Women fault appeal of 35 per cent affirmative action by government

Hundreds of women groups led by the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) have been described as highly unconstitutional and distraction tactics, the appeal of the 35 per cent affirmative action, which was decided in favour of the women groups coalition on April 6 at the High Court sitting in Abuja.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami on behalf of President Muhammad Buhari, has appealed the litigation process involving Nigerian women against the Federal Government of Nigeria on the affirmative action ruling won by the women.

It would be recalled that as reported in The Guardian, after the ruling in April, the President, through the minister of women affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, congratulated the women groups for the landmark judgement, and promised to uphold and implement the court’s ruling.

Speaking with The Guardian on behalf of the coalition, NWTF’s president, Mufuliat Fijabi said Malami’s appeal is ‘highly unconstitutional’ because appeals are usually made within 30 days of a judgment. “Therefore the appeal instituted by Malami and President Buhari shows that they both see themselves as above the law and against
moves to progress and develop Nigeria as a country especially going into an election year. This turnaround, after their earlier commitment, is surprising, to say the least.”

She added that Malami's action was ignited following a recent letter delivered to himself and President Buhari condemning the all-male ministerial appointments recently made by the latter. In the letter, Nigerian women condemned the action of the President for not reflecting the 35 percent affirmative action in his recent
appointments.

The women went on to urge well-meaning Nigerians to join them through all possible means in condemning the Federal Government’s impunity of the legal system and abuse of the rule of law and pray the appeal is thrown out of court.

Lamenting that they fought long and hard for the need to include women in Nigeria’s democratic and governance processes and the court agreed with them, hence the earlier judgment; she said it was painful and distracting for Malami to bring this up at this time instead of respecting the courts’ judgment.