Tribunal Ruling on Edo Governorship Election Sets Dangerous Precedent – Dr. Sam Amadi Warns
Dr. Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, has cautioned that the recent judgment by the Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal could set a dangerous precedent, potentially reducing Nigeria’s 2027 elections to what he described as “farcical, impotent rituals.” Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, Dr. Amadi criticized the Tribunal’s April 2 ruling, which upheld the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2024 Edo governorship election. He alleged that the judgment ignored overwhelming evidence of electoral malpractice. “If the judiciary allows the travesty that occurred in Edo State on September 21, 2024, to stand, we might as well forget about credible elections in 2027,” Amadi said. “Future elections risk becoming mere rituals — hollow processes used by the ruling elite to legitimize the unilateral appointment of political officeholders.” The former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) described the Tribunal’s decision as a judicial endorsement of what he called “an electoral coup” perpetrated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He accused INEC of manipulating election results and undermining the will of the electorate. Amadi argued that the tribunal failed to address clear violations of the Electoral Act, particularly Section 73(2), which requires the documentation of serial numbers of sensitive materials like ballot papers and result sheets prior to voting. He also criticized the tribunal’s dismissal of key evidence on technical grounds, despite what he termed “clear discrepancies” between the results uploaded to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and the final declared results. “In some polling units, the IReV platform showed the APC scored 31 votes, yet INEC declared 431 votes for the party using unsigned result sheets,” Amadi claimed. He further condemned the court’s failure to compel INEC to operate the BVAS machines in court, despite having ordered them to be presented as evidence. According to him, this failure unfairly shifted the burden of proof to the petitioners. “It was the court that ordered INEC to present the BVAS machines. So why didn’t the court ensure they were operated in its presence? Why should INEC’s non-compliance become the burden of those challenging the process?” he asked. “It’s a system that protects itself — punishing the victims of electoral malpractice while letting the perpetrators walk free.” Dr. Amadi emphasized that the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought remains non-partisan, with no vested interest in which candidate wins, but is committed to defending the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic processes. “This is not about PDP versus APC. It is about INEC versus the Nigerian people,” he stressed. “And now, it seems the judiciary has joined the ranks of those enabling democratic subversion.” He concluded by urging appellate courts to thoroughly review and overturn the tribunal’s verdict, warning that continued judicial leniency toward INEC’s failures would erode public trust in the electoral system.