Former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged the National Assembly to review Nigeria’s electoral litigation process and consider establishing a specialized “Constitutional Court” to handle election-related disputes more efficiently.
Jonathan made the appeal in Abuja on Wednesday during the 70th birthday and book launch of Sen. Gbenga Daniel (APC-Ogun East). He argued that a dedicated court would ease the burden on Nigeria’s political system by consolidating election disputes into a single phase.
Currently, governorship election cases move through a three-tier process—from tribunals to the Court of Appeal, and finally, the Supreme Court. Jonathan described this as cumbersome and ineffective.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s electoral history, he recounted a 2011 case in which a gubernatorial candidate lost due to a technicality involving voter ink color. “In one senatorial district, voters were provided only black or green pens instead of red, as required by law. As a result, their votes were annulled,” he said, noting that the Appeal Court upheld the decision despite tribunal objections.
While the National Assembly later amended the law to allow governorship cases to go directly to the Supreme Court, Jonathan said the length of litigation remains a problem. He pointed to Francophone African countries, which utilize Constitutional Courts to handle political disputes efficiently.
“If the Supreme Court remains the final arbiter for governorship elections, there’s no need for lower tribunals. One specialized tribunal should decide political cases, as is done in other African nations,” he said.
Jonathan also called on the judiciary to enforce decisions decisively. “Politics is like soccer; judges are referees. If the referee looks the other way, players will break legs or score with their hands,” he added.
Praising the celebrant, Jonathan described Sen. Daniel as a “constructive leader” with an engineering mindset capable of bridging political divides. He also lauded Daniel’s documentation of his life in four books, emphasizing the importance of personal accounts in correcting public misconceptions.
The event was attended by President Bola Tinubu, represented by Minister of Finance Wale Edun, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, traditional rulers, and other political leaders.