Magnus Eze, Enugu
Enugu State Governor, Ugwuanyi Ifeanyi, has said there is no alternative to mediation and other Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms in settling election disputes at the nation’s current democratic stage.
He said his government and the people of the state have fully embraced mediation as a system of resolving disputes because, unlike litigation in court, which is adversarial and winner-takes-all in nature, mediation is informal, cheap, win-win and preserves the relationship of the parties.
The governor spoke in Enugu, at the 2019 annual lecture and reception of newly-inducted members of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC), Enugu branch, on the theme: “The place of mediation (ADR) in resolution of electoral disputes: 2019 general elections in perspectives.”
Represented by the Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice, Miletus Eze, Ugwuanyi lamented that the current scenario where pre and post-election cases choked the courts’ docket each election cycle in the country, is not sustainable.
“It is our belief that there is, indeed, no alternative to the introduction of mediation and other forms of ADR in the resolution of electoral disputes at this stage of our democratic march,” he said.
Enugu State Chief Judge, Priscilla Emehelu, represented by Justice Romanus Odogu, said the adoption of ADR in electoral disputes will relieve judges involved in election petition matters of such burden.