Former President Jonathan calls on National Assembly to reassess legal disputes surrounding elections

Jonathan, the former President of Nigeria, has called for the National Assembly to review the country's electoral litigation process, advocating for the establishment of a "Constitutional Court" to handle election-related issues in a more streamlined manner.

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This call was made by Jonathan in Abuja on Wednesday, during the 70th birthday celebration and book launch of Senator Gbenga Daniel, who represents APC-Ogun East.

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According to Jonathan, a specialized court would greatly reduce the burden on the nation's political system by dealing with election matters in a single phase, rather than the current three-tier litigation process.

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The former president noted that the existing process, which involves moving from the tribunal to the Court of Appeal and finally the Supreme Court for governorship elections, has become ineffective.

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Jonathan recalled a 2011 case where a gubernatorial candidate lost their seat due to a technicality regarding the color of ink used by voters, highlighting the need for a more efficient system.

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He remembered a specific case where a candidate lost an election because the law at the time required the use of red ink to mark voters' names, but the available pens were not red, resulting in the cancellation of those votes.

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The Appeal Court upheld this decision, despite the lower tribunal's opinion that the color of the ink should not have been a deciding factor, as "a tick is a tick", Jonathan explained.

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Although the National Assembly later amended the law to allow governorship cases to reach the Supreme Court, it failed to address the lengthy litigation process, according to Jonathan.

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Jonathan suggested that Nigeria could learn from the judicial models of Francophone African countries, which utilize specialized Constitutional Courts to handle political matters.

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He proposed that if the Supreme Court is to be the final court for governor's elections, then the process could be streamlined to a single step, eliminating the need for lower tribunals.

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Jonathan believes that having a single tribunal to handle all political litigation, as is done in some Francophone African countries, would be the ideal solution.

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The former president also urged the judiciary to be firm in its decision-making to sanitize the nation's politics, comparing judges to referees in a soccer game who must enforce the rules to prevent chaos.

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Jonathan praised Senator Daniel as a "constructive leader" who brings an engineering mindset to the complex world of politics, and commended him for documenting his life experiences in four books.

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He noted that personal accounts, such as Daniel's, are essential for correcting public misconceptions and providing a accurate record of events.

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Jonathan expressed his appreciation for individuals who share their stories and experiences, and hopes to one day document his own life story to set the record straight.

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The event was attended by several prominent figures, including President Bola Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, as well as former President Olusegun Obasanjo.