A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Military Governor of Ondo State, Chief Olabode George, has condemned the role of the judiciary, in determining election winners in Nigeria.
Chief George who disclosed at a press briefing held in his office at Ikoyi on Monday, while reacting to the announcement by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja on Monday, that it would deliver its final judgment on the 2023 presidential election petition on Wednesday, September 6, 2023.
The PDP Chieftain who described the action of the judiciary as a means of taking away the right of the people to determine poll winners, asked why the judiciary had been making pronouncements to determine election winners rather than order INEC to re-conduct the elections to help the emergence of real winners.
“Our country has been doing very little positively and very much negatively. In the last few days, I have been thinking as a former military officer and civilian since I have served five presidents.
”Our electoral process is shambolic and nonsensical and makes the country nosediving. It is the manipulation of the system.
“A glitch on the day of the election is unforgivable, but the INEC chairman told us they were ready, but with what happened, generations to come will never forgive him.
”The most contentious issue in Nigeria today is the judiciary; it is one of the pillars of government.
”What we understand by democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people, but in our case, it shouldn’t be the government of the judiciary by the judiciary and for the judiciary. Is that democratic?
”It is the will of the people that should prevail. If you discover anything wrong, ask them to go back and conduct a fresh election, even if it takes a hundred times. The job of the judiciary is not to tell us who lost or who won,” he said.