Tag Archives: ELECTION RIGGING

Election Riggers Deserve Death Sentence – Prof. Tam David-West

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Former Minister of Petroleum resources, Prof Tam David-West says anyone caught involving in election rigging deserves to be sentenced to death. Speaking in Port harcourt, Rivers state to Punch over the contentious Saturday governorship election in the state, David-West said election riggers are worse than armed robbers and that sentencing them to death when apprehended is the only way Nigeria can have peaceful, free and fair elections:

“I have said that election riggers should get death sentence. Rigging election is worse that armed robbery. If an armed robber can be sentenced to death, election riggers must face similar punishment. That is the only way we can have peaceful, free and fair
election in this country. It (election) was a sham. From all I heard, in Buguma, Asari-Toru, there was no election as a result of sporadic shooting in the area. Surprisingly, INEC released a result. It is wrong for anyone to say that the conducted election is good. Is that some people see the death as goodness? If an election is fraught with violence and other forms of malpractices, if it is not corrected, it would stain the performance of INEC.” – he said.

Court Reserves Judgment On Obanikoro’s Eligibility

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A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has slated March 5, 2015, for judgment in a suit seeking to stop a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, from ever contesting for any electoral office in Nigeria.

Among the allegations levelled against the ex-minister was that he had at one time or the other falsified his age and had submitted a forged birth certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the purpose of contesting governorship election in Lagos State.

Obanikoro’s accusers also asked the court to determine whether he was still eligible to contest any election in Nigeria having “voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the United States of America in addition to the citizenship of Nigeria.”

The action was instituted shortly before the Lagos Peoples Democracy Party’s primary which held on December 8, last year.

The three plaintiffs in the suit are members of the PDP, namely: Micheal Ogun, Suleiman Saheed and Wasiu Odusan.

Apart from their originating summons, they had also filed an ex parte application, wherein they urged Justice Kazeem Alogba to stop Obanikoro from standing for the PDP governorship primary in Lagos State.

The judge, however, declined to stop Obanikoro from participating in the said primary, wherein Mr. Jimi Agbaje was eventually declared winner.

The lawyer for the plaintiffs, Mr. Wahab Shittu, had vehemently argued that the matter was one that bordered on constitutional infringement.

He added that whatever judgment arrived at by the court would become an important reference point on the nation’s political landscape.

“A democracy is principally founded on the rule of law. At all times there are two choices to make, whether you want to be guided by the rule of law or by the culture of impunity. Your Lordship will decide this issue for history and for posterity,” Shittu said.