Posted by The PM News on
Human rights activist and frontline crusader for good governance, Chief Gani Fawehinmi(SAN), has condemned today's Supreme Court judgement which upheld president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's election.
Human rights activist and frontline crusader for good governance, Chief Gani Fawehinmi(SAN), has condemned today's Supreme Court judgement which upheld president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's election.
According to him: 'This is the most controversial presidential election judgement in the history of Nigeria. Four Justices of the Supreme Court upheld the election. Three nullified the election and ordered fresh election.'
He likened the judgement to that between the late Obafemi Awolowo and Shehu Shagari. But pointed out that in that judgement delivered on 26 September, 1979, the Supreme Court, by a majority of 6 to 1, upheld Shagari's election, with just a dissenting judgement by Justice Kayode Eso.
Fawehinmi added that the judgement has put Yar'Adua's presidency in a compromising position.'By this judgement, Yar'Adua has been given legal power to govern Nigeria with a diminished moral authority to do so in view of the catalogue of indictments contained in the dissenting judgements of three out of the seven Supreme Court Justices of Nigeria. Consequently, the ship of state of Nigeria is in for a turbulent sail for the remaining period of his presidency', he concluded.