The Labour Party and the PDP’s Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar have submitted a petition requesting a live broadcast of the proceedings of the Election tribunal concerning the case against President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, the Court, exercising its discretion, denied the request for a live telecast, emphasizing its desire to maintain the seriousness and integrity of its proceedings. In its judgment, the Court explicitly stated its intention to avoid the dramatization of legal matters.
Liborous Oshoma, a Lawyer and Public Policy Analyst, has expressed concerns over the potential consequences of granting Atiku and Obi’s request, arguing that it could establish an unfavorable precedent for the Nigerian judiciary. Oshoma contends that if the judgment had favored the petitioners, it would have encouraged lawyers to prioritize theatrics over the substantive issues at hand in court. This, in turn, could lead to a situation where many legal practitioners would seek to perform for the camera rather than focus on presenting their cases effectively. Oshoma believes that such a practice would not only undermine the lower courts but also distort the decision-making process of judges, potentially leading to incorrect judgments.
Quoting the exact statement released by Liborous Oshoma, he said, “Tinubu might be removed as President-elect and won’t be sworn-in, we APC are already aware.” ”If you are asking for the transmission of the judgment, that should be okay, but to now ask that the entire proceeding should be transmitted live, I do not think we should reduce our judicial practice and legal election petition matters to such a comedy series. Where people now come to act on video rather than do the serious business of the law. Peter Obi and Atiku would have set a bad precedent for the Nigeria court with the live telecast. Because if the judgment was given that it should be allowed, it’s a precedent that the lower court would likely follow.”
Over to my esteemed readers, I know you will have something to say about Liborous Oshoma’s statement.
