Letter to IGP, Court Documents To Jail EFCC Boss For Contempt

 Earlier in the week the EFCC boss Abdulrasheed Bawa was sentenced to jail for the second time on grounds of disobeying court orders.

Here is the forwarding letter to the Inspector General

Malami: Naira Redesign Has Reduced Kidnapping, Corruption

 Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has said that the introduction of naira redesign policy by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reduced significantly the rate of kidnappings in the country.

The AGF, in an interview with Radio Nigeria Kaduna, said there were positive sides of the policy which were not considered.

A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court led by John Okoro had restrained the CBN from banning the use of the old naira notes – N200, N500 and N1,000 – from February 10.

The apex court made the ruling in an ex parte application brought by three states: Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara.

Reacting to the ruling on Friday, Malami said, “I told you the case is still in court, we will obey the court order but we also have right to explain to court the positive sides of the policy.

“If you see the negative side of it, you have to see the positive sides. If these governors told the court the hardships been experienced as a result of the policy, there are also some problems that the policy is solving.

“I gave you example of insecurity. Immediately this policy was introduced, the rampant kidnapping has drastically reduced. It also reduced rate of corruption, therefore we have right to go and explain to court these positive sides.

“The court gave order without listening to government side but it fixed 15 February to hear from the government.

“Everybody knows part of the reasons Nigerians elected President Muhammadu Buhari is to fight corruption, insecurity and boost economy. The policy was introduced considering these and we will ask court to look at both sides of it.

Lagos Police Command Reacts To

 Jakande Ward Chairman of Labour Party commendably reported an attack on his party members at Ilasan Division. Four injured persons have been given medical attention. DPO Ilasan has commenced preliminary investigations while SCID is to fully take over investigations.

The injured and other witnesses are assisting the Police with relevant information that would aid the apprehension and prosecution of the attackers.

This attack is reprehensible! It is verifiable that the Command had stationed, since yesterday, patrol vehicles and officers at the Tafawa Balewa Square venue of today’s rally. We had already secured the venue to prevent any breakdown of law and order.

The regrettable attack happened at about 15km away from the rally venue. As earlier stated, the SCID will take over investigations towards apprehending and prosecuting the attackers.

Osun Tribunal: Oyetola, APC Cross Appeal, Insists Adeleke Forged Certificate

 The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the July 16 2022 Governorship election, Adegboyega Oyetola, has approached the Appeal Court to further seek the disqualification of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun.

It will be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on July 17 announced Senator Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the July 16 Governorship election.

But Oyetola and his party, the APC, approached the court to challenge the victory on the grounds that there was over-voting and that Senator Ademola Adeleke was not eligible to run at the time.

After weeks of sitting, the Tribunal agreed with Oyetola and APC that they were able to prove a case of forgery against the Osun Governor but held that it was not enough to make him ineligible since he had acquired additional qualifications. 

The Tribunal however held that there was indeed over-voting and it deducted the invalid votes from the valid votes and declared Oyetola as winner of that election.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the Tribunal, INEC, Senator Ademola Adeleke and the PDP have all appealed the judgement.

In their own cross-Appeal, the APC and Oyetola through their Counsel, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN and Akin Olujimi, SAN, noted that the Tribunal misdirected itself when it held that the certificate from Atlanta Metropolitan College and a diploma certificate from Penn Foster High School are genuine.

"Exhibits 2R.RW6 and 2R.RW9 are documents which lied against each other, as Exhibit 2R.RW9 purports that the 2nd Cross- Respondent (Ademola Adeleke) obtained a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice within 24 days of obtaining Exhibit 2R.RW6, a Diploma Certificate which purports on its surface to be an equivalent of Secondary School Certificate.

"It is in evidence before the Tribunal that Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice of the Atlanta Metropolitan College is a four-year full time course which fact the Cross-Appellants pleaded in their petition and was admitted by the 2nd Cross-Respondent; It is the law that facts admitted need no further proof and it is a presumption which only the 2nd Cross-Respondent could rebut as regards the factual impossibility of obtaining a Bachelor's Degree within 24 days of obtaining a School Certificate equivalent, thereby casting the onus of proof on him," Oyetola's counsel noted.

Oyetola's counsel further contend, "Having found that forgery was proved by the petitioners against the 2nd cross/respondent in regard to his Exhibits EC9 and FILE D, the tribunal ought to have held pursuant to Section 182(1)(1) that the 2nd respondent was disqualified from contesting the Osun State Governorship election of July 16, 2022.

"Once forgery of a document is established against a candidate in an election, it voids his candidature and the forgery cannot be redeemed or cancelled out by any other document the candidate may have presented alongside the forged document. 

