Olisa Agbakoba, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has mentioned that there was no constitutional course of to delay the inauguration of the president-elect on Might 29, 2023.
Agbakoba made the remark in an announcement he personally signed, which was despatched to BusinessDay Monday night time.
Based on him, “It is very important state that the inauguration of Mr. Bola Tinubu on 29 Might 2023 is certain to occur underneath our constitutional course of. Whereas the election tribunal offers with the petitions there is no such thing as a constitutional course of to delay the inauguration on 29 Might.
“We have to obey the rule of constitutionalism.”
In a latest unique interview with BusinessDay, Agbakoba, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Affiliation (NBA), had questioned why the petitions on the tribunal wouldn’t be concluded earlier than the inauguration. He had blamed the legal professionals representing the events and the judges dealing with the instances. He additionally went forward to counsel the way it could possibly be dealt with.
He mentioned: “However I’ve a easy resolution which is to say why is it that the authorized groups of all of the petitioners are usually not energetic? I don’t perceive it; why is it that the Tribunal shouldn’t be energetic? I don’t perceive it, as a result of the elections occurred nearly two months in the past.
“Kenya takes solely 14-day cycle to complete their petition, however we take 240 days; why? If the Kenyans can do it in 14 days what’s fallacious with us? We should be pro-active. You see the issue with the Nigerian judiciary is that they’re nonetheless steeped within the idea of 100 years in the past, when the decide sits and does nothing until counsels make an utility. Now the judges are pro-active.
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“So, in Kenya; the Kenyan Judiciary Motto is ‘Sustaining Judiciary Transformation.’ They’re proactive. If it had been in Kenya, the judges would have mentioned No, No, No, we are able to see the potential of Mr. Tinubu turning into president when the petition remains to be pending; allow us to hear it. There are usually not too many points to listen to; complicated as they’re the query whether or not that you must win Abuja is one, the query whether or not you might be vice presidential candidate and senatorial candidate is one other one, the query whether or not Mr. Tinubu’s {qualifications} are dated; these might be determined in at some point. All that the court docket does in case administration idea which is to allot time, say – Mr. Obi, your legal professionals one hour; Tinubu, your lawyers-one hour; this may be 9.O’cloclk within the morning; by 6pm they ship a choice. Why can’t or not it’s finished?”
