The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, SAN, has called for the live broadcast of the proceedings of the 2023 Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in the interest of openness, justice, transparency and trust in the judiciary. Candidates of the Labour Party and the People’s Democratic Party are both challenging the results of the 2023 Presidential Elections which held on the 25th of February, 2023 and which produced Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President-Elect. The aftermath of the elections have been the subject of controversy regarding compliance with the Electoral Act as to electronic transmission of results among other issues.
There was a consensus among Observers that the turnout of the elections were lower than witnessed in past elections. The NBA President noted that a live telecast is in the interest of the people of Nigeria. Section 36 (1) and (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that judicial proceedings should be conducted in public. According to him, “Providing public access to the proceedings would meet the aspirations of the public to participate in the process.”
