The sudden death of Prince
Abubakar Audu, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) in Kogi State , on Sunday, 22nd November, 2015
has undoubtedly ignited a constitutional crisis. The tragic news which was
first published by SaharaReporters has instigated controversy on what will be
the possible legal implications or consequences of his death.
*Audu
Among the issues
arising from the death of Prince Audu are the following:
1. Whether
the running mate to Prince Audu and the APC deputy governorship candidate can
assume the position and status of the deceased as the candidate of the APC;
2. If the
question in 1 above is answered in the negative, can the APC substitute the
deceased as its governorship candidate; and
3. Whether
it is legally permissible in the circumstance for the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the inconclusive election of Saturday
November 21st 2015 and conduct a fresh throughout Kogi State .
This is
unarguably a novel case. This is the first time in the course of a democratic
transition that a validly nominated candidate of a political party in Nigeria will
die after an inconclusive election but before and without paricipating in the supplementary
election. It is unprecedented. The result is that there is no precedent that
can be referred to which could aid in the resolution of the present case.
*Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chair
The three
issues formulated above are not mutually exclusive. I will now proceed to
address them seriatim.
On issue
one, there is no argument about the fact that a person nominated as running
mate with a Governor or Governor- Elect, who was DULY ELECTED has the
constitutional right of succession in the event of death, permanent incapacity,
resignation or removal of the Governor or Governor-Elect. This proposition is
well entrenched in both judicial and statutory authorities.
However,
there are only two categories of persons/running mates that are entitled to
this right of succession.
The first
category is a Deputy Governor elected on a joint ticket with the Governor.
Section 191 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as
amended), hereinafter referred to as the Constitution, provides as follows
"The
Deputy Governor of a State shall hold the office of Governor of the State if
the office of Governor becomes vacant by reason of death, resignation,
impeachment, permanent incapacity or removal of the Governor from office for
any other reason in accordance with section 188 or 189 of the
Constitution."
There are
an avalanche of examples of Deputy Governors in Nigeria who had automatically
assumed the office of Governor following the death or impeachment of their
governors'.
The second
category arises where a person DULY ELECTED as the Governor dies before
subscribing the oath of allegiance and oath of office. That is, where a
Governor-Elect dies before his swearing in. In such situation. The person
elected with him as Deputy Governor (his running mate/deputy governor-elect)
shall be sworn in as the governor. The authority for this is Section 181 (1) of
the 1999 Constitution which prescribes thus:
"If a
person DULY ELECTED as Governor dies before taking and subscribing the Oath of
Allegiance and oath of office, or is unable for any reason whatsoever to be
sworn in, the person elected with him as Deputy Governor shall be sworn in as
Governor and he shall nominate a new Deputy Governor who shall be appointed by
the Governor with the approval of a simple majority of the House of Assembly of
the State." (capitalized for emphasis).
The
relevant question is whether any of the two categories above is applicable to
the present case in Kogi
State . The answer is
clearly in the negative. The reasons are obvious.
Section
179 of the 1999 Constitution stipulates two mandatory conditions that a
candidate must satisfy before he/she is deemed duly elected. Firstly, the
candidate must score the highest votes cast at the election. Secondly, the
candidate must obtain not less than one quarter of the votes cast at the
election in each of at least two-thirds of all the local government areas in
the State.
Based on
the results declared by the Returning Officer, Emmanuel Kucha (Vice-Chancellor
of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi), Abubakar Audu of the APC scored
240,867 while Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 199,514
votes.
According
to Mr. Kucha, the margin of votes between Messrs Audu and Wada is 41,353. And
that the election was inconclusive because the total number of registered
voters in 91 polling units, in 18 local government areas, where election was
cancelled is 49,953.
That
figure is higher than the 41,353 votes with which Mr. Audu is ahead of Mr.
Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The returning officer in
compliance with Sections 26 and 53 of the Electoral Act refused to make a
return until supplementary election is held in the areas where election were
cancelled. INEC is not allowed by law to make a return if the number of
registered voters in the areas that elections have either been postponed or
cancelled can affect the outcome of the election. 41, 353 cannot be greater
than 49, 953. Whether it is possible for Mr. Wada to garner is a political
question.
The law
does not operate based on political calculations and conjectures. Only a
supplementary election can legally determine the ultimate winner of the Kogi State
governorship election. It would have been wrong for INEC to declare a winner as
canvassed by some commentators without allowing the 49, 953 registered voters
in the 91 polling units to exercise their constitutional right of franchise.
That would have afforded the aggrieved candidates the right to have the
election nullified by the Election Tribunal.
From the
foregoing, the deceased APC candidate Abubakar Audu was not duly elected as the
Governor of Kogi State in the governorship election held on Saturday 21st
November, 2015. Therefore his running mate cannot be sworn in as the Governor.
