As the calls for live transmission of the post-election legal battle between the Labour Party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Court Of Appeal continue to gather momentum across the country, veteran journalist, and public affairs commentator, Jimi Disu has come out to insist that such a request might not be beneficial to Nigerians if eventually granted by the judiciary.
While speaking on the applications filed by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi for the proceedings of the Election Petitions Tribunal to be beamed live to the public for the sake of transparency on the part of the judiciary, Disu argued that contrary to popular belief, the move might not serve the purpose it is intended to serve because most Nigerians are not lawyers and may find it difficult to understand the legal terms and nuances that are often deployed in a courtroom.
He said; "There is no need to be polite about these things. If you are not a trained lawyer, you cannot understand what is going on in a courtroom. When I was a young reporter, I covered proceedings from the Igbosere Magistrates Court. And I can tell you that most of the time, we journalists quote everything the judges say verbatim because we don't understand the legal terms well enough to paraphrase them in our reports.
Personally, even if they show it live, I am not going to be following the court proceedings because I can't. Don't let's deceive ourselves. Even some people who work in the courts don't understand what's going on when it comes to the points of law. When some laws are interpreted in your presence, you'll be amazed at how distraught you would be because of your minimal knowledge. So, for me, apart from those who are versed in law, a live broadcast of the Election Tribunal proceedings will not be beneficial to Nigerians, instead, it could lead to more confusion."
SOURCE: YouTube (Forward video to 3:34).
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