* Says Kenya, Ghana, others awaiting nation’s management function
* Identifies AI as best risk to 2027 polls
* As CJN, Fagbemi job attorneys on professionalism
* A’ Court unveils 375 judges for EPT
Alex Enumah in Abuja
With lower than 70 days to the conduct of subsequent 12 months’s presidential election, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), has warned that the soundness of Nigeria, politically, could be decided by the verdicts delivered by the Election Petition Tribunals (EPTs) set as much as deal with grievances arising from the conduct of the 2027 basic election.
According to Amupitan, whereas INEC is saddled with the accountability of managing the poll, deploying expertise and safeguarding the voter franchise, the EPTs on the opposite hand stand as the last word guardians of democratic legitimacy.
Speaking at a three-day workshop for the EPT judges, Amupitan identified that when political contestations overflow from polling items into the courtroom, the judiciary offers the constitutional sanctuary the place grievances are remodeled into peace, illegal shortcuts are corrected, and the sovereign selection of the citizens is vindicated below the rule of regulation.
“Let me emphasize, my Lords, that the soundness of our electoral course of, and as a matter of reality of Nigeria, could be very, crucial for the continent of Africa. Because Nigeria is the biggest democracy in Africa, and so, so many nations look as much as Nigeria for steering.
“I recall at a gathering of EMBs of Africa in Egypt, most individuals had been wishing me properly. And I bear in mind all of the EMBs’ heads from different African nations, two of them, for that matter, the EMB head of Kenya, mentioned ‘we want you to succeed. Because whatever happens in Nigeria will happen in Kenya’.
“And also, the EMB chair of Ghana echoed the same thing. ‘Whatever happens in Nigeria is just a matter of time. It will happen in Ghana and other African countries.’ So that is why it is so important that we see our role as a tool of political stability, not just in Nigeria, but in the continent of Africa,” Amupitan mentioned.
According to the senior lawyer, the EPT isn’t a mere post-election administrative panel; however one which serves as a constitutional valve that releases political strain and prevents electoral friction from devolving into civil disruption.
He burdened that when the tribunal features with procedural pace, evidentiary rigour, and absolute impartiality, it achieves three important democratic outcomes: de-escalation of battle: institutional accountability: and preservation of the social contract.
“Conversely, the place judicial adjudication is perceived as unpredictable, excessively technical, or delayed, political stability is threatened.
“The election tribunal is therefore not merely an arbiter of private disputes between candidates; it is an active engine of national stability and constitutional order,” he mentioned.
While observing that electoral litigation has grow to be more and more complicated with the introduction of expertise, the chairman argued that expertise should be assessed throughout the framework of the structure, the Electoral Act and relevant rules, including that it ought to neither be handled as infallible nor discounted just because the proof is digital.
“A clear distinction must be maintained between the generation of technological information, the statutory purpose it serves and the legal standard required to prove a case before a tribunal,” he mentioned.
“My Lords, the threat matrix confronting our democratic process has expanded beyond traditional physical challenges like ballot snatching. We have entered an era of digital information manipulation, powered by Artificial Intelligence, high-fidelity audio cloning, deepfake video generation, and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI),” he added.
According to Amupitan, throughout election durations, malicious actors will try to disrupt the electoral course of by way of three major digital risk vectors: Synthetic Operational Directives: AI-generated audio or textual content messages impersonating election officers, claiming that polling items in particular strongholds are relocated or cancelled to suppress voter turnout.
Eve-of-Poll/Blackout Window Attacks: Deepfake audio or video drops launched throughout statutory broadcast blackouts—hours earlier than polls open—impersonating candidates or electoral officers confessing to fraudulent offers, exploiting the timeframe when official rebuttals wrestle to realize traction.
Fake Declaration Videos: Cloned movies of returning officers falsely declaring untimely election ends in battleground constituencies to set off civil unrest earlier than official collation concludes.
He suggested that to safeguard political stability, tribunals should apply rigorous evidentiary requirements below Section 84 of the Evidence Act relating to digital proof, including that demonstrating digital provenance, forensic chain of custody, and reliance on licensed knowledge straight from INEC will likely be important to forestall artificial digital fabrications from deceptive the courts.
Meanwhile, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) have canvassed correct conduct and professionalism from attorneys that can symbolize varied litigants on the 2027 EPTs throughout the federation.
Kekere-Ekun particularly warned attorneys towards submitting a number of fits on the identical subject material, looking for conflicting orders from courts of coordinate jurisdiction and utilizing ex-parte purposes to safe tactical benefits in election disputes forward of the 2027 basic election.
According to the CJN, such practices might undermine the administration of justice and switch the courts into devices of political contest, urging authorized practitioners to uphold skilled ethics and respect judicial processes.
She mentioned the judiciary should be ready adequately to deal with election disputes pretty, competently and throughout the strict timelines prescribed by the structure and the Electoral Act.
Fagbemi on his half referred to as on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to develop moral tips or a code of conduct for attorneys that will likely be concerned in election-related litigations to make sure seamless decision of disputes.
The minister acknowledged that the code of conduct and tips ought to promote professionalism, restraint and respect for judicial processes, whereas discouraging conduct able to undermining public confidence in electoral justice.
Meanwhile, the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongbam-Mensem, disclosed {that a} complete of 375 judges have been penned right down to deal with petitions which will probably come up from the conduct of the 2027 basic election.
Dongban-Memsen famous that 138 of the judges had been returning members with earlier tribunal expertise, whereas the remaining 237 had been newly nominated judges.
The Appeal Court president noticed that the event highlighted the collective dedication to constitutional democracy, the rule of regulation and the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral course of.
According to her, the inauguration of the tribunal members is a vital institutional preparation for probably the most consequential obligations entrusted to the judiciary.
“The credibility of democracy relies upon not solely on the conduct of elections but in addition on the existence of neutral, efficient and well timed mechanisms for resolving electoral disputes.
“Through the truthful willpower of such disputes, the judiciary safeguards the individuals’s mandate, upholds constitutional supremacy and sustains public confidence in democratic governance.
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), notably Section 285(1) and (2), vests within the President of the Court of Appeal the accountability of constituting Election Petition Tribunals for the adjudication of disputes arising from National and State Houses of Assembly and governorship elections.
“Similarly, Section 134(3)(a) and (b) of the Electoral Act, 2026, prescribes the timelines for constituting the tribunals and opening their registries.
“These provisions impose a transparent obligation on the courtroom to make sure enough institutional and administrative preparedness.
“Your Lordships should recognize the magnitude of the accountability entrusted to you. Your nomination adopted consultations with heads of courts and the Nigerian Bar Association, knowledgeable by concerns {of professional} competence, integrity, judicial temperament and expertise.
“This confidence must be regarded as a solemn obligation. Your appointment is a call to service, not privilege; a commitment to uphold the law, not an opportunity for personal or political accommodation,” she mentioned.
She due to this fact referred to as on the judges to stay steadfast in judicial independence, impartiality and constancy to the structure.
According to her, the judges should resist each try at improper affect, whether or not by way of political strain, inducement, intimidation, private relationships or different concerns extraneous to the administration of justice.
“Your judicial oath must remain your guiding compass, and your decisions must be determined exclusively by the evidence, applicable law and judicial conscience. No individual, however highly placed, should be permitted to compromise the independence of your courts,” she added.
