Olisa Agbakoba, a legal luminary, has stated that it is conceivable to resolve presidential election petitions in April if the judicial systems are sufficiently aggressive.
He emphasized that the tension around the proposal for an interim government stemmed from concerns that the tribunal would not rule before May 29.
According to Agbakoba, orders/directions are given peremptorily in arbitration cases to settle difficult jurisdictional and procedural concerns.
His statement on Monday encouraged the presidential election tribunal to apply the processes highly acquainted with the rapid settlement of arbitration disputes.
The arguments presented by the Labour Party, LP, and its candidate Peter Obi, who claims he won the February 25 election, were stated by the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
…The interpretation of Section 134 of the 1999 Constitution as to whether 25 percent of votes in the FCT is compulsory; Is a candidate permitted to stand for election when he is also a senatorial candidate?; Issues regarding qualification of APC candidates,” he said.
Agbakoba said if the petitions were arbitration proceedings, an arbitrator may issue a procedural order to address all complex disputes and deliver “a partial final award”.
The SAN charged the tribunal and the Supreme Court to give the order, address the jurisdictional issues raised, and release final summary judgment.
“Between the tribunal and Supreme Court, the petitions can be resolved within 7 (seven) days from today. This will cool the temperature in Nigeria on the issue of interim government etc,” he added.
Agbakoba stated that the required speed would be a radical departure from the present policy where case management plays a limited role in judicial outcomes.
“Speed of justice is the mantra that our judiciary must proclaim very loudly. This is needed in the presidential petitions proceedings urgently,” he stressed.
