Just few days to commence the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal hearing, a former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), has urged Nigerians to accept the decisions of the court as final, when delivered.
Recall that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, had on March 1 declared All Progressives Congress’ Bola Tinubu the President-Elect on the grounds that his party scored the majority of votes cast in the polls.
Tinubu polled 8.8 million votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 6.9 million votes, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) who polled 6.1 million votes and 15 others.
However, Atiku and Obi are disputing the result, filing separate petitions seeking orders to annul the election or declare them the winners of the polls.
Gowon, who spoke at the 15th Edition of Punuka Annual Lecture & Symposium, organised in honour of a late Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Chike Idigbe, urged all the petitioners and Nigerians to accept decisions of the tribunal in good faith.
He described the judiciary as the guardian of the constitution and the rule of law, saying it has overtime proved itself as the hope of the common man.
However, the former military leader who was a special guest at the event, warned the judiciary to be “strong, Independent and impartial” so as to be able to ensure the protection of democracy in the country.
He said: “As a Nation, we have come a long way since our independence in 1960, and we have faced many challenges along the way- to put it moderately.
READ MORE: INEC Tells Tribunal To Dismiss Peter Obi, LP’s Petition Against Tinubu
“It is no secret that the judiciary plays a vital role in nation building and in keeping us united as a nation.
“The judiciary, in essence, is the guardian of the constitution and the rule of law. The judiciary provides a check on the powers of the executive and legislative branches and ensures that the rights and freedoms of the citizens are protected through the instrumentality of the Court.
“As a former military leader (Head of State), I have seen and known firsthand the importance of the judiciary in maintaining stability and order in our society.
“The judiciary serves as the bedrock of our democracy, and it is only through a strong, independent and impartial judiciary that we can ensure the protection of our democracy and the advancement of our nation.
“The judiciary has overtime maintained their enviable status as the beacon of hope for our democracy, serving as the balance between every class and truly the hope of the common man.
“As we move forward as a nation, let us not forget the role that the judiciary plays in nation building especially the apex court in its carrying out its duty of questioning the veracity of the decisions of the lower courts.
“As such we need to allow the apex court, their deliberations and come up with their decisions and as the public to be humble enough to accept their decision as final in order to maintain the sanctity of the judiciary as individuals and institutions.
“This is very important at this stage in view of the post-election litigations that are now going on.
“Let us give the Judiciary the opportunity to do that work and let us accept their decision as it is.”
