The long awaited agitation of the indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja to be recognized as a state in the country is on the verge of being actualized what with the judgment delivered by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT to the effect that Abuja is the 37th state of the nation
By Joshua Chiemerie
The date was September 9, 2023 at the popular AYA in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abjua, a taxi driver approached a colleague to borrow a jack to jack up his motor that had tyre issues but met a rude shock when his colleague thundered “I cannot give you my jack, I know you, you are from Rivers State, you people will leave your state to our state to dictate to us what to do in our native land. You can come back after the determination of our status in the Supreme Court as Appeal Court has declared us a state”.
In absolute dissonance with the response of his colleague, Samson Ateke looked elsewhere for the jack and the duo resumed their usual banter. However, the jollity of the exchanges of that morning cannot be mistaken for ordinary quarrel because the banter speaks volume to the issues that recent judgment by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT brought to bear on the national discourse as to
The status of FCT, Abuja in the comity of states in the country.
The original natives of FCT, Abuja have vowed to approach the Supreme Court to affirm the status of Abuja as a state and demand for immediate election of governor in the state and two more Senators to make up three since there is existing Senator as well as commiserate House of Representatives members at the National Assembly and state Assembly.
Daniel Bwala, former spokesman of Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organization in a statement made public recently averred that by the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to the effect that FCT is a state like other 36 states of the Federation, the natives of Abuja are backed by law to approach the Supreme Court to demand that it should pronounce FCT a state and order for the election for governor, state House of Assembly, Senators and House of Representatives members as quick as possible.
“Following the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT, judgment which states to the effect that Abuja is just like any other states, I am hearing that the natives are approaching the court for an order mandating FGN to let them produce their Governor, 3 Senators among other peculiarities of a State.
“What is good for Guinea is also good for Uganda. The court had further held that the Labour Party’s interpretation of 134(2) (B) of the Constitution is completely fallacious if not outright ridiculous”, Bwala stated. As it is, the natives are going to be approaching Supreme Court to invalidate the appointment of Nyesom Wike as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, adding that it violates the constitution according to the interpretation of PEPT which has recognized Abuja as a state.
In the same vein, some Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs have thrown their weight behind the natives of Abuja saying that they have the right to go to Supreme Court to obtain an order mandating the Federal Government and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct governorship election, and other elections that states enjoy if the Supreme Court would uphold the judgment of the PEPT recognizing Abuja as a state.
Olisa Agbakoba, SAN insisted that the Abuja natives have the right to approach the court for a change in the existing status of the FCT. He said that since Appeal Court has delivered a judgment recognizing FCT as a state, the natives have every right to approach the Supreme Court to order for the appropriate status for FCT.
“The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPT has ruled that the FCT is not special therefore should be regarded as the 37th state of the country. As a result the court has to adjudicate on the matter one way or the other”. Agbakoba reasoned.
Mba Ekweni, SAN said that “the declaration that Abuja should not be made to look as if Nigeria starts and ends in it does not mean that it has ceased to be the Federal Capital Territory”.
Ekweni said that when the FCT was designated as the capital of the nation the natives were relocated and paid compensation for their lands therefore the need does not arise for them to come back and say they are indigenes of the place.
Whatever is the case, the fate of the FCT is to be determined by the Supreme Court which is the final place to go for legal adjudication in the land. Whether the Supreme Court would dance to the tune of PEPT is what would give valve to the agitation of the Abuja natives.
