By Chinedu Itah
New hurdles have been erected against the appointment of the Minister of Art, Culture, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has received an application to cancel her swearing-in following revelation that she is undergoing a mandatory one-year national youth service under the NYSC scheme while serving as minister.
Civil rights groups – Concerned Nigerians, Chief Patrick Eholor, and Thomas Markus filed the suit marked (FHC/ABJ/CS/1198).
They are seeking the nullification of her appointment and swearing-in by President Bola Tinubu as well as an order restraining her from functioning as a minister.
“An order of the Honorable court for a mandatory injunction in setting aside any official actions as may be carried out by the 3rd defendant acting in any official capacity from the commencement of and swearing in of the 3rd defendant to the final conclusion of this suit.”
The plaintiffs argued in their court process that the NYSC Act prohibits youth corps members from engaging in partisan politics.
They hinged their case on several sections of the NYSC Bye Laws (2011) particularly Section 4(9) which states that “Every member shall not take part in partisan politics. Any member who takes part in partisan politics is liable to extension of service for a period of not less than three 3 months without pay.”
In the affidavit in support of the application, the third plaintiff, Markus, who described himself as an entertainer, deposed before the court that unknown to Nigerians, Hannatu was recently mobilized and deployed to serve at the FCT as an NYSC member.
He urged the court to grant the application in the interest of justice.
The President of Nigeria, the Attorney General of the Federation, and Hannatu Musawa are the first to third respondents in the case.
Reacting earlier to the NYSC issue, the minister had said, “For clarity, I wish to state that I have not issued any statement on the current issue.”
