The leadership of the Southern Youth Foundation of Nigeria, SYF, has said that the group shared the views of the Ethnic Youth Leaders of Nigeria in the rejection of the Supreme Court Judgment, saying it looked more political than legal.
The SYF said that the decampment of Rivers lawmakers should have been decided first before any recognition by Gov Fubara. The Ethnic Youth Leaders had 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 Rivers lawmakers.
The representatives of the youths across the six geopolitical zones of the country wondered why the apex court delivered such a judgement, which is tantamount to depriving the people of Rivers State their economic and political rights to get what is accrueable to them from the federation account for which they made significant contribution to and had decided who represents them in the legislative arm of government.
In a statement by their zonal coordinators, led by Tochukwu Oha, the youth leaders declared that the judgement was politically motivated, hence it was purely political and not legal.
The National President of the Southern Youth Foundation of Nigeria therefore, called for the review of the judgment on the stoppage of allocation to the state and appealed to both parties to remain humble as a result of the outcome of the judgment.
According to them, the judgement was anti-people, against democracy and the principles of federalism, While calling for its review, they charged the relevant authorities to save the judiciary from descending into doldrums.
“We were all taken aback when the unthinkable happened in our country, no thanks to the Supreme Court. The apex Court, 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 seats 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 their welfare and security which is the primary aim of government which the judiciary has trampled upon by the same judiciary which is taunted as the hope of a common man.”
“We in the Southern Youth Foundation of Nigeria join in calling 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 to them from the federation account. We are equally appealing for calm from both sides and charge them to remain law abiding in the interest of Rivers State” the SYF concluded.