Federation Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, SAN, reiterated on Thursday that President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to holding credible, free, fair and widely acceptable general elections.
Malami revealed this at a conference organized by the National Association of Law Enforcement Correspondents, NAJUC, Abuja chapter.
Speaking on the topic, “2023 General Election: Nigeria’s Judiciary and Sustainability of Democracy”, the AGF said: “It is important to note that the administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to [a] fair, credible and violence-free electoral process in the country.
This is evident in the recent assent of the president to the Electoral Law of 2022, which has been applauded by many patriotic citizens, experts and the international community.
Malami said that one of the highlights of the new Electoral Law is the legal backing given to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to implement technology among many other commendable initiatives to bequeath to posterity, a legacy of a viable democratization tool.
Malami pointed out that the sustainability of Nigeria’s democracy is not linear and stressed that citizens have a vital role to play in the democratic process and must avoid all vices that could undermine the progress made so far.
“In particular, the media is paramount in voter education so that Nigerian citizens are informed to resist the urge to sell their votes and not allow them to be used to commit election crimes or cause violence before, during and after of the elections”, said the declared AGF.
Furthermore, the presiding judge of the FCT High Court, Judge Hussain Baba Yusuf, admitted that the judiciary is under pressure due to an unprecedented number of pre-election cases, which will definitely spike after the election itself.
Represented by Judge Olukayode Adeniyi, the chief judge assured that justice will be done in all cases without fear, favor or ill will.
NAJUC President Mr. Kayode Lawal called on politicians to conduct politics by the rules and in accordance with the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Law.
Lawal pointed out that the last primary elections held by various political parties to select candidates for the upcoming general elections were riddled with fraud, deceit and illegality.
The NAJUC president noted the increase in the number of pending pre-election cases in various jurisdictions across the country and urged the judiciary to work hard to resolve all cases on time.
