I Fear Judiciary, former Electoral Umpire Mike Igini Speaks on Threats to Democracy

Segun Atanda/

A former Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Mike Igini, has expressed fears that the major threat to a free, fair, and credible election in Nigeria is the Judiciary.

Responding to a keynote address by a former Chairperson, Electoral Commissioner of Ghana, Mrs. Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, at the 19^th Annual Gani Fawehinmi Lecture, in Lagos, Igini, a lawyer and moderator in the electoral process for over 10 years, during which he had served as INEC Commissioner in Imo, Edo, and Anambra states, said that Nigerians should expect a shocker with the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), “the only fear we have now is our constituency, the Judiciary; that’s where they’re heading to right now because you will recall as a student of history that every problem that has led to the truncation of elected Nigerians will end up in Judiciary. You all recall, as we speak, many politicians are hanging around court registries with processes on how to stop the use of BVAS. That’s what they’re doing now.

“I cannot guarantee that one of our own in the bench, who has been told that we will settle you for life, give us an order, will not at the 11th hour to the day of election give another order to stop the use of BVAS. It happened before in June 12, on the 11th, the eve of the election, Justice Bassey Ikpeme gave the order to stop the election of June 12. That was when the country was put on a journey that we are yet to fully recover from. Today, I cannot guarantee that.”

In what he called a letter to Chief Gani Fawehinmi in Heaven, Igini, a one-time students union leader, who has also been involved in election study, knowledge sharing mission to South Korea election in 2011, US election in 2012, Ghana election in 2012, and Kenya election in 2013, and the US election of 2016, added, “Of furthermore importance, speaking to the subject matter of our keynote speaker is the fact today, under the current regime, of the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System which is known as BVAS, which means that unlike in the old system where in the unlikely event that we created, for example, our President of NBA well known by everybody to come before a presiding officer because we are unable in the old regime to confirm either of his 10 fingers, we could not deny him but issue him what we call incident form, that Incident Form became known for rigging election. Now, we have moved beyond that process of STR to what we call the BVAS, in which case, in the unlikely event that one, just one of your 10 fingers could not be confirmed, what about your face? We have gone to that level, therefore no more Incident Form. That is the reason why I say in my Letter to Chief in Heaven that right now there is panic in the land, politicians are running helter-skelter because all the loopholes have been blocked. They don’t know what to do.

“I also informed him that the only fear we have now is our constituency, the Judiciary; that’s where they’re heading to right now, because you will recall as a student of history that every problem that has led to the truncation of elected Nigerians will end up in Judiciary. You all recall, as we speak, many politicians are hanging around court registries with processes on how to stop the use of BVAS. That’s what they’re doing now.

“I cannot guarantee that one of our own in the bench, who has been told that we will settle you for life, give us an order, will not at the 11th hour to the day of the election give another order to stop the use of BVAS. It happened before in June 12, on the 11th, the eve of the election, Justice Bassey Ikpeme gave the order to stop the election of June 12. That was when the country was put on a journey that we are yet to fully recover from. Today, I cannot guarantee that.

“We will be waiting to see that judge, the family he comes from, that will do that. But, while we are saying this, a thorn seen coming should not blind the eye.

“Free and fair election is the bedrock of any democracy… We are making a statement, there’s nothing anyone can do. Power has been returned to the polling units where elections will be won and lost and not in the courtrooms anymore. We are ending the business of election tribunals in Nigeria. That’s the path we are following.”

The event at Lahl Bevent Center, Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, was attended by Prof. Akin Oyebode (Chairman), NBA President – Mr. Y.C. Maikyau SAN, the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN; former NBA President, Mr. Olumide Apata, Mr. Femi Falana SAN, Mrs. Basirat Fawehinmi-Biobaku, Dr. Uthman, Mr. Layi Babatunde SAN – Editor-in-Chief of Judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and the CEO of Law Breed, Adejoke Layi Babatunde – CEO of Lawbreed, Mr. Lanre Adebayo from the Office of the Public Defender, Mr. Dele Oloke, former Chairman, NBA Ikeja, Mr. Mojeed Ajao, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Law Publication, Publisher – Nigerian Weekly Law Report that also donated to the event, Chief Registrar of Lagos State, Mr. Tajudeen Elias represented the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, Mrs. Tomi Ajayi, Deacon Adesina, Mrs. Appiah, Dr. Muiz Banire SAN, and the Chairman, NBA Ikeja Branch – Oluwaseyi Olawunmi ESQ.

Human Rights organizations in attendance included the Ideal Society, People Against Rights Abuses, Human Rights Advocacy and Monitoring Group, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, Liberation for Peoples Vanguard, Progressive Volunteers, Community Initiative Against Rights Abuse, Get Your Rights and Justice Group, Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), the United Action for Democracy (UAD), the Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organization, the National Conscience Party, Foundation for Justice and Orientation of Peoples Rights, Conference of Progressive Youths, and the Law Students Society at UNILAG.

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