FCT Judiciary: Lawyer laments S’East states exclusion

A legal practitioner and the oldest practicing lawyer in Imo State, Chief Peter Mgbenwelu, has frowned at the non-inclusion of some states of the South-East geopolitical zone in the Federal Capital Territory judiciary.

He maintained that such marginalisation not only alienate a particular section of the country from political arrangements, but contravened the spirit and letters of the Federal Character Act, which seeks to promote national unity.

South-East states found in this situation include: Imo, Abia and Ebonyi.

Mgbenwelu, who is the Cork of the Imo State Bar, by virtue of his being the oldest practicing lawyer in the state, disclosed this feelings during the special court section in honour of late Mr. Chukwuemeka Tim-Okeke at the Hon. Jutice Oputa High court complex, New Owerri.

Mgbenwelu averred that the obvious discrimination against the region, despite producing great and brilliant legal practitioners should be condemned, as he wondered how some states from the Northern and Western parts of the country should be considered for more slots, while the South-Eastern states were not represented.

He said, “The composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty; therefore there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies.

“With the above conspicuous provision of our constitution, how could it be explained, defended or taken for granted that three states out of the five states of the South-East, namely: Imo, Abia and Ebonyi, have no single representation in the Federal Capital Territory judiciary as stipulated under the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, (number of judges) Act 2023? This appears more as deliberate, when some states such as Bauchi, Kogi and Oyo are being considered to have more than one in the Federal Capital Territory judiciary.”

Furthermore, he disclosed that it became expedient on him as the Cork of the Bar to speak out against the anomaly, adding that such would have been the reactions of other legends in the judiciary.”

Eulogizing the deceased, Mgbenwelu observed that “one of the principal paradoxes of our society is that death is both a popular and a forbidden subject. The death of any well-known person like Chukwudoka Tim Okeke is discussed at length at the same time; the subject of death is largely avoided. We speak of it only in whispers, we consider it horrible, ugly, wicked and grotesque of all phenomena, and it is the most obvious and the heart reportable, it encompasses the profoundness of man perplexities and ambivalences.”

He described the deceased as a successful legal practitioner, who was loved by the Bar and the Bench.