 Welcome back. It's time for us to take a look at our very first hot topic and that's on the dispute over presidential election which has raised calls for amendment of electoral act. Stakeholders seek constitutional and electoral act amendment. A 2019 governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party, Bishop Fuensho Aue of the Orthodox Anglican Church has called for the review of the electoral act to address the lingering dispute over when to inaugurate the winner of a disputed election. There are calls to factor the possibility of a disputed result for a rerun into the timetable for the election. We're joining us to take a look at this and more. Justice Uwebu, human rights lawyer, has joined us from Abuja. Good morning to you Mr. Uwebu. Good morning. It's my pleasure. All right first of all let me ask you how satisfied are you with electoral act 2022 as amended and the level of compliance so far? Well for me it is one of the good things that has somehow happened to us in the Uwe. Just like as Rocio said that the law is harmonized with the society. People say that the society rules, the law goes along with the society. It is an amendment and it has captured few things Nigerians have been telling us about. But as much as not fully as Nigerians wanted it. But another problem is the issue of compliance. Whether it has been complied with citizens is another problem. But for me it is the first time the amendment has been made and we are pushing to do this. Do I take it that you are not fully convinced that from what you can see towards the build up of this election in the course of the aftermath of this election, the 2023 elections, you are not satisfied or convinced that the compliance is what is should be? No the compliance is not what it should be. I think every Nigerian knows that and we all know that the compliance wasn't what Nigerians expected. But in any way or in any case I think we are moving forward one way or the other. The only problem I have is that I saw that by now since 1999 INEC has been trying to augment or build up to what has been existing before. Unfortunately, I felt we should have been dramatically progressing. Unfortunately we are not getting that. Okay so how do you view this cause for the amendment of this electoral act? Well I also support that the electorate should be amended for that. That should be after the election. The election has come and gone. But we have to also look at it holistically again considering the flaws, areas of compliance and areas that people or the INEC finding difficult to comply or you know some because you see when a law is met you practice that law and you begin to see that there might be one or two hitches. So when you look at it you now begin to understand the fact that that particular law or makes more amendment or expansion. Alright what are some of the concerns? Let's maybe talk about two or three or some of the concerns you have about this 2023 electoral act as amended. There have been the issue of the 25% both cast that should be gotten by anyone who is declared winner. That has generated lots of debate ever since the elections were concluded or conducted. What are some of these concerns that you have about this particular electoral act? Well you know the issue of the 25% is for me I do not see anything wrong. Because if you look at the spread of Nigeria as it is one of the assistance in the federation including Abuja. Who the law says and Abuja even when you're talking about the state, the state assistance of the country and Abuja. So I do not see any much of it. But you see people have been complaining and Abuja and Abuja is compositing something like that. But I think we don't want to begin to flood that issue because the courts will make an interpretation to that at the appropriate time. I wouldn't want to claim the court at this point. Again you talk about the issue of beavers. You see Nigerians have been so concerned about this issue of beavers, no beavers and all the rest. And for me you see that what is called transition in law. When people are going to a party, come together, not to move forward, somehow it becomes the law. But many people do not understand and see it that way that even the electronic transition of results we are talking about. There are some technicalities also that are seen in that issue. Because if you look at it holistically, the electorate has not even provided that beavers must be used. So these are some of the areas because what the INEC did or what the INEC is supposed to do or by their power is to improve or import issues or policies or rules or laws or others that should, you know, split in the electoral process so that we can have a free and fair election. The issue of beavers, what the issue of beavers came to do is to augment what has been provided for. But I think that it should be made composite so that it will be part of the law. Okay. Well there have also been questions about section 84, subsection 12. So you know what that says, you know, no political appointees at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at any convention or Congress of any political party for the purpose of nomination of candidates for any election. That also has been a question. It's been up in the air. You see the truth is that the problem we are having is political because unfortunately the political parties are the ones, you know, we are letting and plotting this down. And unfortunately our security agents are not living above us. Because if you remember in most of my interviews I've always said that the problem, the major problem we have in this country is for the fact that the institutions are not working. If those institutions are working, the political party becomes immaterial. Once an electoral offence has been committed or people did not comply with the electoral offence, what to do is the security agents will come and get them arrested and prosecute them. Because if you prosecute one, two, three or four persons, irrespective of whom they are, because we are in a country where we feel that some people are untouchable. And that is why we're getting all these things. Okay, look at what happened in Adamawa, for example. Do we need the IGP to issue a statement or to give another for that man to be arrested, for that threat to be arrested or whatever? Because these institutions are not working. The executives, they know what they are doing. That is just my problem. It is an act of impunity. If not for an act of impunity, all these things are supposed to have been etched in the past. All right, just before you go, Justice, do you support, yes or no, do you support the call that the president-elect should not be sworn in until the cases at the tribunal, you know, that judgment has been given at the tribunals? No, no, no. The truth is that I wouldn't personally support that because 29th of May is half the same. Other than that, we don't need to truncate this our democracy. So, if that is sworn in or not sworn in is immaterial, remember that even prior to this time, governors, presidents, or any elected officer is sworn in, and after some time, if the judgment goes against them, they will move once the court makes another or gives a valid judgment by a court of complaint judicial. No, the question is, do you know that I have been calling that he should not be sworn in until after the judgment? So, the question is, if judgment is not given by 29th of May, what happens? Yes, we know all the provisional people are visiting the speaker to take over. The court is this. It is not good to lay a bad president because to carry out a bad president is not always good. For me, I don't see anything there. So, all I know, personally, everybody that has been sworn in that has been declared winner by INEG, whether a governor, a president as of Rev Senators, by 29th of May should be so concerned, and that is what you have been practicing. Then, let the court, if the court cannot finish or cannot bring the application in court, let the court continue. After all, it happened in Anambra. It happened in so many states. So, why are we crying foul now? Do you think those who are calling for this amendment may have some motives, ulterior motives, especially those who are saying that the president-elect should not be sworn in on May 29th pending when the cases are trashed at the tribunal? Do you think, or do you see them as people who have ulterior motives, whose intentions are not good for the country? Well, the truth is that whether they have ulterior motives or not for me is immaterial. You see, let me tell you, for me, nobody is above the law. And you have a law in place already who have a modus operandi already. So, you cannot, because of one person or the other, and seem to go push up just based for one reason or the other or for self-goalification. You see, let me tell us one thing. We should be careful, and I keep on telling people that you should be careful the laws you make when you are angry. Because one day you will be happy. And also the laws you make when you are happy. Because one day you will also be angry. So, vis-à-vis what is happening, we should also be careful. The matter has gone to court. Let us allow the courts to deal with it. Whether it is before 29th May or whether it is after 29th May, the most important thing is that at the end of the day, the courts will make you pronounce me. As simple as that. Yes, indeed let the courts do the, give us the judgment. But how do you respond to this saying that the concern basically is because we've never had any presidential election obtained by the courts in this country. Could that be a major reason why those who are clamoring for the president-elect not to be sworn in on May 29th be the reason? Could that be the reason? All right, we just lost contact with our guest, Justice Uwe Muhiman Wright's lawyer who has joined us to take a look at the call for the amendment of the electoral act. Well, that does it for our very first hot topic on the program this morning. We'll take a break to come back and take a look at the impact of Nollywood on our culture. Stay with us.