The chairman of the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) and former Chief Justice, Mohammed Uwais, again for the second time in 32 days, impressed the Senate with his committee's recommendations for electoral reform.
First, it was in Kaduna, early last month before the Senate committee on constitution review. Now it was before the Senate in Enugu yesterday and Mr. Uwais insisted that his committee's recommendation that all elections cases should be dispensed before the swearing in of winners is sound.
The Senate is currently holding its annual retreat in Enugu, the capital of Enugu State and invited Mr. Uwais to deliver a paper on how desirable his committee's time limit for election cases is.
The committee had recommended, in its report, that an Election Management Body should conduct election long before the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent and that election petition tribunals should be given a four month time frame to dispense all cases arising from the elections and that the Appeal Court be also given two months to dispense election petitions.
In their view, this will encourage a quick dispensation of justice and minimise the incidence of voided tenures and elongated tenures and according to Mr. Uwais, it is feasible to achieve justice within the time frame set by his committee.
"It is important that this is done because in Anambra State, we have had four governors in four years for a four year term," Jim Nwobodo, a former senator and governor, who chaired the session said.
"So it is desirable that we should not allow election petition tribunal to be (open) ended," Mr. Nwobodo added.
Idi Farouk, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, who was at the retreat as a resource person, also agreed with the stance of the ERC.
"I fully endorse the position of the Justice Uwais committee on the desirability for time limit on election cases in Nigeria," Mr. Farouk said.
The senators eagerly endorsed the position of Mr. Uwais, just as the Senate committee on constitution review revered the "wisdom" of Mr. Uwais on the same issue in Kaduna early last month. Other Senators who commented on Mr. Uwais' presentation in Enugu declared their support for the setting of time limit for the hearing and delivery of judgment on election cases.
Some Senators, however, suggested that the time limit should be reduced to three months for the hearing of election petitions and one month for judgment on the appeal.
"The ERC recommendation is too long," Osita Izunaso (PDP Imo State) said.
Mr. Uwais, however, held on to his committee's recommendation, saying the recommendation was based on research which revealed that three months will not be enough for the tribunals to hear the heaps of cases they receive after elections.
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