Gombe: Nigeria’s 2nd Most Corrupt State, Receives Protests For Removing Acting Female Chief Judge
The Oasis Reporters
December 8, 2019
When Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya refused to confirm Justice Beatrice Lazarus Ilya, who completed the three-month constitutional term in acting capacity as State Chief Judge on December 3 and had in the mid hours of Wednesday sworn-in Justice Mu’azu Pindiga as the new acting Chief Judge, many saw it as an act of the conservative Northern part of Nigeria entrenching the patriarchal style of life that they are known for.
After all, the Kebbi State governor, Alhaji Bagudu had also neglected to confirm a female who happens to be an indigenous minority Christian woman as Chief Judge after acting in that capacity for the constitutional three months.
But for Gombe State, it goes much further than that.
There seems to be a morbid fear of female Judges where there are likely documentations of corruption cases. It has been officially reported by the office of the Statistician General of the Federation that Gombe State is the second most corrupt State in Nigeria.
Kogi State is officially, number most corrupt political entity in Nigeria, while the third most corrupt State remains oil rich Rivers state and Adamawa State, where Gombe was carved out from, follows at fourth position.
Those are the most corrupt states in Nigeria, according to the latest report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The report titled, ‘The 2nd Corruption Survey Report in Nigeria’ and released in Abuja yesterday, Friday, December 6, 2019, showed Kogi as the most corrupt state with 48 percent score, followed by Gombe (45 per cent); Rivers (43 per cent); and Adamawa (41 per cent).
Therefore with a 45 percent corruption ranking where malnutrition is rampant despite the huge landmass it is endowed with for farming and development, it seems almost likely that the propensity to fear women judges would be high. Women are mostly marginalized in the entire North, and girl child education would be least of their priorities where there are competing demands for scarce resources, and corruption doing its own damage from a strategic corner .
Gombe’s one time governor, Danjuma Goje, now a Senator, resigned from the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC party, and the huge corruption case against him instituted by the anti graft agency, the EFCC, was suddenly withdrawn.
Women watching the State, have boldly said no, and the Gombe State chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) took to the streets to protest the removal and swearing-in of a new state acting Chief Judge (ACJ).
According to the state chairperson of the association, Elizabeth Jalo Okotie, the association was distressed by the news of the appointment and swearing-in of a new ACJ to replace the incumbent ACJ who had been due for confirmation as Chief Judge.
But speaking shortly after the swearing-in ceremony, Governor Yahaya of Gombe state stated that the appointment of Justice Pindiga, who was the next most senior judge in the High Court of Justice, as the new acting Chief Judge of the state, was compelled by the expiration of the constitutional term of the acting CJ.
While thanking the former ACJ for her brief and meritorious service to the state, the Governor wished her well in her future judicial services and congratulated the newly sworn-in ACJ, charging him to dispense justice to all and sundry without discrimination, fear or favour.
However, FIDA chairperson Okotie expressed anger over the new appointment, describing the swearing-in of the new ACJ as a breach of section 271, sub-section 4 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that the Governor can only swear-in a new ACJ if the seat is vacant or the incumbent ACJ is not able to perform.
The chairperson, who led the group of protesters to the Government House gate, told reporters that the rule of professional ethics provides that there is seniority at the bar.
“Even an hour is very important,” said the aggrieved chairperson. “So, if another CJ is there, there is no reason why the Governor should go against the rules to bring in somebody from the back and impose him on the sitting and most senior judge. That is why we are here to register our protest against a flagrant disobedience to the constitution and rule of professional ethics.”
While admitting that the association was not aware of the reasons behind the action of the Governor, the chairperson demanded that he come out and explain the removal of the female judge.
“And there is no allegation over her that she has not been able to perform,” Okotie said.
She added that the association will follow the matter in a legal way to ensure justice and respect for the rule of law
Additional reporting: The Sunnewsonline
