Ethnic Youth Leaders Reject Supreme Court Judgment, Say It’s Political not Legal, Insist Decampment of Lawmakers Must Decided
Ethnic Youth Leaders have rejected in its entirety, the ruling of the Supreme Court which dismissed the judgment of the Court of Appeal on withholding of the state’s allocation and ordering reinstatement of the Martins Amaewhule-led sacked lawmakers.
The representatives of youths across the six geopolitical zones of the country wondered why the apex court delivered such a judgement which tantamount to depriving the people of Rivers their economic and political rights to get what accrued to them from the federation account which they made significant contribution and decide who represent them in the legislature.
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In a statement by their zonal coordinators,led by Tochukwu oha the youth leaders declared that the judgement was politically motivated, hence it is purely political and not legal as the high court in the land should not have encouraged illegality.
According to them, the judgement was anti-people, against democracy and principles of federalism, calling for its review by relevant authorities to save the judiciary from descending into doldrums.
“We were all taken aback today when the unthinkable happened in our country, no thanks to Supreme Court. The apex in a very curious miscarriage of justice when it restored the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja which stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria from further releasing monthly financial allocations to the Rivers state government.
“This was against the sound judgement of the three-member panel of Appeal Court presided by Justice Hamman Barka which held that the federal high court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit seeking to seize Rivers State allocation.
“The appellate court had equally ordered that the mere listing of federal agencies does not confer unrestricted jurisdiction on the federal high court, and the subject matter, which is the appropriation issue of a state, should not have been entertained.
“While all Nigerians of thought and good conscience believe that this was the right thing and the Supreme Court will uphold the decision of the Appeal Court, it did otherwise and went for the Wike induced High Court decision and also went ahead to order the reinstatement of lawmakers who lost their seat after they jumped the ship that brought them into the State Assembly and the matter is still subject of litigation.
“This is unacceptable and as ethnic youth leaders we consider this an afront to the people of Rivers State because it is there welfare and security which is the primary aim of government which the judiciary of that has been trampled upon by the same judiciary which is taunted as the hope of a common man.
“We call on the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to cause a review of the judgement so that the people of Rivers can enjoy what is due them from the federation account.”