Following the announcement of the five-man panel of Appeal Court Judges selected to oversee the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, veteran journalist and public affairs commentator, Jimi Disu, has criticized the Judiciary for failing to include a judge from the Southeastern region of Nigeria.
Disu argued that including an Igbo judge on the panel would have provided necessary balance, as one of the candidates involved in the court proceedings is from the southeast. Despite the President-elect being from the Southwest, a judge from that region was still included on the panel. Disu also pointed out that a judge from the same region as the PDP candidate was also part of the trial.
During an interview on Nigeria Info FM, Disu called for attention to be paid to the country’s ethnic balance: "These are the subtle nuances that should have been taken care of, and I hope that it will be corrected. If not, it could send a very wrong signal. You can't run away from the matter of ethnicity on issues like this.
Yes, it is good for us to insist that things are done on merit, but one man's merit is another man's demerit. So, to take care of all interests, I think an Igbo judge should have been included in that panel. I hope it will be done. If we can have a judge from Kogi, around the same region as the PDP candidate on that panel, then why not the Southeast?”
This raises a valid concern about representation and balance in such crucial judicial proceedings. It is important to ensure that such panels represent the diversity of the country and all parties involved. The government should take note of this and ensure that all regions and groups are duly represented. This is necessary to eliminate any forms of bias or prejudice in the proceedings and ensure a fair trial for all parties involved.
SOURCE: YouTube (Forward video to 12:17).
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