By Nubiya Robert
Barely an hour ago i watched the live broadcast Hon. Patience Ishaku Abbo on Facebook where she spoke about the injustice and constitutional conundrum in Fofore LGA of Adamawa State. She was bold, assertive and aggressive with her opinion.
A comment caught my attention on the live broadcast and I want to make a public rebuttal.
First, I’d like to apologize to anyone reading this as I couldn’t get the comment on the live broadcast for reference purposes but the fact remains that there are voices claiming that, “๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐, ๐๐จ๐ง. ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ โ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ซ๐๐ญ๐โ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง, ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ”.
This claim is not just false, it is dangerously anti-constitutional. It must be addressed and rejected with the firmness it deserves.
Nigeria Is a Secular State and its constitution Is Supreme. The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) clearly states in Section 10, โThe Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.โ
The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion
This means that no part of Nigeria, including Fufore, can lawfully be governed by any religious law. Nigeria is not a theocracy. We are a democracy governed by laws, not by tribal or religious sentiments.
Local Governments are not established as religious institutions and so Fufore Local Government Area is not a mosque. It is not a church and It is not the palace of an Emir.
It is a constitutional creation of the Nigerian state for democratic governance bound by the same legal and civil frameworks that govern all LGAs in Nigeria.
Whoever occupies the office of Chairman must emerge from democratic election or constitutional succession, not from religious gatekeeping.
๐๐จ๐ง. (๐๐ซ๐ฌ.) ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ was elected by the people of Fufore, on the same ticket as the now-deceased Chairman. Her right to succeed him is not a matter of debate or religion, it is enshrined in the law. To deny her this right because she is a woman or Christian is a violation of her constitutional rights under Section 42 (Freedom from Discrimination), a slap in the face of Section 14(2) which guarantees that โthe participation by the people in their government shall be ensured.โ
To deny her this right because she is a woman or Christian is a violation of her constitutional rights under Section 42
No Emirate, No Governor, No Religion Is above the law. No traditional institution, including an Emirate, has any constitutional authority to dictate who can or cannot hold elected political office.
๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ. ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ.
Today it’s Fufore. Tomorrow it could be any community where someone tries to say, โYou canโt lead because youโre not from our religion.โ
This logic is not only unconstitutional, it’s dangerous. It tears at the very fabric of national unity, peace, and progress.
Fufore is in Nigeria. Nigeria is governed by the Constitution. And under that Constitution, the Vice Chairman has the right to be sworn in as Chairman. Period.
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ.
The #Chief_Judge of Adamawa State, Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman and The #Speaker, Rt. Hon. Bathiya Wesley must act, together, to put executive excesses in check to defend democracy now. Now, more than ever, is the time to prove to the people of Adamawa State that you’re truly for them in the advent of executive interferences in governance.
๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ .
