Electoral Act: Adegboruwa reacts to court’s decision on section 84 (12)

Legal practitioner, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has questioned the judiciary over its role in the nullification of section 84(12) of the Electoral Act.

Adegboruwa made this assertion on Saturday in response to the verdict given by Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court Umuahia.

The section says no political appointee shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari wrote the National Assembly to delete it, but the request was unanimously rejected by the National Assembly.

Adegboruwa said: “May the judiciary not destroy Nigeria in our lifetime.”

“How can you “nullify” an Act without joining the institution that made the Act, so that they can be heard concerning what they did?”

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“When a defendant (Federal Government) rejoices over a judgment delivered against it as a party, then you know there is a problem in Nigeria.”

“Why do you want to hold on to your office as a political appointee and at the same time be a candidate in an election? May Nigeria not happen to us in this way”, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) added.

The Federal Government, on Friday, noted that it will go ahead to gazette the Electoral Act 2022, but remove the contentious Section 84 (12) of the law.

Dr. Umar Gwandu, a spokesman for the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, announced this in a statement on Friday.

“The office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will accordingly give effect to the court judgment in line with the dictates of the law and the spirit of the judgment,” Gwandu said.