"The holding of the Tribunal that the 2nd Cross-Respondent (Ademola Adeleke) was nonetheless qualified to contest the election is inconsistent and in conflict with the clear provision of Section 182(1)(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

"The holding of the Tribunal runs contrary to Section 182(1)(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). The decision of the Tribunal on the qualification of the 2nd Respondent
was made per incuriam Section 182(1)(1) of the Constitution and hence is erroneous and perverse."

To this end, they want the Appeal Court to set aside the decision of the Tribunal which specifically said Senator Ademola Adeleke was qualified to run for the July 16 Governorship election even after establishing a forgery case against him.

APC Governors Are Suing Buhari, PDP Governors Are Supporting Him - Akinkuotu

 

Zulum’s Loyalists Dump APC For Labour Party In Borno

 Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) claimed to be loyalists of the Borno State Governor, Babangana Zulum, defected to the Labour Party (LP) weeks to the 2023 general elections.

Receiving the defectors at NLC’s Multi-Purpose Hall in Maiduguri on Friday, the acting secretary of LP in Borno State, Ishaku Yakubu said the defectors were loyalists of the Governor who resigned their membership of the APC to the Labour Party.

Yakubu assured the defectors that they would not regret joining the Labour Party, saying “everyone has equal rights in the LP”.

According to him, “in Labour Party, there is no discrimination, we are all equal, you that joined today are equal in status as we are, we are a one and united family”.

He urged all aggrieved members of the APC and PDP in Borno State to join the Labour Party in defeating APC in this year’s general elections.”

Declaring their support for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and the governorship candidate in the state, Ibrahim Kadafur, the leader of the defectors, Modu Gana Gudumbali said they decided to join LP because APC has brought hardship to Nigerians.

“We were loyal to our former boss Governor Zulum but we are not gaining anything in that government because the APC are not ready to listen to us, they are not given us room to know our problems in Northern Borno, particularly Gubio, Mobbar, Abadam and Guzamala.

“Five thousand of us decampees (sip) to Labour Party among us is Mustapha Kaka Gubio, Modu Mala APC, Isa Gabchirima, we well known by the Governor as diehard of the APC”.

“The ruling All Progressives Congress had sacked many teachers in Borno, look at issues of naira swap, many IDPs are now don’t have something to eat, no security, no electricity”.

“As far as I am concerned, there is no other candidate who has come up to offer what Obi is offering to the people of Nigeria.

“We want government that will be run by the patriotic people not by social media propaganda,” he said.

Lawan: Naira Redesign Making Life Difficult, No Need For Time Limit

 Senate President says naira redesign making life difficult for Nigerians, adds no need for time limit

Nigeria’s Senate President, Ahmad Lawan warned that the naira redesign policy of the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made life difficult for the majority of Nigerians, especially the most ordinary Nigerians across the country.

He added that the Senate supports the policy but sees no need for a time limit, as old notes should co-exist with new notes until they are phased out.

Lawan disclosed this in a press briefing on Friday with State House correspondents.

No time limit: The Senate President said now is the time to take a decision on the matter and have a second look at its mode of implementation urging that the Senate does not see a need for a time limit, as there should be a gradual phase-out of older notes, he said:

”For us in the Senate, initially we felt that this policy is not a bad policy but we are also feeling that there is no need for any time limit; [/b]allow the old and the new notes to co-exist until the old is phased out.

[b]“This is not going to be the first country to do it that way. Other countries have been doing it that way.

”To say that in three months it will be okay, it is not okay, especially in a country like ours where 80-90 per cent of the population have no access to banks.”

Hardships: He added that the policy is causing hardships for most Nigerians as the Senate calls for a decision to ease the suffering Nigerians are facing due to the policy.

“We had a private audience with the President after the Council of State meeting where we informed him in detail the resolutions of the two chambers of the National Assembly with respect to the redesign of our currency and the crisis of exchange or swap of the old currency with the new one.

“It is a known fact to everyone how life has been so difficult for the majority of Nigerians, especially the most ordinary Nigerians across the country.

”We felt that this is the time to take a decision that will ease the problems Nigerians are facing with respect to this.”

Lawan also revealed that lawmakers agreed that any economic policy that would be introduced must have a human component and should not be catastrophic for the lives of Nigerians.

The Council of State on Friday advised President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to print more redesigned naira notes or allow the new and old banknotes to circulate at the same time to ease the tension and hardship caused by the scarcity of the naira.

The Council which is the highest advisory organ approved the naira redesign policy of the CBN but faulted its implementation.

The meeting was chaired by President Buhari and included the former presidents Goodluck Jonathan; Yakubu Gowon, and Abdulsalami Abubakar as well as ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo who attended virtually, also in attendance were lawmakers and Governors.