25% FCT: The supreme court has consistently said Abuja is not a state – SAN Robert Clarke.
By Admin
An Elder Statesman and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Robert Clarke has alleged that the Supreme Court has indicated that Abuja is not a state. He however noted that the Supreme Court also identified that Abuja could be regarded to as a state in certain circumstances, most especially pertaining to electoral matters relating to the 25% in the FCT. He further argued that the Supreme Court did not grant the FCT a special status especially in the Presidential election. According to him, it’s absurd to give one state a golden card that supersede all the other 36 states of the Federation.
He said in an interview with Channels TV news, ”The problem is how can you say because a man who has majority of plural votes. A man who has won in the remaining 36 states then cannot be pronounced as President because he did not have 25% of one state. It means you are giving that state a special privilege in the Constitution.
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The Supreme Court has consistently said Look Abuja you are not a state but we will concede that you are a state in circumstances where we feel you should be regarded as a state. One of such circumstances is this one. If you want to produce 25% then it’s should not mean by that privilege, you supersede all other 36 states. It’s more than absurdity, no reasonable tribunal will have pronounced that.”
