Nigerians are reportedly waiting with baited breath forThursday's Supreme Court decision on the validity of the election which led toPresident Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's victory. Both local andinternational observers describe last April's election as flawed and failing tomeet international standards.
Nigeria'sIndependent Electoral Commission (INEC) declared presidential candidate UmaruYar'Adua of the incumbent People's Democratic Party (PDP) winner of thecontroversial vote with a landslide win of more than 70 percent of the vote.But opposition parties dismissed the election as a sham and called for a rerun.
Former Vice President AtikuAbubakar and ex-head of state Mohammadu Buhari petitioned the Court,effectively challenging President Yar'Adua's victory. University of Abujapolitical science professor Kabiru Mato tells reporter Peter Clottey fromNigeria's capital that today's Supreme Court's decision could determine thejudiciary's independence.
"I think Nigerians today areexpecting a very important decision to be taken by judiciary, which is seen asthe last man in defense. The decision of the Supreme Court today would go along way in determining the direction, which future Nigeria elections are goingto be like. It is high time that somebody high up there is able to really standfirm and tell those people who hold state power to their selfish advantagethat, look, you cannot continue to have it the way you want it to be," Matopointed out.
He said both local andinternational observers of last April's general elections condemned it ashugely flawed.
"The election of course hasbeen very, very contested, and Nigerians are still saying it was below standardand also that is the record that is in the international community. So for usto regain our respect as citizens, it would be paramount the judiciary is ableto give a ruling that would convince millions of Nigerians that after all wehave an impartial umpire," he said.
Mato said there would bemixed reaction, whichever way the decision of the Supreme Court goes.
"The reaction would be ofdifferent varieties and different degrees. But what I'm saying in essence isthat I think it has gone far beyond that. If the court would finally affirm theelection, it must be able to advance very cogent and convincing reasons whyNigerians should accept such a ruling against of course popular will," Matonoted.
He said there seems to be adownside to the western judicial way of doing things.
"The tragedy of the westernlegal system is that it doesn't necessarily carry along the truth of thematter. But you have what is referred to as the burden of proof. So this burdenof proof really puts down a lot of disadvantaged individuals, groups andnations and the principles of perhaps our political doom. So it is notnecessarily the best there is out there," he said.
Mato said there is need toensure that the tenets of democracy are entrenched into the body politic inNigeria's internal political dynamics.
"One of the things I thinkwe as Nigerians and Africans and members of the global community should try todo is that we ensure that we build very cogent political structures. Cogentpolitical structures that would be able to outlive us as individuals. And thatis the only way we can live sufficient positive legacies for our children. Whenwe lay an enabling environment that would ensure a free political environment,I think would help us a lot," Mato pointed out.
He said although Nigeriacould be plunged into a possible instability if the court annuls thepresidential elections today, the country would still move on.
"Yes, weare going to be in a political turmoil because there would be a lot of opposingcandidates who would come out wanting to change the president even within hisown ruling PDP. Now, one of the greatest actions is actually the public opinioncourt," he said.
Ironically, Nigeriansmay have to wait longer for a judicial resolution, as the Supreme Court has nota given specific indication whether it would pronounce a judgment today ormerely assign a new date for a judgment.