Conduct bye-election within 30 days for Jalingo/Yorro/Zing Federal Counstituency - Lawyers tell INEC

 Conduct bye-election within 30 days for Jalingo/Yorro/Zing Federal Counstituency - Lawyers tell INEC

By Ahmed Usman Jalingo

Some legal practitioners under Maihanci, Danlami and Gwampo Legal Services have urged the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to as a matter of urgency conduct bye-election within 30 days for Jalingo/Yorro/Zing Federal Counstituency.

In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of INEC, Mahmoud Yakubu, which was made available to newsmen in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, the lawyers intimated the electoral body that it was  required by the provisions of section of 76(2) of the of Nigerian 1999 counstitution as amended  to conduct bye-election to fill the vacuum within 90 days.

According to the legal practitioners, failure to conduct the election upon receiving the letter would forced them to take legal action against the electoral body and claim damages on behalf of the good people of Jalingo, Yorro and Zing.

The letter which was signed by M.A. Danladi, Esq reads;

"We write on behalf of the good people of Jalingo, Yorro and Zing Federal constituency of Taraba State, on whose behalf we write as follows:

"You may recall the elected member of the house of representative representing Jalingo, Yorro and Zing federal constituency in person of Late Hon. Ismail Yusha’u Maihanchi died on the 21st day of April 2023. His death has created a vacancy in the house of representative and a vacuum in the Jalingo, Yorro and Zing federal constituency.

"You are required by the provisions of section of 76(2) of the Constitution of Nigeria to conduct bye-election to fill the vacuum within 90 days but in flagrant disrespect to the Constitution of Nigeria you have failed to conduct the said bye-election after more than 5 months of such vacancy.

"Your failure to conduct bye-election in Jalingo, Yorro and Zing has infringed on the rights of the people of Jalingo, Yorro and Zing to participate freely in the government of this country (Nigeria) through freely chosen representatives in accordance with provisions of section 71(a) of the Constitution of Nigeria and as guaranteed by the provisions of Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Right (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. 10, LFN 1990.

"The people of Jalingo, Yorro and Zing are by your omission being denied the right to have federal projects in their constituency by way of “Constituency Project” through their elected representative.

"We are not unaware of how you have been preparing to conduct elections in Kogi, Edo and Imo States but neglected Jalingo, Yorro and Zing. No state is better than the other, so also no constituency is better than another constituency.

"We urge you to obey the Constitution and put your machinery in action within 2 weeks of receipt of this letter and conduct bye-election within 30 days, failure of which we will not hesitate to take legal action against you and claim damages on behalf of the good people of Jalingo, Yorro and Zing."