Former President Goodluck Jonathan has stated that election-related litigation was unusually high in Nigeria because many politicians believed the courts could overturn electoral outcomes.
Speaking on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Bar Association Law Week in Abuja, he compared Nigerian elections with those in other African countries.
Recalling an interaction with a South African official who didn’t know that they could go to court after losing the election, Jonathan said, “At the end of every round of elections, the number of cases that go to courts is overwhelming. and it’s not because our population is high. That has nothing to do with the reason why we go to court. When I was Vice President, I was always worried about the number of cases, the delays and so on.
“I asked this lady how they do in South Africa, how to manage this electoral litigation. The fact is that the lady was a bit quiet for some time, as if she didn’t understand what I said but then she asked me, why would somebody go to court after losing an election? So I was wondering, why would you go to court after losing election? That means that in South Africa, going to court after losing election is strange.
“The deputy president didn’t know that he could go to court after losing the election. While in Nigeria, not going to court is strange. So I ask, tell me, why do we go to court? And some of the people that go to court, I’m a politician, we know ourselves. Some of the people who go to court, even their family members won’t vote for them, but they go to court simply because we believe that the judiciary could be manipulated to declare people who are not supposed to win the election as those who have won the election and that’s why I’ve always been saying, that we must change our laws. The judiciary will do their work, but they should not declare any candidate. If they are not satisfied with the process of the election, and the election, then they should go back to the field.”
Speaking further, he condemned the growing influence of political thugs in the country.
He lamented that Nigeria is the only nation in Africa where thuggery has become a profession.
He called for reforms in Nigeria’s electoral and judicial systems to strengthen democracy and restore public confidence in elections.
Jonathan said, “Look, Nigeria is the only country where thuggery is a profession in Africa. I don’t want to mention the state. Some thugs, when they are travelling out of this country, fly first class, while university professors struggle to manage to buy economy tickets.
“So when we have a country where the thugs will fly first class, and the university professor will fly economy, that country is like a cone turned upside down, and as a nation, we must do something. We must run elections that thugs will have no role to play.”
The former president stressed the need for credible elections, insisting that political violence and electoral malpractice must be discouraged.
“We must make sure that election processes are credible, and those who will be declared as winners are those who really succeed in the field,” he said
Jonathan noted that unlike Nigeria, youths in many African countries do not engage in violence during elections.
“Nigeria, I’m not sure if 1% of young people live with guns, but during the election, they will go with their guns,” he said.
Jonathan noted that Nigeria’s democratic future depends on strong institutions, credible elections and adherence to the rule of law.
“As a nation, we must ask ourselves difficult but necessary questions. What kind of Nigeria do we want to leave behind for our grandchildren? What kind of democracy are we building? Are our institutions becoming stronger or are they getting weaker?” the former President asked.
