CUPP Solicits Amendment Of Constitution

The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has called on the National Assembly to amend Sections 233. (1)(e) and 246.(1)(3) of the 1999 Constitution.

This is to create an opportunity for States and National Assembly election disputes to get to the Supreme Court level instead of stopping at the court of Appeal.

This is contained in a statement signed by the National Secretary of CUPP,
Chief Peter Ameh in Abuja.

The statement stresses that this will avert a repeat of injustices meted on validly elected National and State Assembly Members of the PDP and Labour Party from Plateau, Enugu, Abia and other states.

It adds that the call became necessary due to the irreparable damage caused to elected members who have been unjustly removed from their legitimate seats by the Court of Appeal despite the earlier decided and settled cases by the Supreme Court.

According to the statement the Supreme Court did not spare words in rebuking the Court of Appeal for the obnoxious judgment that saw the untimely termination of legitimate and valid mandate of Legislators both at the State and National Assembly.

“It ought not have happened had the Court of Appeal not wilfully directed themselves to ignore those decided cases which they did impunitively, knowing that the likelihood of sanctions being levied upon them is minimal”.

The statement expresses dismay that those petitions ordinarily would not have been entertained because they were pre-election matters, but were made the cornerstones of the judgments by both the Election Tribunal and the Court of Appeal.

“This led to the nullification of those mandates thereby denying them the fruits of their victory and handing same to persons who were rejected at the polls by the voters” Ameh adds.

“CUPP believes that this irreparable harm would have been remedied had there been a further provision for appeal to the Supreme Court by the aggrieved parties.

“CUPP calls on the National Assembly to commence without delay the amendment of those sections of the 1999 Constitution as Amended to add that the Supreme Court has powers to entertain appeals for State and National Assembly election disputes and remove the Court of Appeal from being the court of last resort as it is currently”.

By Georgina Humphrey, Edited By Grace Namiji