The Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu
Musawa, has been dragged before an Abuja Federal High Court over her
appointment into President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Some activists faulted Musawa’s appointment as a minister
while still undergoing the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, scheme.
The activists who initiated the suit include Deji Adeyanju
of Concerned Nigerians and Chief Patrick Eholor.
Both activists described Musawa’s ministerial appointment as
illegal.
Recently, some Nigerians criticized Musawa over her
appointment as a federal minister while observing the mandatory NYSC.
However, a statement by Adeyanju said: “We wish to inform
members of the general public and Concerned Nigeria that the trio of veteran
activists, in Deji Adeyanju through civil rights groups Concerned Nigerians and
Chief Patrick Eholor has instituted a lawsuit challenging the illegality of the
appointment of Hannatu Musawa as a federal minister.
“The lawsuit instituted by Comrade Deji Adeyanju and Chief
Dr Patrick Osagie Eholor against Mrs Hanatu Musawa over her appointment as
federal minister while she is still a current corps member, even when her
alleged membership of the All Progressives Congress is so clear to everyone.
“The lawsuit, filed at Abuja division of the Federal High
Court, in suit No FHC/ABJ/CS /1198/2023, has the president of Nigeria, Attorney
General of the Federation, and Hannatu Musawa as parties and was filed by Abuja
based Human Rights lawyer, Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr on behalf of Deji Adeyanju
and Chief, Dr Patrick Eholor.”
Commenting on the suit, a representative of Adeyanju and
Eholor, Barrister Samuel Ihensekhien, said:
“It is now so crystal clear from the authoritative
pronouncements of the Supreme Court in the case of Modibbo v Usman decided in
2019, that a youth corps member is not competent to contest any election in
Nigeria and or engaged in partisan politics like Mrs Hanatu Musawa in this
case. In the same vein, a person just like Mrs Hanatu now a federal minister of
Nigeria who has not completed the compulsory one-year youth service, is not
competent to be appointed a Minister in Nigeria since the Constitution has
prescribed the same qualifications and disqualifications for election into the
House of Representatives and appointment into the post of a Minister.”
The suit seeks five distinct reliefs and other mandatory
consequential injunctions in this regard.
NYSC Director of Press and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa,
admitted that the minister has been serving for the past eight months in the
Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He explained that it was a breach of the NYSC act for any
corps member to pick up government appointments until the one year of service
was over.
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