May 03, (THEWILL) – An indefinite strike action declared by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has stalled the inaugural sitting of the 2023 Elections Petition Tribunal in Calabar.
The hearing was scheduled to commence on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, by 9am but as of 10:45am, the premises for the hearing were still under lock and key.
Akawu Bambur, the Secretary of the Tribunal, in a short response, said the tribunal sitting has been adjourned indefinitely in view of the strike and a new date will be subsequently disclosed.
Petitions the panel was scheduled to hear include that of PDP’s gubernatorial candidate, Professor Sandy Onor, against the State Governor-elect and the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Senator Bassey Otu.
Another major petition is that of the State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, who lost his Cross River North Senatorial contest to PDP’s Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe.
Comrade Enyia Etorti, the State Chairman of JUSUN, had earlier justified the action, saying the Government had failed to respond to their demands since 2015.
“Our major demands are the independence of the judiciary, which I think is more paramount. Then the most pertinent to us is the pending 66%, which is CONJUSS, it’s paid all over the country.
“The state only paid 34% left with 66% and we have been begging the government to pay for years, moreover, promotion has not been made for years in the state judiciary,” he said.
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
