Women
WOMEN from the 17 Local Government Areas of Plateau have called on the National Judicial Council (NJC), to review recent Court of Appeal judgments that sacked some members of the National Assembly from Plateau.
They made the call during a peaceful protest on Wednesday in Jos.
Mrs Martina Dakur, one of the women, told newsmen that the protest was to express their displeasure with the appeal court’s judgments.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had sacked two senators and four members of the House of Representatives from the state.
The appellate court cited lack of structure in the PDP, the platform on which the lawmakers ran for the offices.
Dakur, who faulted the judgments, argued that the call for the review became necessary because the grounds used by the appellate court to sack the lawmakers were “purely pre-election matters”.
She further explained that the judgments had also robbed Plateau people of quality representation at the national level.
”We have come out as Plateau Women to express our displeasure with the recent appeal court judgments.
”As mothers of the state, we gave our mandate to the elected lawmakers but it has been taken away using technicalities.
”This is totally unacceptable to us and this is why women from the 17 LGAs of Plateau are calling on the judiciary to do the right thing.
”We want nothing from NJC but justice because other states had similar situation and their cases were treated as pre-election matters, why is ours different, ”? She asked.
Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, former Minister of Water Resources and Rural Development, called on the NJC to ensure the recent judgments were reversed.
”These are clearly pre-elction matters and we want the recent judgments by the court of appeal reversed
”In 2015 the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost elections to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Plateau accepted the outcome of the election in good faith, why is 2023 elections different?,”she asked.
She also called on the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, to also wade into the matter being a daughter of the state.
Also speaking, Hajiya Sa’adatu Awata, Leader of Plateau Muslim Women, called on critical stakeholders in the nation’s judiciary to “rise against the injustice meted against Plateau people”.
”We massively voted for candidates of the PDP and the party won. In some contests, the margins were very wide.
”We are not happy with these judgments; the PDP lawmakers are not illegal because we voted the party and the people we voted into office are working,” she stated.
Awata further advised the judiciary to be “fair and just in the handling of Plateau election matters”.
NAN recalls that youths from Plateau’s 17 Local Governments staged a peaceful protest in Jos on Wednesday where they called on the NJC to review the judgments on Plateau elections.
Lawmakers sacked by the appeal court include Sen. Simon Mwadkwon (Plateau North), and Sen. Napoleon Bali (Plateau South).
Also sacked were four members of the House of Representatives – Dachung Bagos(Jos South/Jos East), Beni Lar (Langtang North/Langtang South), Musa Agah (Bassa/Jos North) and Ibrahim Gyendeng (Riyom/Barkin Ladi).(NAN)
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November 16, 2023 @ 7:31 GMT|
Tags: Martina Dakur
