Cardinal John Onaiyekan, a retired catholic bishop of the Abuja Archdiocese, has backed the need for the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sessions to be televised live.
The cleric stated that since the voters had a
right to know how their votes were being supported, the tribunal’s procedures
shouldn’t be conducted in the same manner as a secret meeting.
Onaiyekan made this statement to the media on
Sunday to commemorate the conclusion of the 57th World Communication Week. He
did so after Mass.
He issued a warning about the risks of
electoral fraud, claiming that instead of the politicians, the general public
is directly affected by a rigged election.
Onaiyekan continued by pleading with the
judges to administer justice impartially and permit transparency in their
proceedings so that Nigerians might once again have faith in the Judiciary.
He said, “As journalists, you do your job,
cover everything, but try and listen to everybody and relay to the public what
is happening because they want to see.
“Isn’t it why it is important the petition
before the tribunal, the possibility that the tribunal should be available to
all of us to be able to follow what is happening?
“For me, this is very important; one thing
that Nigerians don’t seem to realize is that when elections are rigged, it is
not the contestants or the politicians who are worst hit.
“Those who are the most impacted are me and
you, but as it stands, we don’t even have locus standi in court. We are the
ones who should be complaining in court that my votes have been bastardized,
but they tell me I cannot go to court because I did not contest the election.
“If we cannot go and make our case, at least
let us see what is happening inside there. We believe that our honourable
judges will do their best to make judgments that are correct, they do what is
right.
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