Mohammed Uwais
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Lawal Uwais was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria
from 1995 until 2006. Later he chaired a commission that published a controversial report on electoral reform.
Uwais is the son of the Chief Alkali, and later Waziri of Zaria emirate.
Some of the power vested in the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) and the State Independent Electoral Commissions would be transferred to the new commissions.
The committee recommended proportional representation in elections to the Federal and State legislatures and to the local government councils.
The report also recommended that the head of the Independent National Electoral Commission should be appointed by the judiciary rather than the President.
This recommendation was rejected by President Umaru Yar'Adua.
Yar'Adua forwarded a modified version of the Uwais report to the legislature in 2009, drawing considerable criticism since many felt that recent elections had been deeply flawed and that basic reforms were required.
In March 2010, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan
forwarded an unedited version of the report to the National Assembly for approval, by implication saying that the recommendations should be implemented in their entirety before the 2011 national elections.
The issue of power to appoint the INEC head remained controversial.
Before Jonathan had resubmitted the report, the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution had rejected the recommendation to transfer this power to the judiciary.
After the resubmission, deputy chief whip of the Senate, Mohammed Mana
, argued that letting judiciary appoint the INEC chairman violated the principle of separation of powers, since the judiciary was responsible for hearing the cases arising from elections.
Supreme Court of Nigeria
The Supreme Court of Nigeria is the highest court in Nigeria, and is located in the Central District, Abuja, in what is known as the Three Arms Zone, so called due to the proximity of the offices of the Presidential Complex, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court.-Overview:In 1963, the...
from 1995 until 2006. Later he chaired a commission that published a controversial report on electoral reform.
Uwais is the son of the Chief Alkali, and later Waziri of Zaria emirate.
Electoral reform report
After retiring from the Supreme Court, Uwais chaired a panel on electoral reform that submitted a report on 11 December 2008 with recommendations that included establishing commissions to deal with Electoral Offences, Constituency Delimitation and Political Parties Registration and Regulation.Some of the power vested in the Independent National Electoral Commission
Independent National Electoral Commission
The Independent National Electoral Commission , set up in 1998, is the electoral body which was set up to oversee elections in Nigeria.The INEC has encountered several controversies in the run-up to the April 2007 general elections, including criticism about its preparedness from Sada Abubakar,...
(INEC) and the State Independent Electoral Commissions would be transferred to the new commissions.
The committee recommended proportional representation in elections to the Federal and State legislatures and to the local government councils.
The report also recommended that the head of the Independent National Electoral Commission should be appointed by the judiciary rather than the President.
This recommendation was rejected by President Umaru Yar'Adua.
Yar'Adua forwarded a modified version of the Uwais report to the legislature in 2009, drawing considerable criticism since many felt that recent elections had been deeply flawed and that basic reforms were required.
In March 2010, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the...
forwarded an unedited version of the report to the National Assembly for approval, by implication saying that the recommendations should be implemented in their entirety before the 2011 national elections.
The issue of power to appoint the INEC head remained controversial.
Before Jonathan had resubmitted the report, the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution had rejected the recommendation to transfer this power to the judiciary.
After the resubmission, deputy chief whip of the Senate, Mohammed Mana
Mohammed Mana
Brigadier General Mohammed Mana was appointed Administrator of Plateau State between December 1993 and August 1996 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha....
, argued that letting judiciary appoint the INEC chairman violated the principle of separation of powers, since the judiciary was responsible for hearing the cases arising from elections.