The Tangale community in Gombe South has urged the state governor to do the right thing by confirming the former Acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Beatrice Lazarus Illiya, as the substantive Chief Judge.
This according to them, would put to an end to the alleged marginalisation of the zone by successive governments.
In a statement issued by the leaders of Tangale community, Mrs Malata Yusuf, Albert Mannassah and Hassan Emmanuel respectively and made available to the Tribune Online on Tuesday recalled the promised made by the governor to address the alleged marginalisation of the zone.
According to the statement, the governor had during the 2019 elections wooed the people of Gombe South who are majority Christians and minority by promising them if they elect him, he would right the injustice meted on them over the years.
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However, the statement noted that the people of the zone are now confused over the refusal to confirm the former Acting Chief Judge Beatrice Lazarus who is the most senior in the state judiciary the substantive CJ.
Instead, the statement noted that her junior is now appointed the Acting Chief Judge when her own acting capacity elapsed.
To this end, the people of Gombe South condemned such move and want the governor to reverse the current trend in the name of justice and appoint her as the substantive CJ.
Part of the statement reads as follows: “Towards 2019 elections, we watched with keen interest how Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya wooed the people of Gombe South with promises of righting many wrongs done to the region since the inception of Gombe South.
“He emphasised the injustice meted on the region because of the fact that it is a region made up of Christians and who are mostly ethnic nationalities considered to be minorities and ‘second class citizens’ within the northern part of Nigeria.
“However, we have watched again, this time with utter amazement, how a man who identified the challenges of the region and made a serious case for its human and infrastructural underdevelopment before elections, has now recorded the worst injustice to the region so far.
“Of note and the most worrisome is the travails of a very competent justice, Justice Beatrice Iliya who remains the most senior judge in Gombe State today.
“The present government in Gombe State had appointed Justice Beatrice Lazarus Iliya as the Acting Chief Judge of the state before resorting to the infamous game of appointing her junior as an Acting Judge after her acting period elapsed.
“This new game, we understand, is part of an orchestrated plan to achieve the set goal of sidelining the most senior judge in the state, Justice Beatrice Lazarus Iliya and replacing her with another.
“We also understand that there are issues of gender bias against Justice Beatrice Lazarus Iliya with rumours that there are those who have sworn that a female judge cannot be made the Chief Justice of the state because it is against their faith.
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