Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, has called for a reassessment of the judgments handed down by the Court of Appeal, leading to the removal of three state governors.
During an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ programme, Falana presented his argument regarding the need for a review of the judgments that ousted Abba Yusuf (Kano), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), and Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau) as governors of their respective states.
These governors had been declared duly elected by the Independent National Electoral Commission in the March 2023 governorship elections.
However, the Court of Appeal, through separate rulings, removed these governors, who were affiliated with the opposition New Nigeria Peoples Party and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said, “If you look at what happened in Lagos is different from what happened in Plateau. You are being told in Plateau that there was a judgment of the High Court to the effect that primaries have to be conducted. The judgment, as usual, was dishonoured and disobeyed and the election went on.
“It is different from Kano where you are being told that voters can be punished. It is a very dangerous judicial policy to sanction voters for the mistake of electoral officers.
“We are being told that 165,000 votes are wasted, they are invalid because some electoral officers committed an error by not stamping them. How does that affect the validity of the election?”
He added, “I do hope that this time around, the Supreme Court will resolve these needless controversies surrounding the non-stamping of ballot papers by INEC officials who have not been recommended for any sanction.
“This is why these judgments will have to be reviewed.”
