Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, a Civil Society Organisation, has called on the United States, United Kingdom and Canadian to issue a travelling ban on 34 state governors over failure to accede to judiciary autonomy as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
The CSO also wants the travel ban extended to the family members of the governors as well as the attorney-generals of 36 states of Nigeria.
This is coming as the group extended a letter to the US Ambassador, British and Canada Higher Commissioners in Nigeria.
The group said persisting strike action in court was due to the governors’ refusal to grant financial autonomy embedded in the constitution.
The letter titled ‘Appeal for your intervention and urgent need to impose visa ban on the 34 state governors, their families and the 34 Attorney-Generals of the respective states of Nigeria’, dated May 4, 2021, and signed by Olu Omotayo and Dr. Danjuma Gambo, President and member, National Advisory Council for the group.
In the letter, the group implored the US, UK and Canada governments see the governors, except Lagos and Rivers, as impostors on the third arm of government.
Part of the letter read, “The clear provision of Section 81 and Section 121, of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended) provides the mode for the funding of INEC, the Legislature and the Judiciary.
“How do you guarantee independence and impartiality of a judiciary when the chief judges are always on their knees begging the governors for fund in order to maintain a supposed sacred institution?
“We also urge you to immediately impose visa ban on the 34 state governors in Nigeria and their families; and also the 34 Attorney-Generals of the respective states of Nigeria and their families.”
Recall that the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria commenced a strike action on April 6, to protest against the non-implementation of financial autonomy of the Judiciary by 36 state governors.