THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has advocated for the livestreaming of hearings of election petition tribunals, especially cases arising from the presidential election.
According to the NBA, live broadcast of court sessions will not only boost confidence in the judiciary, it will also enable the Nigerian public to closely follow the proceedings and better appreciate the nuances of the facts and the reasoning behind decisions of the courts on the matters before them.
NBA’s call, contained in the communiqué of its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State capital, on March 23, 2023.
According to the communiqué signed by the NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), and General Secretary, Adesina Adegbite, made available to the media Thursday, live broadcast of the hearings is paramount for the judiciary as doing so would help it to regain lost public trust.
The communiqué, amongst other things stated: “In view of the fact that public perception of the judiciary plays a key role in the public acceptance of its decisions, and to help boost the confidence of the public in the judiciary, which is currently at an all-time low, NEC, upon the proposal by the President, unanimously passes the resolution calling for live broadcast of the proceedings of the election petition courts and tribunals, particularly for the presidential election, by volunteering media houses.
“This will give citizens the opportunity to follow the proceedings, have better knowledge of the facts and an understanding of the reasoning behind decisions of the courts in those matters, particularly how the Electoral Act and other applicable laws are applied to election petition matters.”
The NBA condemned the exhibition of primordial sentiments and voter-intimidation before and during the general elections and called for offenders.
“NEC condemned the tribal/ethnic bigotry, violence, voter-intimidation, among others recorded during the just concluded General Elections of 25 February 2023 (Presidential/National Assembly) and 18 March 2023 (Governorship/State Houses of Assembly) respectively, in some parts of the country, particularly Lagos State. NEC calls for the prosecution of identified electoral offenders,” reads the communiqué.
