The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan has stated that courts should not decide elections in Nigeria.
According to him, elections must be won at the polling units.
Amupitan disclosed this at the 56th Annual National Conference of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers, NALT, held at the University of Abuja on Monday.
The new INEC Chairman said he would curb the rising tide of pre-election litigations “that have long burdened Nigeria’s electoral process”.
He charged political parties to ensure lasting reforms.
Amupitan said: “If political parties obey their constitutions, respect the Electoral Act, and align with the Nigerian Constitution, the avalanche of pre-election cases will collapse.
He emphasized that his goal is to make the law “an instrument of change, not chaos.”
“My desire is that when we get the law right, even the losers will be the first to congratulate the winner. That is when our democracy can be said to have matured.”
Amupitan urged the National Assembly to ensure a stronger legislation that would strengthen electoral laws and bring about transparency.
“We cannot continue to allow the courts to determine our elections. Elections must be won at the polling units, not in the courtroom,” he said.
