Former president, Goodluck Jonathan, has appealed to judges in Nigeria to stop accepting fictitious election petition.
Jonathan’s appeal is coming, following the recent election he monitored in South Africa.
The former President led this out during the inauguration of the Delta State High Court Complex and the presentation of 20 Toyota Prado Sports Utility Vehicles to judges in Asaba, the state’s capital, on Tuesday.
Jonathan called for an improvement in the judicial and electoral system, adding that there is need to address the rapid increase number of lawsuits by dubious politicians who only aim to manipulate the process after losing elections in the country.
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He said: “My thinking is that 50 percent of those who go to court go to court because they felt they were cheated by the electoral management system; they were rigged out.
“When you feel naturally aggrieved, you have to go to court. So, assuming the elections are properly conducted, they know they failed the election, but they feel they can use the judiciary to declare them winners.
“If the judiciary doesn’t declare who doesn’t win the election that they are winners, that many 50 percent will not go to court.
The former president recounted his experience while monitoring South Africa election.
He said: “I was in South Africa to monitor an election recently, and one key differing issue between South Africa and Nigeria is that when a South African politician loses an election, they hardly go to court.
“But in Nigeria, it is strange for a politician to lose an election and not go to court. I want to appeal to our judges to ensure that the rate of litigation after an election is reduced.”
