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HomeNewsBallot, not courts, should determine election winners – Jonathan

Ballot, not courts, should determine election winners – Jonathan

Previous President Goodluck Jonathan has required the reinforcing of the country’s electoral laws in a way that only the ballot paper, and not the courts, is allowed to determine the winners of elections.

The previous President focused on that the standard practice is that the electing the board bodies practice the sole obligation of returning candidates and declaring winners while the judiciary complements by either upholding declared results or nullifying flawed elections and ordering a rerun.

The former president stated this on Monday in an interaction with reporters during a visit to TOSTV Network studios in Abuja.

He said: “I had already made a public statement on that to the effect that the ballot paper and not the judiciary should determine who wins elections or select political leaders. The ballot paper should be the only basis for selecting political leaders.”

Several cases involving electoral contests between parties in Nigeria in the past have been eventually decided by the courts despite the outcomes of such elections.

News360 had previously reported how the Supreme Court nullified the election of Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor of Imo State.

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The apex court then declared Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 9, 2020 governorship election in the state.

The decision had not gone down well with many politicians.

Meanwhile, Mr. Jonathan further noted that countries that conduct free and fair elections experience fewer election-related litigations while numerous court cases following elections are the hallmark of fragile democracies.

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