The Court of Appeal sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has dismissed the case brought by the Atheist Society of Nigeria, against the judgment of the Akwa Ibom High Court which had earlier held that the Atheist Society of Nigeria had no locus standi to challenge the Powers of the Government of Akwa Ibom State to build a befitting the International Worship Centre for its people.
In a unanimous decision, the Three- Man Panel held that the Atheist lacked the locus standi to challenge the building of the International Worship Centre in the State.
The court held that Akwa Ibom State Government did not violate any provision of the Constitution of the Federal Government of Nigeria by leading the Akwa Ibom people to build a befitting Worship Centre for God.
The court awarded a cost of N100 thousand in favour of the Government of Akwa Ibom State.
Akwa State Government was represented by former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN.
The construction of the International Worship Centre, which is primarily funded by the good people of Akwa Ibom State and other willing donors, has elicited unnecessary firestorm, fueled and kept alive by a section of the political class
The politicization of the construction of the International Worship Centre by some politicians has been condemned by majority of the people , given the status of the state as a largely Christian State.
They agreed that some politicians who, have since moved to other political parties are using the issue of the worship centre as a campaign issue and are believed to have supported the case to the Appeal Court.
“Now that the Appeal Court has dismissed the case and okayed the completion and commissioning of this project, I wonder where they will now go to seek their redress. It is very sad that politicians from a largely Christian State will be fighting against the construction of the worship centre and these are the same people who want to rule the state,” Barr Stephen Abia, a social affairs commentator told reporters.
“If they could work with atheists and non- believers, it tells you where our state would be if they were to be given power. Thank God our people know them and their moral underpinnings and will never support them”, he stated
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