowledging that subsequent amendments allowed governorship election cases to reach the Supreme Court, he stressed that the issue of prolonged litigation remains unresolved. He suggested that Nigeria could adopt models used in Francophone African countries, where Constitutional Courts exclusively handle political and electoral matters.
Jonathan further emphasised the need for judicial firmness, likening the judiciary to referees in football who must enforce rules impartially to maintain order and credibility in the political system.
Speaking on the celebrant, he described Gbenga Daniel as a pragmatic leader with an engineering mindset, praising his ability to navigate complex political environments and his commitment to public service.
