The former President of Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazuruike, has criticised the judgement of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, PEPT.
The PEPT had on Wednesday dismissed the petition of Mr. Peter Obi and the Labour Party, LP, against the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the controversial February 25 election.
However, the prominent lawyer said the Tribunal ought not have based its judgement on technicalities, especially because the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, blatantly refused to obey its order to release relevant documents that the Labour Party, LP, would have relied upon to prove its case.
In a statement, Uwazuruike noted:
“The judgment today showed that justice is lying prostrate while technicality stood triumphant over it.
“Indeed, the PEPT relied on technicality in analysing the trial, including the evidence of the witnesses.
“To be blunt, the Tribunal failed to realise that it (judiciary) was on trial in the court of the people. The people expected that the verification of the scores would be a primary duty of the Tribunal.
“People expected that the Tribunal will order the “Independent” INEC will be truly independent. INEC bluntly refused to produce the documents used in the election and the Tribunal did nothing.”
He added that the Tribunal was unfair to Obi “because the defence decided the evidence that would be available, not withstanding the Notice to Produce served on it and the reassurance of chair that it would comply. In the end, the Tribunal ruled that the petitioner failed to prove his case.”
He observed that the Tribunal failed to declare who won the disputed election.
“This Tribunal failed to respond to the question, WHO WON?
Those who benefit from injustice see nothing wrong in the system.
World over, the judiciary does not rely on technicality. It relies on substansial justice, on what the people understand.
“Those who were beaten up during the election, those who were denied the right to vote, those who witnessed the mutilation of results are still wondering what happened? Election judgment based on technicality is naked injustice,” he lamented.