Foremost human rights activists, Chief Dr Patrick Eholor and Deji Adeyanju, as well as human rights lawyer, Samuel Ihensekhien Jr have dragged Ms Hannatu Musawa to court for being a serving youth Corp member, while also serving as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In a statement signed by the trio, and made available to Jungle-Journalist.Com, they stated that the lawsuit is for public interest, as the actions of Musawa are illegal, even as they wondered why the Senate acted with so much irresponsibility by skipping her screening.
The statement reads “We wish to inform members of the general public and concerned Nigerians that the trio of veteran activists, in Deji Adeyanju, Patrick Eholor and Samuel Ihensekhien Jr have instituted a weighty law suit challenging the legality of the appiontment of Hannatu Musawa as a federal minister.
“The law suit instituted by Comrade Deji Adeyanju and Chief Dr Patrick Osagie Eholor against Mrs Hanatu Musawa over her appiontment as federal minister while she is still a current corps member, even when her alleged membership of the All Progress congress is so clear to everyone.
“The law suit, 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”.
Speaking on the case, Barrister Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr said: “It is so obvious that Mrs Hannatu Musawa being a serving corps member and then subsequently appionted as federal minister of Nigeria. It is now so crystal clear from the authoritative pronouncements of the Supreme Court in the case of Modibbo vs Usman decided in 2019, that a Youth Corps member is not competent to contest any election in Nigeria and or engage 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 is seeking for five distinct reliefs and other ancillary/mandatory consequential injunctions in this regard.
As is widely reported in the news, 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).
Mr Megwa explained that it was a breach of the NYSC act for any corps member to pick up government appointment until the one year of service was over.