FCT Judiciary: Attorney lament the exclusion of the South-East states
Chief Peter Mgbenwelu, a practicing attorney and the oldest in Imo State, has expressed disapproval over certain states in the South-East geopolitical zone not being represented in the Federal Capital Territory’s judiciary.
FCT Judiciary: Attorney lament the exclusion of the South-East states
According to him, this kind of marginalization goes against the law and spirit of the Federal Character Act, which aims to foster national unity, in addition to alienating a specific segment of the populace from political arrangements.
This scenario affects the South-East states of Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi.
As the oldest active attorney in the state, Mgbenwelu serves as the Cork of the Imo State Bar. He expressed these sentiments during the special court section held at the Hon. Jutice Oputa High court complex in New Owerri in memory of the late Mr. Chukwuemeka Tim-Okeke.
Mgbenwelu claimed that despite the region producing excellent and intelligent lawyers, there should be condemnation for the blatant discrimination against it. He questioned why certain states in the country’s north and west were given preference for more slots while the states in the southeast were underrepresented.
“There shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies,” he declared. “The composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, as well as to command national loyalty.”
According to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, (number of judges) Act 2023, three of the five states in the South-East—Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi—do not have a single representative in the Federal Capital Territory judiciary. How can this be explained, defended, or taken for granted in light of this glaring provision of our constitution? This seems more intentional given that the Federal Capital Territory judiciary is thought to have many judges in states like Bauchi, Kogi, and Oyo.
He further said that, in his capacity as the Cork of the Bar, it became necessary for him to speak out against the anomaly, noting that other legendary figures in the court would have responded similarly.
“One of the principal paradoxes of our society is that death is both a popular and a forbidden subject,” Mgbenwelu said in his eulogy for the deceased. Any notable person’s passing, such as Chukwudoka Tim Okeke’s, is extensively addressed concurrently with the topic of death being largely ignored. Of all phenomena, we talk about it only in whispers and regard it as dreadful, nasty, wicked, and hideous. It is also the most evident and reportable phenomenon since it captures the depth of human ambivalences and perplexities.
He characterized the deceased as a well-liked member of the Bar and Bench who was a prosperous lawyer.
