Cross River: Judiciary Staff stops Election Tribunal from sitting
…continues with industrial action
By Idongesit Inyang
The inaugural sitting of the National and State houses of assembly election tribunal panel one in Cross River State could not hold on Wednesday as the High Court complex. Calabar, venue of the sitting was under lock and key.
This follows the indefinite industrial action embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria JUSUN, Cross River State branch which commenced on Tuesday, the 2nd of May, 2023.
The state chairman of JUSUN, Comrade Enya Etorti had directed the judiciary staff to stay at home pending when the state government will be ready to address their demands which included payment of gratuities to retirees.
Other demands by the judiciary staff were implementation of 2014 promotion benefits across board, recruitment of staff strength and creating of conducive working environment for the Judiciary.
The judicial staff also demanded for the implementation of the constitutional provision of the Independence and financial autonomy of the Judiciary as well as re- inclusion of staff excluded from payroll of Cross River State government since October, 2014.
At the venue of the tribunal, Secretary of the Election Petition Tribunal, Akawu Bambur who was not allowed in to the premises, expressed worry over the panel inability to sit due to the strike.
According to him “We had discussed with the judiciary workers that they should allow us to sit, they agreed, but surprisingly today we can’t gain entrance into the venue” promising to communicate a new date.
Speaking with journalists outside the gate of the venue of the tribunal, the state chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association NBA. Mr. Attach Ochinke regretted the ability of the tribunal to sit following the JUSUN strike.
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Ochinke, blamed the state government for not listening to the yearnings of the Judicial staff which he said were very genuine fearing that with the time frame given to the tribunal, any venue can be chosen for the tribunal to sit.
He said that all the meetings with government by the NBA to resolve the matters with the Judiciary Staff, have fallen on deaf ears as government continues to foot drag the issue leading to the current strike by the staff of the Judiciary.
