In this report, Vanguard’s Law & Human Rights reviews the opinions of legal experts on the tough hurdles placed on the way of aggrieved candidates who may wish to exercise their constitutional rights to challenge presidential election results in law courts, examines previous attempts by losers in past presidential polls to upturn results announced by INEC and surveys legal pundits on the way forward, particularly before 2027 presidential poll is conducted.

The importance of civil society organisations, CSOs, in any society cannot be overstressed, given the role they play to hold government accountable to the people.

The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, yesterday, dismissed all the three petitions instituted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) together with their presidential candidates, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi and the Delta-born Princess Chichi Ojei respectively, against the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of Senator Bola Tinubu as the winner of the February 25, 2023, presidential election in the country.

Between March 1, 2023 when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential poll and now, the judiciary appears to have been under intense pressure.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, who is also the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has just resumed office.

The reference, Legal Professionals in the topic is generous and indiscriminate as to whether the professional is at the Bar or Bench. In effect, it seeks to capture the entire gamut of the impact of the functions of the lawyer in society and in the instant case, Nigeria.

It is beyond disputation that shelter/housing is amongst man’s basic existential needs. Some Statutes like the ‘United Nations Declaration of Human Rights,1948’ and the ‘African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights 2004’ have recognised and elevated shelter beyond a need, to a basic human right that must be guaranteed by the Sovereign.

On Monday, June 12, 2023, the Nigeria Data Protection Bill was signed into law by the President Bola Tinubu. T

Last week Wednesday, Mr. Ude, a Nigerian-American journalist and Director of Strategy and Communication to former President Goodluck Jonathan raised the alarm that President Ahmed Tinubuwas having exparte communication with the CJN, Justice Ariwoola to influence the decision of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in the on-going petitions challenging his electoral victory in the last presidential poll.

In this report, Vanguard’s Law and Human Rights examines few of the various challenges facing serving judges in the country in discharging their constitutional duties, harvests positions of rights activists and lawyers on the situation judicial officers found themselves and argues that time is now for the government at the national and state levels to urgently address their plight.

Aare AfeBabalola, SAN, for exclusion of serving judges from election petition tribunals, surveys top lawyers and judges in the country on the sensitive issue and argues that logic is still in favour of retaining the status quo.

FOR Nigeria to regain its pride of place in the comity of nations, the current administration must adopt effective laws, policies and regulations capable of driving sustainable growth and economic development.

On June 14, 2023, the CJN, Olukayode Ariwoola, requested the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Y. Maikyau, SAN, and the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, to nominate suitably qualified candidates for consideration for appointment into the Supreme Court.

Mr. Magaji Ibrahim, SAN, an astute legal practitioner, in this interview, speaks on rule of law, restructuring, true federalism, sack of service chiefs amongst other sundry issues. 

IN this report, Vanguard’s Law & Human Rights examines the constitutional provisions regarding the election of leaders of legislative houses in the country and the pattern of emergence of the past and current leadership of the national and state houses of assemblies, surveys stakeholders on the implication of the role played by the executive at both national and subnational levels in the election oflegislative houses’ leaders.