Nigeria’s judicial philosophy too old – Agbakoba

A former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA,
Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has insisted that the petitions at the presidential
election petition tribunal could be decided within seven days.

Agbakoba also blamed the country’s judicial philosophy,
which he described as a hundred years old, for the delay in deciding cases at
the election tribunal.

He stated this on Wednesday while fielding questions on
Arise Television’s Morning Show program.

The legal expert wondered why it would take 360 days to do
something very simple.

“There’s a context in which I recommended that we should
finish the petitions as fast as possible, and I think seven days is a good time
to go. The fact that the Constitution prescribes a time limit doesn’t mean that
that time limit must actually run. So the context of my call is that the
politics is overheated.

“The other day, the Minister of Information (Lai Mohammed)
was accusing Mr Peter Obi of treason, people wanting interim government and all
kinds of things going around. The DSS is shouting that there are people all
over the place doing some certain things.

“The judicial philosophy of Nigeria is about hundred years
old, Nigeria is not known for speed. Why is it possible that Ghana finishes its
own election petition in 30 days, why can’t we also do it here. We have 360
days to do something that is very simple.”