Funmi Ogundare
The Principal Partner Ghalib Chambers and Pioneer Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association Section on Legal Practice ( SLP), Prof. Yusuf Ali, SAN, yesterday, called for collaborative efforts from government institutions, civil society, political actors, and the public so that the country can achieve democratic consolidation.
Prof. Ali who made this call during the second Nigeria Academy of Letters ( NAL), virtual dialogue series titled, ‘Electoral Litigations and the Challenges of Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria’, expressed concern about the failure of governance in the country.
He stated that by addressing the identified challenges and implementing targeted reforms, Nigeria can build a more resilient and stable democratic system that reflects the aspirations of its citizens and contributes to the overall development of the nation.
According to him, “addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach, including electoral reforms, strengthening the judicial system, promoting political culture transformation and insisting that people with character hold political positions, otherwise, we will be going around in circles.”
The principal partner stressed the importance of electoral reforms that will foster a more robust democratic consolidation, adding,” it will go a long way to enhance INEC’s efficiency, coupled with measures to strengthen the judicial system’s capacity that will handle electoral cases efficiently.”
Ali listed some of the challenges of democratic consolidation including electoral irregularities, violence and insecurity, corruption, weakness in rule of law, poor economic conditions, weak institutions , ethnic and religious divisions, political party fragmentation, pre and post election disputes, among others., saying that these could in one way or the other, affect electoral litigations.
“The challenges of electoral litigations in Nigeria pose significant obstacles to the democratic consolidation process. The rising trends in electoral litigations, characterised by the increasing number and complexity of legal disputes, reflect the struggles faced by the Nigerian electoral system. These challenges have implications for the overall democratic consolidation in the country,” he stated.
Past electoral litigations and their outcomes, he stated, reveals a pattern of prolonged legal battles, delayed resolutions, and sometimes inconsistent application of electoral laws, adding that these factors contribute to a lack of finality in election outcomes, raising concerns about the legitimacy and stability of elected governments.
” Electoral processes form the bedrock of any democratic system, and the role of fair and transparent elections cannot be overstated. However, Nigeria has witnessed a surge in electoral litigations, raising concerns about the impact on democratic stability and consolidation,” Ali stated.
