Apparently touched by Nigeria’s current economic woes occasioned by the slump in crude oil prices in the international market, the level of violence that now attend elections in the country and the attendant life losses, the Supreme Court may have decided to save Nigeria the horror of re-run elections in some states.
Analysts believe that had the re-run elections held in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States as earlier ordered for by the Appeal Court, and had the Apex Court ruled for fresh polls in Ebonyi and Abia States, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would have run into huge funding problem prosecuting the exercise.
Fred Nzeako, a legal practitioner, said that the INEC was already overstretched financially and that it would have been very difficult for the commission to muster the needed fund for fresh elections in those states.
“INEC, I must tell you, is already overstretched. Don’t forget that budgets were made for the election and endless re-run was not contemplated. So, where would they get the additional funding for fresh elections? Don’t also forget that after such a re-run another round of legal battle would begin- from the tribunal to the Appeal Court and then to the Supreme Court. So, the erudite judges at the Supreme Court saw through all these and decided to save the country all the troubles,” Nzeako said.
Apart from the financial implication of a possible re-run, the possibility of violent clashes between the supporters of the winners and challengers was high. Such elections could have also necessitated restriction of movements and outright holidays that could have negatively impacted businesses in such states. It has also been argued in some quarters that there was no need to truncate the activities of governments in the affected states as some of them had already begun good work in their domain.
“Is there really any need for a re-run in a state or states where the governors have already begun massive infrastructural projects that are being commended even by the opponents? Is it not better to allow a free run of government that has already set machinery in motion? Don’t forget that cabinets have been constituted in those states, a destabilization of such administrations would have meant taking the states back; in whose interest if I may ask? There is no perfect election and there’s no better politician. The Supreme Court must have seen all these and decided to let the sleeping dog lie,” said Tony Ohamba, a retired civil servant.
The Supreme Court rulings in the affected states came just as the Federal Government is desperately seeking to borrow money from World Bank and Africa Development Bank to make up for its budget deficit following the global fall in oil prices.
The Supreme Court rulings affirmed the governorship elections of Nyesom Wike (Rivers State), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi State), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibiom State) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State).
Tene John, head, Department of Political Science, Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos, speaking in the same vein, said apart from again indicating that some judges in the current dispensation will still stand for unbiased delivery of justice, it also saves the electoral umpire the financial burden that would have placed on it if the Supreme Court had called for fresh or by-elections in the affected states.
“Oh there is no doubt that the Supreme Court rulings in Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Ebonyi and Rivers states saved naira for INEC in millions. It is a welcome development that INEC must be happy about right now. Conducting election anywhere in the world takes huge funds from government’s coffers; and to spend may be, unbudgeted sum for a re-run due to electoral disputes is not in the economic interest of any government. Mind you, the Nigerian government is at the moment seeking where it will borrow money to finance the 2016 budget,” he told BDSUNDAY.
He explained that even the affected governors and the opponents who instituted judicial proceedings against them would have also at one time or the other taken deep thoughts on where to get the funds required to mobilise their respective supporters should the Supreme Court call for fresh or by-election.
But Gbenga Taiwo, a Port Harcourt-based political analyst, noted that the rulings did not only save INEC from another expenditure, but averted dangers that hitherto looms in the affected states, particularly in Rivers States which he said became extremely tense after the governorship election tribunal nullified the election of Governor Nyesom Wike.
“You know the Rivers State Election Tribunal was moved to Abuja because the National Judicial Council (NJC) felt that sitting in Port Harcourt would endanger the lives of judges who would sit at the tribunal. The unguarded utterances of members of both parties had also fuelled the atmosphere prior to the ruling. The rulings have now put a stop to the legal tussles,” Taiwo said.
He further advised President Muhammadu Buhari to toe the part of peace as a father of the nation like his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan, who called him (Buhari) before INEC’s official announcement of the 2015 presidential poll result, and thus, diffused the tensed atmosphere following the ruthless election campaign adopted by both the PDP and the APC.
“So far, President Buhari has not shown that he’s ready to be father to all the politicians irrespective of their political affiliation. The President is still yet to congratulate Seriake Dickson after he defeated Timipre Sylva at the Bayelsa supplementary election. The President should as a matter of national interest call to congratulate the governors the Supreme Court has given victory. It is important the President lead by example. That is the way to peace and unity. It was the sacrifice of Goodluck Jonathan that rewrote the nation’s history before the international community,” he said.
Zebulon Agomuo and Nathaniel Akhigbe
