Amid the hearings of the Presidential election tribunal have started today in Abuja. A Barrister and a Policy Analyst, Isaac Anumudu speaking in an interview with Channels Tv has alleged that the time duration might not be 180 days as it's being suggested by some politicians.
He explained that section 285 subsection six and seven does not indicate that the court must wait for 180 days before the election petition will start. He stated that the time duration is to create a need for speed to quickly hastened the procedure of court cases. He further disclosed that at the Supreme Court which timeframe is 60 days, the case could be concluded within a week.
He said, ''There is a discussion about the time in which the tribunal should go about it job and the effect it will have on the polity. And that is referring to section 285, subsections six and seven of the constitution. That section talks about giving the first tribunal which is the court of appeal 180 days within which to conclude its hearing and determination of the appeal.
While section 285 subsection seven subsequently gives the Supreme Court which is the final Court on this matter, 60 days which is 2 months within which to hear and determine the appeal from the election petition tribunal. Now many people have misconstrued this to indicatee that the tribunal must spend 18p days, section 285 did not suggest that the Tribunal must spend 180 days on election petitions.
The only thing that section seems to say is to impress on the members of the tribunal, the need for an expedition for speed in viewing the sensitive and peculiar nature of election petition that they must not exceed 180 days. But there is nothing there that says they must wait for 180 days. Nothing says that this petition cannot be concluded in seven days. Nothing also says that the Supreme Court must use the entire 60 days.''
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