Law

Imo group raises the alarm over alleged plots against A’Court President, Tribunal Members

Published

2 years ago

June 30, 2023

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***Condemns Planned State-sponsored Protest

A group Imo Political Stakeholders Forum have condemned the alleged conspiracy by agents of the Governor Hope Uzodinma administration in Imo state, to attack and blackmail the President of the Court of Appeal Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem and Tribunal Judges assigned to handle the election petitions in Imo state.

This was coming against the backdrop that the National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal for Imo State hitherto sitting at the Old High Court premises, was relocated to Nasarawa state and specifically to the High Court Complex, Opposite Shopping Malls, Mararaba Nyanya, Nasarawa State.”
The leader of the forum, Amb. Sam Nwandu alleged that there grand plot to embarrass, attack and denigrate the reputation of the President of the Court of Appeal and the relocated tribunal members, through a government-sponsored protest and press statements released by phantom groups backed by known agents of the government.

He said that the action of the state government has further confirmed why the vast majority of Imo people commended the relocation of the tribunal to Nasarawa state, to enable the tribunal dispassionately discharge it’s duties and dispense justice without fear or intimidation, both of which have become the Hallmark of the Imo state government.

Nwandu continued: “The truth is that Uzodinma and his ilks do not want any system or institution that will interrogate their atrocities in the last election.
“It is widely believed that the Tribunal may have refused to ‘play ball’ which was why it was initially difficult for the Tribunal to get a venue to conduct their hearing, after many twists and turns from the government.
“And when hearings were progressing, suddenly, the tribunal members were reportedly threatened to shut down proceedings in Imo or risk their lives.
“With the ugly stories emanating from Imo state, any responsible judicial system will speedily move the tribunal out of Imo, to safety, beyond the reach of those who play politics with human lives. And that exactly, was what the President of the Court of Appeal did and for which he has been singled out for the assault by the enemies of due process and rule of law.”
Nwandu added: “I dare say that the Tribunal members were lucky that they have left Imo state as they may have suffered similar fate with officials of the National Industrial Court in Imo state, who were beaten, abducted and dumped in cells, forcing the Industrial Court Judge to flee the state for fear of his life, after similar state-protest and bonfires were set up in front of his official quarters.

“We therefore urge the President of the Court of Appeal, to ignore Uzodinma’s familiar political antics and focus on giving Nigerians justice in all situations. Like we said in an earlier release, this relocation will give the judges the right atmosphere to look into how election results above Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), was announced by the electoral body, INEC.
“Most of the actual results of the Feb 25th House of Reps, Senate and House of Assembly elections of March 18, were in no doubt contrary to original results as voted by the indigenes in that election.

“INEC BVAS was active during the February and March 18 State Assembly election including the supplementary election and going by the uploaded results through www.inecelectionresults.ng, what INEC declared was in complete variance with the uploaded figures by BVAS.

“For instance, in Okigwe Federal Constituency, the total accreditation uploaded in the INEC BVAS machine was not same with the huge figures of over 40,000 used in declaring APC winner against the Labour Party that won the election.

“In Owerri municipal where less than 14,000 was accredited over 70,000 was used to declare APC winner against the Labour Party Candidate, in the State Assembly seat for Ideato North local government, the PDP scored 5,063 votes as against the APC of 4,097 votes and the result was uploaded on INEC server but APC was declared winner against the PDP candidate who won the election with figures above inec accreditation record.
“In Mbaitoli Federal constituency won by Labour, accreditation figures was manipulated to declare APC winner in a Supplementary election they lost.

“In Oguta/Ohaji/Oru West Federal constituency that PDP candidate Kingsley Uju was leading despite being hunted arrested on election day by Uzodinma’s hatchet men, APC was declared winner with election figures above the BVAS recorded accreditation figures. In Orlu Federal Constituency which was lost by APC, figures above accreditation numbers were used to declare APC winner.

“In Okigwe Senate and Orlu Senate, results were announced in favour of APC with fabricated figures above the total number of votes accredited by the BVAS machine. It was same situation in Ahiazu Mbaise where results was announced with fake BVAS accreditation figures in favour of APC.

“Our contention is that these issues should be looked at critically by the Judges and ensure that justice is served in the hope of restoring citizens confidence in the electoral process.”

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Law

MAMBILLA: Court halts proceedings, adjurns over EFCC’s invalid prosecution witness against Agunloye

Published

10 months ago

May 30, 2024

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The hearing of the criminal charges against the former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr. Olu Agunloye, which formally began at the FCT Court Thursday, 30 May 2024 before the same Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie was stalled over presentation of invalid prosecution witness by EFCC against Agunloye

EFCC is prosecuting Dr. Agunloye for “awarding in 2003 a $6 billion Build, Operate and Transfer $¾(BOT) contract without cash backing, disobeying oral directives of the President, forging his own letter as a sitting Minister and receiving a retroactive bribe of N3.6 million 16 years after.” To prove its case, EFCC has listed seven witnesses excluding former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who had earlier volunteered to testify at the court.

