Abia Governorship: Why Appeal Court Judgement is Faulty, By Civil Right Group

Abia Governorship: Why Appeal Court Judgement is Faulty, By
Civil Right Group

 

Civil society groups, under the auspices of Civic International, has expressed concern over an emerging trend whereby electorate in the country are continuously losing their voting rights through judicial pronouncements.

The group particularly frowned at the judgement delivered by the Appeal Court on the Abia State Governorship Election Petition for disenfranchising three local government areas made up of 230,092 voters.

Addressing journalists recently in Abuja, the Coordinator of the group, Abdulrazak Gidado Ajala, said as human rights activists group, it is concerned about the ruling of the Appeal Court because it failed to take into consideration the fact that most of voters whose votes were voided should not have been made to suffer the deprivation.

"As human rights activists, we have discovered that the right to vote of these local government areas has been trampled upon by the judgement of the Appeal Court. They have been maliciously denied the right to participate in the process," he said.

The group faulted the conclusions reached by the Appeal Court, saying it was not possible for the votes of the three local government areas, Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa North, to be voided.

Ajala said instead of defending the rights of the Ngwa people to vote as expected of the court as the last hope of the masses, it erred by denying three local government areas namely Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa the right to participate in determining who governs the state.

The civil society group argued that the election should have been declared inconclusive as in the case of Kogi and Bayelsa States since the affected area was more than those of the two states which were declared inconclusive.

“If elections are declared inconclusive in some states because of one local government area with even fewer numbers of voters as witnessed recently in Kogi and Bayelsa States then why should the case of Abia be different?” Ajala asked.

He said the 230,092 voters who collected their PVCs in the three local government areas are capable of swinging the victory to any candidate in the election, calling on the attention of all stakeholders to correct the anomaly.

The coordinator of the group noted that the case of over-voting could not have occurred in the 458 polling units in the three local government areas. “Was it possible that the Appeal Court discovered over-voting in all the 458 polling units and cancelled them where the appellant, Alex Otti, did not present any other result at the Appeal Court except the one declared and submitted by Independent National Election Commission (INEC)? The group wondered.

Sexual Violence: British High Commission Laments Increased Cases in Nigeria

Sexual Violence: British High Commission Laments Increased  Cases in Nigeria


Today, the British High Commission has declared that lack of statistical
details and poor implementation of the relevant laws, are the
reasons the incidences of violence against women are high in the
country.

The commission also charged the federal government to embark on
awareness campaign on the existence of the law, adding that adequate
statistics should be provided for government to prepare legal and
final frameworks on how to eradicate the menace.

The Communication Manager and Political Adviser, British Deputy High
Commission, Mr Wale Adebajo, said  this at a
stakeholders’ workshop on the ‘Violence against  Persons
Prohibition Act, 2015 organised by  New Initiative for Social
Development.

Adebajo said it was quite disheartening that most Nigerians,
whose interest the law passed by the National Assembly in 2015 after
13 years of its proposition, were oblivious of its existence, which he
said had been scuttling intentions to tackle the menace.

“In Nigeria, with special focus in South west, there is no
statistical data on sexual violence the government can work with for
proper planning, as institutions are very weak in rising up to tackle
the issue of sexual violence. Also, the citizens have no access to the law.

“The political will and low capacity of actors were also limiting
the progress on actions against this problem.

“Human rights and protection of the rights of women are at the heart
of British Government’s foreign policy. The United Kingdom Government promotes gender equality and tackles violence against women and girl-child as a matter of principle.

"We are campaigning to raise awareness, rally global action promote
international coherence and increase the political will and capacity
of states to do more,” she said.

The acting Southwest Regional Coordinator, British Department for
International Development, Mrs Margaret Fagboyo, also identified local
customs, traditional beliefs and value system as those factors
accentuating violence against women in Nigeria.

She expressed happiness that the new law comprehensively addressed
medical,  psychological, social and legal assistance by accredited
service providers and government agencies for the victims with their
identities protected during court cases.

Fagboyo appealed to the federal government to see to the full
implementation of the law to protect the vulnerable groups.

The Coordinator of NISD, Mr  Abiodun Oyeleye, said available
statistics show that the southern states top the list in sexual
violence cases, with Ekiti State topping the list in the South-west with an
average of 6.6 percent.

Man, 28, Arrested for Killing Pregnant Woman for Ritual

Man, 28, Arrested for Killing Pregnant Woman for Ritual

A middle-age man of 28 has been arrested by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for allegedly killing a pregnant woman for ritual purpose at Ikot Otu, Mbiabo village in Itu Local Government Area of the state.

The man identified as Edet Stephen Asuquo was arrested by security operatives last Monday while four other culprits in connection with the crime are being trailed by the police.

The state Police Commissioner, Mr. Murtala Mani, who paraded the suspect at the state police headquarters, Ikot Akpan-abia, today said the crime was committed for ritual purpose.

Mani who briefed journalists in the state through the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Cordelia Nwawe ASP, said the attention of the police was drawn to the incident by the sister of the suspect.

The police boss expressed worry that the family of the deceased could not be traced as the body has been deposited at the morgue, urging members of the public with missing pregnant woman to come to the state police headquarters for identification of the corpse.

Mani said the suspect would be prosecuted according to the law as nobody has the right to take the life of another person.

Confessing to the crime, Asuquo said five of them, with four now on the run, were hired by the Chairman of the village council, Ikot Out in Mbiabo community whose name was given as Chief Okon Effiong to search for a pregnant woman to be killed (used) for ritual act.

According to him, the head of the pregnant woman and the fetus in the womb were needed by the village council chairman for the ritual purpose in order for him to retain his position as chairman in the forth coming election into the village council.  

The suspect said the chairman, equally on the run, had promised to pay them the sum of N50, 000 if they succeed in killing a pregnant woman and the parts of the body require for the ritual purpose provided.

The suspect who normally deals on oysters said he lured the deceased who came to buy the oysters in the village to follow him to his house in order to sell more for her.

The innocent woman who was said to come from the northern part of Cross River State to buy the periwinkle was overpowered by the suspects, dragged into the room where severe machete cut was inflicted on her.

The victim was said to have died on the spot while the sister of the suspect seeing what the brother has done rushed to the police in the area to report the crime.