Peterside Faults INEC, Judiciary, Backs Electoral Reform to Shift Burden of Proof
The founder of ANAP Foundation, Atedo Peterside, has berated the Nigerian judiciary for failing to live up to the required standard, expressing support for an electoral reform that would shift the burden of proof to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He criticised INEC under the leadership of its immediate past chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, describing it as a national disgrace.
Peterside made these assertions on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Monday, while responding to a question about the recent change of leadership at the electoral body, which saw Professor Joash Amupitan replace Professor Yakubu.
He said, “I will never say never, but the INEC that was led by Mahmood Yakubu was a national disgrace.
“You just have to go on their IReV. If you have time, I will take you there myself and show you result sheets they upload — mutilated, sometimes with figures changed, and in some cases, they even forget to change the words.”
“I heard former Governor Dickson saying in the Senate that we have to amend the Electoral Act in some important way,” Peterside said. “See, this is where our judiciary has not lived up to the required standards. I agree with Senator Dickson that the burden of proof should shift to INEC.
“You can’t allow a situation where INEC can do anything, bring out rubbish results, mutilated and everything, and then argue that it’s for the victim to prove that what they’ve done is wrong, when even a blind man can see that what they’ve done is wrong.”
Peterside lamented that a majority of Nigerians have lost confidence in both the electoral body and the judiciary, warning that people might resort to self-help in future elections if nothing is done to restore trust in the system.
