Promise Odejide
The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has approached a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to suspend the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen from holding any public office in the country.
The NBA in its litigation, alleged that the Minister incited citizens to disregard court rulings.
It said the minister had in a speech described a Federal High Court decision to anull the primary election that produced the only female governorship candidate in the country, Aishatu Binani, as a “kangaroo judgment.”
It was reported that the judgment, delivered on October 14, was in a suit against the All Progressives Congress, APC, by a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The Minister had while responding to the judgment, reportedly, said: “The ruling that sacked Aishatu Binani, the only female governorship candidate in the country is a kangaroo judgment that should be rejected by well-meaning Nigerians. The court is declaring that the party has no candidate. This is unacceptable. It is like a kangaroo judgment, but we will not give up.”
NBA notified the court that the minister made the statement on October 15, 2022, at the sidelines of the First Global Reunion and Annual General Meeting of the Federal Government Girls’ College, Bida Old Girls Association in Abuja.
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It is wants the court to declare that the remark by the defendant “is unconstitutional, careless, reckless, disparaging, a call to disobey the judgment of court and therefore, contemptuous of the Federal High Court of Nigeria.”
It further wants the court to “Declare that by virtue of the aforesaid statement of the defendant referring to the judgment of court as ‘kangaroo’, the defendant is thereby unfit to hold or continue to hold the office of the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development of the Federal Government of Nigeria, or any public office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
NBA also prayed the court to compel the minister to publish an apology letter to Nigerians and the Judiciary on a full page of two national dailies; “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from holding any public office in Nigeria by reason of her conduct complained of unless she purges herself of the ignoble conduct by publishing a written apology which must be published in each of the dailies.
