The Constitution, Citizenship & 100 Days Brouhaha

Counting 100 days achievements in office has become a ritual in contemporary democracies. So, to satisfy the gullible denizens many politicians administering political units in Nigeria do all sorts nonentities and call it 100 days achievement. You must have read about some Governors who rushed to banks, get loans and build roads just to soar up their list of 100 days achievements! Did I hear you say what the hell?! I mean what achievement is in walking into a bank, taking a loan and building some roads?!

It’s not a bad idea to continuously assess any constituted authority, however it is noteworthy that the Constitution does not really attach any significance to what an elected public officer must do in the first 100 days. What the constitution cares about is the overall welfare of the citizens throughout the public officer’s term of office.

Citizen of Nigeria v. Member of the Judiciary

There has been a division of opinion about the recent steps taken by Justice Olamide Folahami Oloyede of the Osun State Judiciary who filed a Petition to the State House of Assembly calling for the impeachment of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and his deputy Titilayo Laoye-Tomori on alleged maladministration of the State’s Resources.

To some she is incorruptible and principled while others have criticized her for her involvement as a member of the Judiciary.

Russia and the ECHR

Russia can avoid implementing European court judgments if they conflict with the Russian constitution, a top Russian court has ruled.

Russia is legally bound by the European Convention on Human Rights.

But the Russian constitutional court said Russia “can step back from its obligations” if that is the only way to avoid violating its constitution.

Russia objects to a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) demand that it compensate shareholders in former oil giant Yukos.

The Council of Europe (CoE), which monitors compliance with the convention and ECHR rulings, voiced concern about the Russian decision.

Rwanda’s MP supports change to constitutional Presidential term limits

BBC Reports

Parliamentarians in Rwanda have voted to support a change to the constitution that would allow President Paul Kagame to stand for a third term in 2017.

More than 3.7 million Rwandans signed a petition asking parliament to abandon two-term presidential limit – a change that will now be put to a referendum.

Mr Kagame has always said it is up to the Rwandan people to decide.

Rights groups have accused the Rwandan authorities of silencing the opposition and stifling the media.

“The constitution promises liberty to all within its reach,” – US Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage nationwide

THE United States Supreme Court on Friday June 26, 2015 legalised same-sex marriage across all the 50 states in the country, striking down the remaining bans in Texas and a dozen other states by a 5-4 vote.

Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan were in the majority.

Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Chief Justice Roberts dissented.

The court declared that refusing to grant marriage licences to gay and lesbian couples violates the constitution.

The majority opinion in the 5-4 decision was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the plaintiffs asked “for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.” “The constitution promises liberty to all within its reach,” Kennedy wrote.

The ruling brings to an end more than a decade of bitter legal battles.

Madagascar constitutional court throws out impeachment

BBC Reports:

Madagascar’s constitutional court has thrown out parliament’s bid to dismiss President Hery Rajaonarimampianina.

The court said impeachment proceedings launched last month had “no legal foundation” and that the president had not violated the constitution.

The opposition, which controls parliament, rejected the ruling.

Mr Rajaonarimampianina has been in office for 16 months and it was hoped his election would end years of political unrest in the country.

Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court outlaws arrest of sex workers

Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court has outlawed the arrest of women on charges of soliciting for sex in the absence of confirmation from men that they were offered the services for a fee, local media reported Saturday.

The court made the ruling Wednesday in an application by nine women who were contesting their arrest.

The women were arrested in Harare in March 2014 during an operation by police code-named “No to Robberies and Prostitution.”

The court declared the arrest and prosecution unconstitutional.

The court’s consent order read in part: “By consent, it is ordered as follows, that the prosecution and remand of the accused persons on allegations of contravening Section 81 (2) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act (Chapter 9:23) on March 17 2014 amount to a deprivation of their personal liberty in contravention of Section 49 (1) (b) of the Constitution and are a denial of the fundamental right of the applicants to the protection of the law guaranteed under Section 56(1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.”