Tension In C’River As Lawyers, Students Barricade Ayade’s Office
As the #endsars protest continues across the country, there was tension in Calabar on Monday as lawyers under the aegis of the Concerned Lawyers as well as students from the University of Calabar (UniCal) and the Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) stormed and barricaded the Governor’s Office with different demands.
While the lawyers demanded the appointment of substantive chief judge for the state, the students said their protest was an encapsulation of ENDSARS, ASUU crisis and bad governance which had made life difficult for the common man and forced them to remain at home for months now.
The students led by officials of their respective Students Union Governments (SUG) went a step further to barricade both the main entrance and the Governor’s private entrance, thereby practically stopping everyone from going in or out of the premises.
They further gave both the state and the federal governments a 7-day ultimatum to meet their demands or face mass action.
Our Correspondent reported that the Concerned Lawyers kicked off their protest from the Judiciary Headquarters in Calabar and thereafter marched to the Governor’s office to register their rejection of another acting chief judge who was earlier sworn in by the Governorsame Monday.
Spokesperson of the Concerned Lawyers, Effiom Ayi, said the Judiciary was being crippled over state government refusal to swear in substantive chief judge, saying the existing lacuna was uncalled for.
“It has never happened in the history of the state. Cross River has been enmeshed in a totally avoidable bickering and dirty politics as it concerns the Judiciary. We cannot in all sense of responsibility say that after three hundred and eighteen days (318), Cross River State cannot have a chief judge in substantive capacity.
“As at Friday 16th October 2020, over a hundred cases including fundamental rights action filed by citizens cannot be assigned or heard. Letters of Administration and probate cannot be granted, recommendations for appointment of judges, Senior Advocates of Nigeria and notaries public cannot be issued.
“The negative effect and impact of all these on the security of the state, the economy, practice of legal practitioners and the growth of the legal profession is evidently loud. Never in the history of the state has the Judiciary been enmeshed in this totally avoidable bickering and dirty politics as to who should occupy the office of chief judge”, he said.
Similarly, SUG President, UniCal Chapter, Raymond Moses who spoke on behalf of the protesting student, said both the state and federal government had remained insensitive to the plight and future of students, saying apart from the COVID 19 pandemic which forced them back home, the lingering crisis between ASUU and the federal government was destroying the future of youths across the country.
“They are playing games with our education, not interested in our future. There is insecurity and excessive hunger in the land and yet we have government. After seven days from today and they do not do something about these issues, we shall occupy everywhere and there shall mass action across the nation,” Moses stated.
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