EU Envoy Urges Nigeria to Prioritize Ballot Over Courts in Leadership Selection

The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, has emphasized the importance of electing leaders through the ballot rather than court decisions. Speaking in Abuja at the launch of a report titled “From Ballot to the Courts: Analysis of Election Petition Litigation from Nigeria’s 2023 General Elections” by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Mignot, represented by Ruben Alba, Acting Head of Cooperation for the EU Delegation, highlighted the challenges posed by court-determined leadership.

Mignot noted that reliance on courts undermines the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ability to conduct well-organized elections due to logistical hurdles. He also raised concerns about contradictory court rulings, which complicate INEC’s regulatory responsibilities. While acknowledging the judiciary’s critical role in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy through landmark decisions, he stressed that judicial processes must uphold democratic values and avoid dismissals based solely on technicalities.

He called for collective responsibility in improving the judicial system, urging citizens to remain informed about their constitutional rights and hold systems accountable. “Leaders should be elected through the ballot and not by the courts,” he reiterated.

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PLAC Executive Director Clement Nwankwo added that the report provides a detailed analysis of judgments from Election Petition Tribunals, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court following Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.