The controversy over the judgement delivered last Wednesday by the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal in Abuja has continued to linger, even as the recently released Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement has opened wider discussion on the issue.
While the Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CNCN) has expressed concerns over some of the pronouncements by the tribunal while delivering its judgement, the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) have demanded explanations from the tribunal on how it allegedly issued a CTC with the letter head of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team (TPLT), instead of the name of the 2023 Presidential Elections Petitions Court (PEPC).
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) expressed concerns over the future of elections in Nigeria following the tribunal’s position on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and mode of announcing election results.
Addressing the bishops and others as he declared open the 2023 Second Plenary Assembly of the CBCN in Abuja on Sunday, President of the Conference,
Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, of Owerri Catholic Arch Diocese, rued the conduct of the elections, which he said fell short of people’s legitimate expectations and moral and legal standards.
The Catholic clergy regretted what he described as the dismissive approach of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) towards the petitions filed by aggrieved contestants.
He stated: “After hearing their petitions, the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) delivered its ruling in a marathon judgement on September 6, 2023.
“The five justices of the Election Petition Court unanimously dismissed the petitions. According to them, they lacked merit.
“Despite the billions of Naira of tax-payers money appropriated for the provision of the BVAS technology as a game-changer in our general elections, the Judges in their ruling tried, among other things, to suggest that it was wrong to expect INEC to keep its promise or obey the electoral regulation of transmitting election results electronically in real time from the polling units.
“While respecting the views of the Judges, two of the petitioners rejected their verdict as lacking in justice and so have decided to head to the Supreme Court to seek justice.
“As this case moves to the next level, the fate of the country continues to hang in the balance, and the future of democracy in our land stands on the edge of a precipice.
“We pray and hope that the Supreme Court Judges will neither bend the law nor seek to satisfy the whims and caprices of any party. We also pray and hope for a day in our nation when all election results will be finally decided at the polling units and not at the court,” he added.
Ugorji further lamented the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria, criticizing the government’s approach to the issue.
“In the face of this dismal situation, we cannot get tired of urging the government to rise up to its primary responsibility of securing the lives and property of its citizens,” he stressed.
The conference which expressed deep concern over the state of tension and uncertainty in communities, added that residents endure a life of increasing poverty, chronic hunger, hardships, and immense suffering.
They noted the situation in the country has been further aggravated by the abrupt and poorly planned removal of fuel subsidy, the floating of the naira, and the subsequent galloping inflation, just as it noted that these factors have significantly affected the prices of essential items such as food and transportation, plunging millions of Nigerians into excruciating economic hardship.
Archbishop Ugorji explained further that the government’s efforts to alleviate the harsh effects of subsidy removal have not yielded significant results, leaving countless Nigerians to bear the brunt of the ruling class’s actions.
He emphasized, “People have continued to live in a state of tension and uncertainty in our communities as they are subjected to a life of deepening poverty, chronic hunger, untold hardship, and wanton suffering.”