This argument has become an academic exercise since INEC has already declared
the election inconclusive and indicated its intention to conduct supplementary
governorship election in the 91 polling units where elections were cancelled.
Under the
current constitutional regime, a Governor, Deputy Governor, Governor-Elect or
Deputy Governor-Elect cannot emerge through an inconclusive election. The
summary on issue one is that Section 181 (1) and 191 of the Constitution are
not applicable to Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, the running mate to the late
Prince Abubakar Audu. He cannot be sworn in as the Governor of Kogi State since
Prince Audu had not been elected Governor before his death owing to the fact
that the election is inconclusive for the reasons stated earlier.
On the
second issue, the law on the substitution of candidates has evolved over the
years. A brief history is an apposite.
Under the
repealed 2002 Electoral Act, the right of political parties to substitute
candidates was not restricted. This led to series of litigation candidature of
political parties. By Section 34 (2) of the repealed 2006 Electoral Act,
substitution of candidates by political parties was allowable only if a
political party gives "congent and "verifiable reason" for
seeking to substitute a candidate whose name had been submitted to INEC. The
cases of Amaechi v. INEC (2008) 5 NWLR (Pt. 1080) 227 and Ugwu v. Ararume
(2007) 12 NWLR (Pt. l048) 365 were principally decided by the Supreme Court
based on the failure of the political party -the PDP, to give cogent and
verifiable reason for seeking to substitute its candidates in the 2007
governorship elections in Rivers and Imo States, respectively.
However,
the current position of the law on substitution or change of candidate is
encapsulated in Section 33 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). It provides
as follows:
"A
political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidate
whose name has been submitted pursuant to section 32 of this Act except in the
case of DEATH or withdrawal by the candidate." (capitalized for emphasis).
Also of
relevance to the issue of substitution of candidate by reason of death is
Section 36 (1) of the Electoral Act. It states thus:
"If
after the time for the delivery of nomination paper and before the commencement
of the poll, a nominated candidate dies, the Chief National Electoral
Commissioner or the Resident Electoral Commissioner shall, being satisfied of
the fact of the death, countermand the poll in which the deceased candidate was
to participate and the Commission shall appoint some other convenient date for
the election within 14 days."
The
combined effect of Sections 33 and 36 (1) reproduced supra offers a remedy to
the constitutional crisis arising from the death of Mr. Abubakar Audu. It is
humbly submitted that the APC has the right in law to substitute its deceased
governorship candidate in Kogi
State . I will elucidate.
While
Section 33 allows a political party to substitute a dead candidate, Section 36
(1) provides for the period and consequential reliefs that should follow the
substitution. Agreed that the death envisaged by Section 36 (1) must occur
after the time for the delivery of nomination paper and before the commencement
of the poll. Section 31 of the Electoral Act mandates political parties to
submit names of candidates not later than 60 days before election. The APC had
complied with this provision. The late Mr. Abubakar Audu died after his name
had been submitted.
The next
question is: did Audu die before the commencement of poll? On the surface, one
may answer in the negative. However, looking at the later part of Section 36
(1) of the Electoral Act quoted supra, it is express that the poll envisaged is
"the poll in which the deceased candidate was to participate." That
is the exact wordings of the Act.
Audu was
supposed to participate in the supplementary poll since the first poll did not
result in the return of any candidate. Any interpretation of the expression
"the poll in which the deceased candidate was to participate" that
excludes 'supplementary poll' will lead to absurdity and injustice.
The
latinian maxim 'Ubi Jus Ibi Remedium' (where there is a right there is a
remedy) espoused by the Supreme Court in the celebrated case of Aliu Bello v.
Attorney General of Oyo State (1986) 5 NWRL (Pt. 45) 828 supports this
position. Death is a natural occurrence. The death of a candidate is beyond the
control of a political party. The law recognises the right of a political party
to sponsor a candidate for election and equally provides for remedies where a
candidate dies either before or after the conclusion of polls.
Where a
candidate dies before the commencement of polls, Section 36 (1) of the
Electoral Act allows the political party that sponsored the deceased candidate
to substitute him/her. But where the death occurs after the conclusion of polls
but before the deceased candidate subscribes the oath of allegiance and oath of
office, Section 181 (1) of the Constitution mandates the running the running
mate of the deceased candidate to be sworn in as the governor.
I will now
address the last issue, that is, whether INEC in the circumstance can
countermand (cancel) the Kogi
State governorship
election held on Saturday November 21st 2015.
The power
of INEC with respect to the cancellation of election is very limited. The law
allows INEC to postpone or cancel election in only two situations, namely:
1.
postponement due to violence, insecurity, natural disasters or other
emergencies; and
2.
cancellation due to over voting.
