The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has directed Abuja indigenes to approach the National Assembly in their quest for statehood, according to a report by OGTV News.
The court’s decision came in response to a suit filed by the Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organization, which sought to compel the National Assembly to grant them the benefits of statehood.
Following the judgment, Barrister James Egah Ndeye, counsel for the Abuja original inhabitants, expressed mixed feelings about the court’s decision.
He stated, “We have been in this court asking the court to make some declarations, and we thank God the number one declaration is in our favor. The FCT status is as if it’s a state, so the court has affirmed that position today.”
Ndeye added, “Other reliefs we are going to study the judgment and then we will see if there’s another thing we can do. We will review the judgment and do justice to it if we still have our constitutional rights to appeal against those reliefs that the court deems not fit to grant.”
The court emphasized that the National Assembly, which serves as the state assembly for the FCT, has the power to make laws for the territory. Ndeye acknowledged this, saying, “The judge was able to point out that yes, the National Assembly has the powers to make laws for the FCT. The judge made instances of such laws that the National Assembly has been able to pass for the FCT.”
Ambassador Isaac David, president of the Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organization, expressed determination to continue pursuing their cause.
He stated, “We studied the judgment and then definitely we’re not going to stop here. We approached the Court of Appeal.”
Ibrahim Umar Makiri, the FCT Youth Network leader, called on the legislative arm to exercise its powers and provide relief.
He said, “We are using the opportunity as youth of FCT that we have no other place to exercise our civil rights. FCT is a home for all of us. Inhabitants have been left behind completely in the exercise of our civil rights, especially political power in Nigeria.”
Makiri further appealed to national leaders, saying, “Now that the court has made it clear, we are calling on our leaders from the National Assembly, from the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and our own elected House member and Senator in the FCT, where all this will come to rest.”
The original inhabitants’ application is based on Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which prohibits discrimination against any citizen through restrictions or deprivations not applicable to other citizens.
This ruling brings renewed attention to the unique status of the FCT and the ongoing debate about political representation for its original inhabitants.
