By Modupe Gbadeyanka
More pressure is mounting on the judiciary to allow the live broadcast of proceedings at the ongoing presidential election tribunal at the Court of Appeal.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), which are challenging the victory of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the presidential election held on Saturday, February 25, 2023, want the Nigerians to have the opportunity to see how the issues are argued at the court.
A group known as the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has joined those calling for the broadcast of the court sittings in Abuja.
In a statement signed by its Secretary General, Mr Willy Ezugwu, the umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in the country, noted that not only will the live broadcast douse tension associated with the ongoing proceedings and high expectations by the electorates, it will also promote transparency in the court process in the public interest.
The CNPP also reasoned that “there is no way the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the presidential election, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will oppose a live broadcast of the tribunal’s sittings up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria where the matter will eventually terminate if any of the parties proceed to appeal the tribunal’s verdict.”
According to the CNPP, “It will be difficult to see INEC or the APC and its presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stand up to oppose the application for a live broadcast of presidential election petition court’s proceedings if INEC believes it did the right thing and the APC won fair and square.
“Moreover, objecting to the application will not be in the interest of any of the parties to the petitions and their supporters as a live broadcast is the best way to erase any possible misconception about the outcome and minimise dissemination of false information, especially on social media, which could lead to a breach of the peace.
“Therefore, the tribunal granting the popular request will enable Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora, who are interested in the outcome of the presidential election petitions, to follow the proceedings live and be better informed instead of relying on hearsay.
“The live broadcast has also become imperative because of the limited space in the courtroom to accommodate hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who would have been present in court to witness the proceedings first-hand,” the CNPP argued.
