Former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa
Agbakoba, has filed an application before a Federal High Court in Enugu,
challenging what he called the total neglect of the Southeast zone.
He is also asking for the sum of N1trillion as damages to be shared among the five Southeast states.
The fundamental rights class action, which is before Justice A. R.
Mohammed, is on behalf of himself and the Southeast zone on the grounds
of discrimination, pursuant to Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution (as
amended).
Agbakoba is asking these on the ground of total neglect of the
geopolitical zone by the Federal Government, in terms of infrastructure
and general federal presence.
He also said the Federal Government has left the Niger Bridge to
collapse and failure to build the ‘Second Niger Bridge,’ making the
applicant feel isolated from other parts of the country and causing him
apprehension about disaster on crossing the existing bridge.
Agbakoba is also seeking an order directing the Federal Government to
forthwith put all its machinery, including, but not limited to legal
and political apparatus, in motion, with a view to urgently create two
additional states in the Southeast geopolitical zone.
This, according to him, would bring a balance with the seven states
in the Northwest, and thereby bring to an end the discriminatory
practices against the Southeast zone, in terms of legislative
representation, political and judicial appointments and not federal
allocation accruing to the zone.
No date has been fixed for the hearing.
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