BY VICTOR BUORO – The serene atmosphere in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was seriously disrupted on Friday as some aggrieved residents took to the streets protesting the tenure extension for Chairmen and Councillors in the six Area Councils.
Originally, the Chairmen and Councillors’ three-year terms in office was scheduled to expire on Thursday, May 19, 2022, with the newly-elected officials sworn-in on Friday, May 20, 2022.
Unfortunately, the plan was scuttled at the last minute with the FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello announcing the indefinite suspension of the exercise following the ruling of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
Angered by the Minister’s decision to suddenly obey the court ruling extending the officials’ tenure by one year, some residents in the Abuja call out the Minister, accusing him pandering to the whims and caprices of his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
To some of the protesters who engaged Forefront News, it is unfortunate that politicians are the ones deliberately over-heating the polity with their inordinate ambition and shenanigans rather that allowing peace to reign in the country.
The protest also broke out in other parts of the Territory with residents in the Gwagwalada Area Council storming the streets on Friday morning, barricading the roads and making huge bonfires with used tyres to demand a reversal of the Minister’s decision.
Initially, roads leading into the nation’s Capital were blocked by the protesters, but the quick intervention of security operatives at the scene helped to restore normalcy.
With chants of; ‘We no go greeooo, we no go gree’, the protesters were seen carrying and displaying placards with different inscriptions such as; ‘You can’t steal our Mandate’; ‘No Tenure Elongation’; ‘Stop Manipulating The Minister’; ‘Give Us True Justice’; and ‘Don’t steal the people’s mandate’; amongst others.
Some in them marched on the FCT Minister’s Office in Area 11, Garki while others were seen venting their anger in front of an FCT Magistrates’ Court in Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.
They all expressed disappointment that a court of competent jurisdiction could grant tenure elongation to the outgoing FCT Council officials who were elected and inaugurated based on the provisions of the old Electoral Act, 2010.
In his reaction, an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Simon Chukwuemeka, who led an earlier protest on Thursday, had explained that since the outgoing chairmen were elected and inaugurated on the basis of the relevant provisions of the 2010 Electoral Act, which specified three-year tenure for the chairmen and Councilors, it would be wrong to grant them judgement for tenure elongation.
According to Chukwuemeka; “We are aware of a judgement by a High Court of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under Justice Ibrahim Muhammed in Kubwa district, where the Council chairmen have gotten judgement in their favour to extend their tenure by one year.
“That was a wrong judgement and should not be allowed to stand. Imagine they were taking the tenure elongation case to court and they only joined the FCT Minister as the defendant. Why did they not include the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the elected Council Chairmen and their councillors? That shows that it is a conspiracy against the peoples’ interest and should not be allowed to stand.”
The tension and disturbing security situation in the city had normalized at the time of filling this report, with security operatives having successfully ensured there was no breakdown of law and order.
