Odinkalu seeks review of judicial reversal of voters’ mandates

Human rights lawyer and activist Chidi Odinkalu has criticized the judiciary for using the "wasted votes" doctrine in electoral disputes, arguing that it undermines the mandates given to politicians by voters. Odinkalu made these remarks at the third edition of the Tunji Braithwaite Symposium in Lagos, where he warned that describing votes as wasted in a democracy undermines the power of the electorate.

He cited examples such as the 2019 Zamfara State governorship election, where the Supreme Court overturned the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) despite securing a large majority of votes, and the 2007 Rivers State governorship dispute, where the court awarded victory to a candidate who had not been presented to voters.

Odinkalu also criticized the Court of Appeal's handling of election petitions arising from the 2023 elections in Plateau State, alleging that it relied on the doctrine of wasted votes to overturn victories secured by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and award them to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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