How election tribunals’ judges become billionaires, by Eso, Babalola

RETIRED Supreme Court Jurist, Kayode Eso and eminent lawyer, Chief Afe Babalola, on Tuesday opened a can of worms on unsavoury deals that sometimes occur as judicial personnel adjudicate on electoral petitions panel.


Such deals, it was said, have turned some electoral panels’ judges into millionaires and billionaires.

Speaking at the yearly President’s Dinner of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Nigeria’s and Presentation of Certificates and Fellowship Awards in Lagos on Tuesday night, Babalola, who is the president and chairman of the Governing Council of the institute, noted: “With the spate of corruption spreading in the country, it seems that only one person cannot solve the cankerworm, no matter how transparent and efficient he may be. This is because there are still the frightening problems of poverty, ignorance, illiteracy, unemployment and indeed unemployability which pervade the grassroots and which, of course, are beyond the control of one man.”

He, therefore, called for a new constitution, which to him, would change the country’s image, adding that “desperate politicians and their wealthy sponsors, who want to win at all costs, usually find it convenient to corrupt the poor and helpless grassroots voters who sell their votes for prices as low as N200 to N1,000 or even little measures of items.”

On the corruption charge being levelled against judges, Esho said: “Arbitration is the main thing now. It is sad from what the President (Babalola) had said in his keynote address about what is happening in election petitions. He is saying, just in a twinkle of the eye that some judges are becoming millionaires. In fact, those of us who have passed through the yoke of being judges, what we hear outside shatters us, because they are not just millionaires as we were told but billionaires. I take this opportunity to call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria not to keep quiet about this indictment on the judiciary, because the judiciary is now seriously being indicted. It’s even a thing you cannot wave aside that people are just talking rubbish. When this allegation goes on, I believe that there is need for a panel to be set up.”

They tasked the National Assembly as part of the ongoing electoral reforms to abolish the setting up of electoral tribunals for settlement of election matters in the country and as a matter of urgency, replace them with arbitration tribunals.

According to them, the issue of election petitions has inflicted severe damage on both the electorate, the judiciary and the political class.

Babalola noted that President Goodluck Jonathan had demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities since he became the number one citizen, noting that he had no doubt that Jonathan was the right person who could change the face of the country.

“The fact that a Fellow of the institute has become the President of the country is a thing of great pride to us in the institute. This is an eloquent testimony, which underscores the quality and caliber of people in the institute. It will interest you to know that His Excellency became a fellow of the institute as far back as 2006, when he was the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State.

“Having regard to his antecedents which I am proud to be acquainted with, especially his performance as a former Governor, Vice President and the very pragmatic way he has been handling the affairs of the country, I have no doubt in my mind that His Excellency is the right type of person that can change the face of Nigeria and lift the country to great heights. We in the institute wish him success and pledge our total support for him,” Babalola added.

He lauded the President’s decision in appointing Prof. Attahiru Jega as new helmsman for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stating that he had had the opportunity of working with him closely when he was Pro-Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG).

According to him, “Jega is a consummate professional, very progressive, highly objective, thorough, result-oriented and completely non-partisan. I believe that he has all it takes to transform the leadership of INEC.”
BY TAIWO HASSAN