GROUP MOBILISES LAWYERS TO CHALLENGE LEGALITY OF ZONING

The Legal Enlightenment and Advocacy Project said it planned to mobilise lawyers to challenge the legality of zoning in political parties, describing the zoning arrangement as a means of excluding minority groups from actualising their political ambition.

The group stated that the Federal Character principle enshrined in the nation’s constitution had taken care of the question of zoning, noting that political parties like the Peoples Democratic Party, which helds on to it, were just trying to subjugate the rights of minority groups.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Friday, LEAP coordinator, Tosin Adefope, stated that the idea of zoning was against the rule of law and Article 13(1) African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Act 1990, which provides that every citizen shall have the right to participate freely in the government of his country, either directly or through freely chosen representatives.