Election: Agrieved candidates can reclaim mandates without courts —Mediators

As aggrieved candidates kick against the declared results by
Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, the Institute of Chartered
Mediators and Conciliators, ICMC, Nigeria has urged the candidates
to approach Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR to reclaim their
mandates.

According to the experts in the institute comprising lawyers and
judges, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP Presidential candidate,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and other aggrieved politicians should
embrace INEC’s Electoral Dispute Resolution mechanism to fast track
their cases.

Speaking at a special induction ceremony and ADR Seminar in
Lagos, the President of ICMC, Emeka Obegolu, said that Electoral
Dispute Resolution, which serves as Alternative Dispute Resolution,
ADR, will better handle their case rather than approach a judge
that does not have grip of the country’s political activities.

He said: “We are of the opinion that dispute from these
elections should be given the opportunity to be resolved through
mediation and other spectrum. Opportunities available within the
Electoral Dispute Resolution Directorate of INEC and other
mediations centres, utilize services of mediators in healing a
nation divided by tribal, ethnic/religious issues over a keenly
contested election.”

Registrar of ICMC, Segun Ogunyannwo, argued that the institute
was not discouraging the politicians to embrace the court for
justice, but noted that if the aggrieved parties embrace dialogue
through ADR, electoral cases would be resolved within weeks.

He said that every aggrieved candidate should unite behind the
project Nigeria because the election has ended and building the
country remains priority now.

Registrar of ICMC, Segun Ogunyannwo, argued that the institute
was not discouraging the politicians to embrace the court for
justice, but noted that if the aggrieved parties embrace dialogue
through ADR, electoral cases would be resolved within weeks.

“But cases involving who should and who should not, if the
political parties sit together, they can have a better agreement to
the issues rather than engaging a judge who isn’t a politician. So
they can find a way to assuage the pains of those that have
committed so much into the exercise with the aim to win.”

Ogunyannwo urged the political parties to appreciate the ADR
“system and embrace it. If possible, we should let the parties have
it as part of their constitutions. Once it is entrenched, they will
use it.”

Earlier, CEO of Dispute Social Academy, Olugbenga Gbarada,
stated that political parties should embrace the culture of
compromise “because everyone that contested for the election
believe that they will win. But in reality, not everyone will win.
In that regard, the ADR comes in allowing people to be given
concession.”