If the judiciary doesn’t declare election losers as winners, politicians won’t go to court – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has remarked that some politicians turn to the courts because they believe they might be declared winners of elections they ostensibly lost.

During the inauguration of the new state high court complex in Asaba on Tuesday, June 4, Jonathan stated that if politicians were confident the judiciary would remain uncompromised, they wouldn’t seek judicial intervention.

”My thinking is that 50 percent of those who go to court go to court because they felt they were cheated by the electoral management system; they were rigged out.

“When you feel naturally aggrieved, you have to go to court. So assuming the elections are properly conducted, they know they failed the election, but they feel they can use the judiciary to declare them winners.

“If the judiciary doesn’t declare who doesn’t win the election that they are winners, that many 50 percent will not go to court. In South Africa, the electoral management body will never compromise, they all know. If you lose the election, you just wait for the next election. You don’t need to go to court.

“Because if you go to court, the judiciary too will not compromise. So you will not get anything.”