At the court, EFCC presented its first Prosecution Witness (PW1), Mr Adewale as “representative of the Guaranty Trust Bank”. He was brought to discuss the GTBank statement of accounts presented by EFCC. But the moment Mr Adewale disclosed that he was not in the employment of GTBank, the defence lawyers quickly pointed out the aberration to the court which immediately halted the presentation of Mr Adewale. The court promptly stopped the proceedings and adjourned the hearing till Monday, 10 June 2024 to enable the EFCC regularise its Prosecution Witness Number One.

It will be recalled that the former Minister, Dr. Olu. Agunloye, has consistently asserted that he did not commit any crime, and that EFCC is prosecuting him to corroborate FGN’s pleas at the arbitration in France hoping to free FGN from liabilities in the Arbitration even though FGN knows that the issues that led to the international arbitration were caused under Buhari’s APC Government and not by Agunloye. However, Agunloye will have to combat the emergent bias, prejudice, and prejudgment on the part of the trial judge and has to struggle very hard for justice in Nigeria.

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Law

EFCC to arraign Bello on Thursday over alleged N80.2b money laundering

Published

11 months ago

April 17, 2024

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has indicated it will on Thursday, April 18, 2024 arraign a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

The antigraft agency said Bello will be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite alongside three other suspects, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu on 19- count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of N80, 246,470, 088.88
The arraignment is being perfected following a warrant of arrest and enrolment order granted the EFCC by the court on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

Count one of the charges reads: That you, Yahaya Adoza Bello, Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu( Still at large), sometime, in February, 2016, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to convert the total sum of N80, 246,470, 088.88 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit, criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering ( Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended”.

Count 17 of the charges read: “That you Yahaya Bello between 26th July 2021 to 6th April 2022 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court aided E-Traders International Limited to conceal the aggregate sum of N3081,804,654.00( Three Billion, Eighty One Million Eight Hundred and Four Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Four Naira) in account number 1451458080 domiciled in Access BankPlc, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful activity to wit, criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a), 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering ( Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15( 3) of the same Act.

Count 18 of the charges reads: “That you Yahaya Adoza Bello sometime in November 2021 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court indirectly procured E-Traders international Limited to transfer the aggregate sum of $570,330.00( Five Hundred and Seventy Thousand , Three Hundred and Thirty Dollars) to account number 4266644272 domiciled in TD Bank, United States of America which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful activity to wit, criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering ( Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15( 3) of the same Act”.

“The Commission’s attempt to execute the Warrant of Arrest lawfully obtained against Bello met stiff resistance on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The security cordon around the former governor’s residence in Abuja was breached by the current Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo who ensured that the suspect was spirited away in his official vehicle.
“As a responsible law enforcement agency, the EFCC exercised restraint in the face of the provocation, waiting for his arraignment on Thursday, April 18, 2024.

“It is needful to state that Bello is not above the law and would be brought to justice as soon as possible.”

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Law

Court bars Ganduje from parading himself as member of APC

Published

11 months ago

April 17, 2024

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Yhe Kano State High Court has granted an ex parte order restraining the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, from parading himself as a member of the party.

The court ordered that Ganduje must refrain from presiding over all affairs of the National Working Committee of the APC.

The application waa said to have been granted by Justice Usman Na’abba on Tuesday, following an ex parte motion filed by Dr. Ibrahim Sa’ad on behalf of two executive members of Ganduje’s ward, Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area, the Assistant Secretary, Laminu Sani and Legal Adviser, Haladu Gwanjo (plaintiffs), who were part of the nine ward executives who suspended Ganduje on Monday.

The court directed the four parties (respondents) joined in the matter, including the APC, NWC, APC Kano State Working Committee, and Ganduje, to henceforth, maintain status quo ante belum as of April 15th,2024 pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit on April 30th 2024

Justice Na’abba, also held as prayed, stopped State Working Committee APC Kano from interfering with the legally and validly considered decision of executives of Ganduje ward, essentially on action endorsed by a two-thirds majority of the executives as provided by the party constitution.

The ex parte order read,, “An order is hereby granted directing all parties in the suit APC (first), APC National Working Committee (second), Kano State Working Committee APC (third), Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje (fourth), to maintain status quo ante belum as of April 15, 2024.
“The order thereby restraining the first respondent (APC) from recognising the fourth respondent (Ganduje) as a member of APC and prohibiting the fourth respondent (Ganduje) from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state Working Committee from interfering with the legally and validly decision of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.

“That the fourth respondent (Ganduje}is prohibited from parading himself as a . member of APC or doing any act that may _ portray him or seem to be a member of APC pending the hearing and determination of the
substantive suit.”

Nine members of the Ganduje ward proclaimed the suspension of the National Chairman of the APC over the allegation of corruption slammed on him by the Kano State Government.

The nine APC executives said they were prompted to act following a petition written by one Ja’afaru Adamu, a member of the AP from the National chairman’s polling unit.

in the petition, Adamu complained over allegations of corruption charges against the
former governor just as he urged the ward leaders to investigate the matter to redeem the dented image of the party and the implication on President Bola Tinubu’s fight against corruption.

Although the chairman and secretary of the ward failed to act on the petition filed en April 8, 2024, nine members of the executives, led by the legal adviser, acted upon the petition, a decision that led to Ganduje’s suspension.

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