Courts should not determine election outcomes, Nigerian senator Victor Umeh says

Nigerian senator Victor Umeh says courts should not decide who wins elections, arguing that the ballot itself must determine the result.

Umeh, who represents Anambra Central, was responding to Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate. Obi recently called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that Nigerians’ votes count in the 2027 election.

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The court should not determine the outcome of elections.

In an interview with Channels Television, Umeh said Obi’s warning was aimed at securing a free, fair and credible election. Votes, he said, must be counted and entered on the prescribed forms so they can determine the actual result.

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What we want is a credible, free, and fair election where all the votes will be counted and recorded in the prescribed forms, and those votes should be the determinants of the actual election.

Umeh referred to past experiences in which voters cast ballots for a candidate but an opposing result was later announced. He said it was not enough to promise a fair election. Election officials must carry out the process in a way that restores confidence and protects the integrity of the ballot box.

He rejected the idea that voters could be told to challenge questionable results in court after election day. Nigerians, he said, should be able to make their choices, cast their votes and see those votes reflected in the announced outcome. He also criticized what he called a culture of seeking victory at all costs, including when a candidate has not received the most votes.

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It’s a very bad culture in Nigeria that people will go into an election with the mindset that they will be declared winner at all costs, whether they receive the votes or not.