Falana said allowing the presidential tribunal proceedings to be televised live will enhance the credibility of not only the judges but also the judiciary as a whole.
Human Rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has supported the call for proceedings at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) to be televised live.
Falana joined the Nigerian Bar Association President (NBA), Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, SAN, in appealing to the judiciary to allow the proceedings to be broadcast live to Nigerians in the interest of transparency and credibility.
The NBA President while making the call on Friday, March 24, 2023, emphasized that televising the proceedings live is in the interest of the Nigerian people as Section 36 (1) and (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has already provided that judicial proceedings should be conducted in public.
“Providing public access to the proceedings would meet the aspirations of the public to participate in the process,” Maikyau was quoted as saying.
While adding his voice to the call, Falana during a Channels Television program, ‘Sunday Politics,’ of Sunday, March 26, 2023, said Nigerian judges should have nothing to hide.
He noted that the new trend in Africa now is for election tribunal proceedings to be televised live so that citizens who were part of the voting process can also be part of the decision of the court on the election.
Falana’s words: “I have always campaigned for that and that is the trend now in Africa. In Ghana, the proceedings are televised. In Kenya, the proceedings are televised because judges should have nothing to hide.
“Invite the media, invite members of the public, once there is order in the court, everybody should be part of it because we’re all part of the election. And so, the decision of the court on the election should not be shrouded in secrecy.
“For that reason, I support the call by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) that the proceedings should be televised. It’s in the interest of our judges. It’s in the interest of the public. And again, it enhances the credibility of the judiciary and I’m very sure that the suggestion will be seriously considered.”