In respect
of the former situation, Section 26 of the Electoral Act gives INEC the power
to postpone election if "there is reason to believe that a serious breach
of the peace is likely to occur" or where "it is impossible to
conduct the elections as a result of natural disasters or other emergencies'.
For the latter situation, Section 53 of the Electoral Act mandates INEC to
cancel and void elections in any polling unit where there is over voting.
Except for
the two situations stated above, INEC has no power to interfere with elections.
Only a court of competent jurisdiction or an Election Tribunal can interfere
with an election which is liable to be viatiated by other circumstances. It is
instructive to note that elections in the 91 polling units in Kogi State
where supplementary elections are to take place were postponed or cancelled
either due to insecurity or over voting.
There is
no provision in all of the 320 sections of the Constitution or the 158 sections
of the Electoral Act that empowers INEC to nullify, cancel or void either a
concluded election or an inconclusive election. The death of a candidate of a
political party does not confer any power on INEC to set aside either a
concluded or an inconclusive election. The law has already catered for such
eventuality by allowing for the substitution of the deceased candidate in the
case of an inconclusive election.
Like the
Rock of Gibraltar, the inconclusive election held on Saturday, 21st November, 2015 in Kogi State
cannot be altered or interfered with by INEC. The Supreme Court had settled in
the Amaechi's case supra that votes casted at an election stand to the credit
of political parties and not the candidates. The law places the party above its
candidates. Although a party cannot participate in an election without
sponsoring a qualified and living candidate, the votes casted in favour of a
party cannot be invalidated merely because the candidate of the party has died
as there is provision for substitution of the deceased candidate as earlier
discussed.
Although
Mr. Abubakar Audu has died, the party that sponsored him - the APC, is still
alive. The votes belong to the APC and not the deceased. That is the position
of the law in Nigeria
today.
In the
case of INEC vs Boni Haruna, it would be recalled after winning the 1999
governorship election in Adamawa
State , former Vice
President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was nominated by former President Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo as running mate. INEC refused to swear in Mr. Boni Haruna who
was the running mate of Mr. Atiku Abubakar and rather opted for a fresh
election. This led to fierce litigation.
At the
Supreme Court, it became necessary for the apex court to interpret Section 45
of the then Decree 3 of 1999 (now the 1999 constitution) which provides, as it
were, for the conditions under which a Deputy Governor may be sworn in as
Governor. According to the said Section, a Deputy Governor shall only be sworn
in on the occurrence of such eventualities as death, resignation,
impeachment, permanent incapacity or removal for any other reason.
Degree 3
never contemplated such abandonment as happened in Atiku's instance. However,
the Supreme Court, in a split decision, felt a need to advance a remedy to the
constitutional crisis in the interest of justice.
The
Learned Justices of the Supreme Court, per UWAIS CJN (as he then was) found
succor in the dictionary definition of the word 'death' which according to his
Lordship, finds synonyms in, breath one's last, deceased, depart, expire,
finish, decay, decline, disappear, dwindle, ebb, end, fade, lapse, vanish,
wane, wilt, wither, fizzle out and finally decided that even though Atiku was
biologically alive, his renunciation of his mandate as Governor-Elect to run
with Chief Obasanjo as Vice President, in effect, had the same consequence as
if he had died within the contextual meaning of the dictionary definition of
death given above.
The
Supreme Court allowed Mr. Boni Haruna to succeed Atiku Abubakar notwithstanding
the absence of express provisions in Decree 3 enabling that verdict.
Although
the Kogi State governorship election is
inconclusive and Section 36 (1) of the Electoral Act allows for substitution if
the death occurs before commencement of poll, it is humbly submitted that the
word "poll" in this context includes supplementary poll. The rights
that accrues to a political party that participated in an inconclusive election
cannot be extinguished merely because of the death of its candidate as where
there is a right there must be a remedy.
A contrary
interpretation will mean that INEC will have to cancel the entire election in Kogi State
and conduct fresh election. Such interpretation will do violence to the letters
and spirit of Sections 33 and 36 (1) of the Electoral Act and occasion a
miscarriage of justice. That cannot be the intendment of the law. In any event,
INEC does not have the power to do so for the reasons stated earlier.
In
conclusion, the APC should immediately substitute its deceased governorship
candidate with another person and communicate same to INEC in writing. INEC is
advised to proceed with the supplementary elections in the outstanding 91
polling units. The supplementary elections must be held within 14 days from
Sunday, 22nd November, 2015
in line with Section 36 (1) of the Electoral Act after
which the candidate that scores the highest overall votes should be returned
elected.
Inibehe
Effiong, a Legal Practitioner, could be reached with inibehe.effiong@gmail.com
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