CURRENT ISSUES: General Election: Aggrieved have  rights to seek legal redress

Barr. Raheem Ismail is an Ilorin-based legal practitioner. He speaks with our JUDICIARY CORRESPONDENT, KAYODE ADEOTI on the need for anyone or political parties who felt aggrieved over the outcome of the last general election in Nigeria to approach the Tribunal for legal clarifications among other issues.  Excerpts:

The last general election that held in the country has been attracting both negative and positive reactions, what is your take on the poll?

The last election in Nigeria, one can boldly say, was free and fair. I participated in the exercise in Kwara state and I knew how it all went. Where I voted, there was no issue, no ballot box snatching. We also monitored the process through media in other parts of the country. We should appreciate the fact that in Kwara state, there was no violence. No one was shot, there was perfect peace. Though whoever feels the poll is not free and fair, such person is entitled to his opinion. If Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Abubakar Atiku has planned to approach court to appeal the outcome of the election, he has rights to do that and that is why the Tribunal is in existence. But he will have to approach the Tribunal with convincing facts. I will not support those who are saying he shouldn’t table the matter before the court that he will lose, court will help in putting face to issue and ensure corrections were made where necessary. Court is meant for clarification, if one doesn’t go there, how will the clarification be achieved? So, no one should discourage anyone over his decision to seek legal redress. The role of the judiciary must be felt on all sector, this is how we can enjoy the practice of democracy. Life itself is not static, the law has changed over the years, in the past, elections used to be held once but not again. During the forthcoming governorship elections, some states like Ondo, Edo, Ekiti will not participate, they’ve had their own polls earlier. This is based on their own political calendar, so, things change and that is one thing synonymous with democratic governance.

Would you also support restructuring of INEC?

On the aspect of the proposed restructuring for the INEC, I’ve reservation for that because the electoral umpire has not completed the conduct of the 2019 poll. It will be too early to judge and say certain aspect of the electoral umpire needs to be changed. Governorship and House of Assembly elections are still ahead.

Since abduction of school girls seems to be taking tolls on every administrations in Nigeria, can one say it’s political?

I begin to wonder, how the issue of Leah Sharibu, who was abducted by the Boko Haram insurgency, has to do with politics or Federal Government. We read through the media that Dapchi school girls were abducted, they were later released except for Leah Sharibu. The Boko Haram insurgency, I don’t think they know whether one is a Muslim or Christian before they strike. To me, I cannot say the abduction is political or religiously motivated. For government to have ensured release of such number, I won’t say they’ve not tried but they should put more effort to ensure release of the last girl standing if at all she is still in the abductors’ custody.

(Cuts in) But we learnt she is still in custody?

We’re in Nigeria, that is the picture they painted for us. We’re not to believe it. We’ve had cases of how mosques, churches were burnt and how innocent human beings were killed. To me, abduction of Leah Sharibu is just an unfortunate thing not that the innocent girl was targeted for attack. Boko Haram strikes anyhow, what interest would they have in a particular girl called Leah Sharibu?