PRESS RELEASE
Yoruba Nation has been joined to the case instituted by the Northern Elders as sought from the court by the Yoruba Nation Global Directorate at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The case with suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/538/2021 – _Nastura Asir Sharif v AG Federation v Princess Atayero Olamijulo & 3 Others_ was instituted by some Northern States elders asking the court to grant the Igbos right to conduct referendum and quit Nigeria. In a swift reaction, the Yoruba Nation Global Directorate acting through its Directorate Director, Princess Adeola Atayero Olamijulo, and three others filed an application for joinder on behalf of themselves and the entire Yoruba nation to enable the court to decide once and for all the vexed issue of referendum.
In the application, the lead counsel for Yoruba Nation Global Directorate’s team of lawyers had argued that the Yoruba nation should be joined as co-defendants on the premise that the Yoruba have similar interests as the people of the Southeastern region in whose favour the plaintiffs sought for a constitutional referendum in order to decide for their rights to self-determination.
He argued further that the parties sought to be joined had already desired to file an action of this nature before the suit was instituted by the Northern elders and subsequent filing of a similar matter could amount to multiplicity of action.
He contended further that the matter could not be properly resolved without the presence and involvement of the Yoruba people who were seeking to be joined as parties in the suit, having also been agitating for self-determination for the entire Yoruba nation.
In law, if the demand of the Northern elders is granted by the court releasing the Southeasterners to exit Nigeria, it means the Yoruba too are free to exit Nigeria without much ado.
The matter argued by the Directorate’s lawyers has been adjourned to 20 October 2022 for further hearing.
