Daily Independent Online.
*
Thursday, July 01, 2004.
Group drafts new rules for election tribunals
By Bolaji Adepegba
Senior
Correspondent, Lagos
Human
Rights Law Service HURILAWS, a civil society organisation, led by Chief Olisa
Agbakoba (SAN) has said that it is in the process of drafting new rules for
election petition tribunals in the country.
At
a media briefing in Lagos where the organisation presented the efforts at
consolidating Nigeria’s new democratic experience, the organisation said
in a statement highlighting the need for electoral reforms:
“HURILAWS
recognises the role credible elections play in democratic consolidation. Apart
from entrenching a lasting democratic climate, elections serve as platforms
through which the people freely exercise their rights of choosing their
leaders. In doing this, the people elect candidates that will provide for their
welfare and honour the contract which they entered into by virtue of the
election,” it said. The organisation therefore, noting the role that
elections tribunal in the said process, observed that the completeness and the
fairness of election depends strongly on the availability of a mechanism for
the resolution of grievances. It had therefore published, last year, a manual
for the legal community, which will serve as a tool for judges and lawyers
working in the tribunal process.
“HURILAWS
in addition also monitored the activities of election petition panels across
the country and part of its finding was the absence of an all-embracing rule to
guide the tribunals. As a result, we are in the process of drafting new rules
for the election petition tribunals. This we intend to present to the president
of the Court of Appeal who is charged with constituting the panels and making
the rules,” the statement said.
In
addition to these, the group is also involved in the training of local
government officials through its Local Government Administration and
Development Project. This, according to it, has led to the publication of a
Capacity Building Manual for the improvement of skills and ability of local
government staff.
“The
local government in Nigeria forms the bedrock of our democracy and by this
nature, occupies an important position in the overall development of the
country and the delivery of democratic dividends,” HURILAWS observed,
noting also that political interest and participation originates from local
governments.
