LEGIT NG
Renowned human rights activist and senior lawyer, Femi Falana, has said that every part of Nigeria is equal including Abuja, the country’s Federal Capital Territory.
Channels Television reports that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria while the FCT has been interpreted as a 37th state, it is equal to all other states across the country.
Citing Section 134 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, Falana, however, said he will not be making a definite comment on the issue which is now before the court.
His word:
“I did state that there is no electoral college in Nigeria and therefore the votes cast or recorded in any part of the country are equal. Section 134 of the Constitution specifically requires a winner of a presidential election to meet certain requirements.”
According to Falana, the first bone of contention is for a candidate to score the majority of lawful votes while the second issue is as regards territorial spread, a two-thirds majority of the states and the FCT.
“And since the FCT has been interpreted to be a 37th state in Nigeria for the purpose of the constitution I didn’t see any controversy at the material time and that was when I expressed my opinion.“But now that it has become a serious legal issue and the matter is now pending in court, I am very reluctant to speak definitively on the section because there are decisions of the court on the status of Abuja.”
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