Over 3,000 members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) on Thursday stormed the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) headquarters in Abuja to protest the recent deregistration of the council.
Addressing journalists during the protest, NYCN Secretary General, Barrister Abubakar Suleiman, condemned the CAC Registrar-General, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN), for doing such a thing, which he alleged was illegal and contrary to due process.
Lawyer Suleiman attributed blame to the deregistration carried out despite the pendency of a case before the Court of Appeal and the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court in favour of the council.
“Over 3,000 Nigerian youths are here today because of the impunity and lawlessness of the Registrar-General of the CAC,” he said. “Nigeria is a country governed by law, not by personal whims. The National Youth Council of Nigeria is a duly registered organisation under the CAC, and no one has the right to delist it without following due process.”
He alleged that the CAC chief was in bad faith, adding that it was not proper for a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to disregard pending court cases.
“The same Registrar-General has a case before the Court of Appeal, yet he proceeded to unlawfully delist NYCN. We have already secured judgment at the Federal High Court. On what basis is he then acting?” Suleiman asked.
He announced that the protest was the commencement of a 30-day nationwide demonstration across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“This is day one. Our members in the 774 local government areas will be occupying CAC offices nationwide for the next 30 days until President Bola Tinubu removes the Registrar-General from office,” Suleiman said.
The protesters vowed to continue protesting peacefully until the federal government reverses the deregistration and holds individuals accountable within the CAC.
