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The National Assembly was on Sunday called upon to consider amending the 1999 constitution to pave the way for independent candidacy in the Nigeria electoral process.
The call came from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) through its president, Yakubu Mikyau (SAN), while speaking at the 19th Annual Gani Fawehinmi lecture put together by the Ikeja branch of the NBA, which was held at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja.
While charging lawyers across the country to ensure that the forthcoming 2023 general elections, slated to hold in February, are free, fair, and credible, Mikyau urged them to work towards improving Nigeria's democratic process.
The NBA president expressed worries that a candidate cannot contest an election without being a member of a political party.
Mikyau equally knocked the fraud being carried out against the Nigerian masses, just as he made known the determination of the NBA to give what he termed a national colouration to the Annual Gani Fawehinmi Lecture.
According to the SAN, “We are taking over the event by fully bearing the cost of putting the same together. Gani Fawehinmi was a fearless advocate and stood as the conscience of the masses.
“Freedom is one of Fawehinmi's legacies that he left behind. He lived and worked for democracy, and we should ensure that his legacies are not pushed aside."
The former chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Mrs. Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, who delivered the lecture, entitled, 'A Free, Fair And Credible Election: An Indispensable Tool For National Development', answered in the affirmative that free, fair and credible election, remains an indispensable tool for national development.
Declaring that Nigeria has got some success in conducting elections regularly, Osei berated a situation where Nigerians are daily being confronted with cases of abduction, which she said, could hamper a smooth electoral process.
She advised the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to tackle the issue of insecurity to foster confidence in the citizenry.
Osei said: “When elections are not free, it can result in the stagnation of the development of the country.
“Every Nigerian wants access to shelter, good roads, health care system, electricity, and other social amenities.
“The citizens should demand accountability from their leaders. Democracy dies both in darkness and silence.”
Calling on the citizens to ensure that they are registered voters, Osei maintained that Nigerians would not be able to hold their leaders accountable if they fail to participate in the process.
In her words: "Lawyers should endeavour to make the sacrifices Gani Fawehinmi made to make Nigeria and its electoral process better.
“The Nigerian Bar Association should engage the Independent National Electoral Commission and other relevant institutions to find out their level of preparedness.
“Development will never come until you demand it. You should not allow the political elites to capture our political system. The political system belongs to the people.
“The best way to prevent election rigging in Nigeria is by massive turnout. Political apathy should be of great concern to the NBA. Democracy should not be left to civil society and foreign donours alone. The Bar must be light and must at all times be at the forefront of engaging the judiciary toward ensuring a smooth electoral process in Nigeria."
In his welcome address, Oluwaseyi Olawunmi, the Ikeja branch chairman of the NBA, said the branch conceived the annual lecture to celebrate the ideals of the late Fawehinmi.
“Fawehinmi spoke truth to power, he championed the course of the masses, stood for beggers and the less privileged members of the society,” he stressed.
The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ado-Ekiti, and chairman of the occasion, Professor Akin Oyebode, described the late Fawehinmi as a unique individual, who fought against bad governance.
He posited: “Gani had an indomitable spirit that you cannot overrun. Gani succeeded in democratising the legal profession. He made indelible marks in the practice of the legal profession in Nigeria.”
The professor of law described, as wicked and oppressive, the incivility of the Nigerian security operatives against the late Fawehinmi.
The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the state's Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), declared that Fawehinmi stood for democracy and led the battle against military rule in Nigeria.
Onigbanjo said, “He fought against bad governance and never compromised his stand. He fought for freedom until he died.”
The Chief Judge (CJ) of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, who was represented by the Chief Registrar (CR) of the High Court of Lagos State, Tajudeen Elias, argued that Fawehinmi was a dogged fighter for human rights with a further position that the late legal icon was committed to the development of law in the country.
The CJ enjoined legal practitioners to emulate the legacies of the late Fawehinmi. Alogba said as elections draw closer, the judiciary will remain committed to the conduct of a free, fair, and credible election in the country.
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