Chief Robert Clarke, a prominent figure and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, raised a significant concern about the status of Abuja in the eyes of the Supreme Court.
He pointed out that the Supreme Court’s stance implies that Abuja is not officially considered a state. However, he also noted that there are exceptions when Abuja can be treated as a state, especially in matters related to the 25% vote requirement in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Chief Clarke strongly argued against the idea that the FCT should be granted any special privileges, particularly in the context of presidential elections. He finds it unreasonable to give one region an advantage that surpasses the other 36 states in the Federation.
During an interview with Channels TV monitored by Quest Times, Chief Clarke expressed his concerns, saying, “The dilemma lies in how one can assert that a candidate who garners the majority of votes across 36 states cannot be declared President only because he did not secure 25% of the vote in one specific state. This effectively endows that particular state with a constitutional privilege of paramount significance.”
He continued, “The Supreme Court has consistently said, ‘Abuja is not a state, but we will concede that it is a state in circumstances where we feel should be regarded as a state. One of such circumstances is this one. If you want to produce 25%, then it should not mean that by that privilege, you supersede all other 36 states. It’s more than absurdity, no reasonable tribunal will have pronounced that.”
You can watch Chief Clarke’s full interview on this topic by clicking on the following link and starting the video from the 11:51-minute mark: