Professor Tunde Yebisi advocates for retired judges and senior lawyers in election petition tribunals to enhance Nigeria’s democracy
Yebisi recommends revising judges’ remuneration to match key governmental figures’ salaries and stresses the need for a new constitution
University lecturer Professor Tunde Yebisi has proposed a significant change in Nigeria’s electoral process, suggesting the involvement of retired judges and senior lawyers instead of currently serving judges for election petition tribunals.
Addressing attendees at the 13th Annual Aare Afe Babalola Public Bar Lecture in Ado-Ekiti, Prof. Yebisi emphasized the crucial role of this change in advancing Nigeria’s democracy.
In addition to this proposal, Prof. Yebisi recommended a revision in the remuneration of judges across all levels, advocating for a progressive increase to align with the salaries of key governmental figures such as the president and governors.
Prof. Yebisi stressed the necessity of a new constitution, one truly reflective of the people’s aspirations and subject to a referendum, as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s democratic system.
Furthermore, Prof. Yebisi proposed the formation of electoral panels comprising retired judges or esteemed lawyers, particularly Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), rather than relying on serving judges. He argued that such a change would mitigate coercion, intimidation, bribery, and corruption in electoral processes while ensuring the limited number of serving judges can focus on other critical judicial responsibilities.
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