Law
Nasarawa tribunal judgement; Gov Sule under pressure to jettison appeal

From Abel Abogonye, Lafia
The embattled governor of Nasarawa State Abdullahi Sule is being pressured by political allies, party stalwarts and well meaning Nigerians to conceed defeat as pronounced by the Election Petition Tribunal justices who nullified his victory of the 28th March governorship election
Our reporter who monitored daily TV program on TVC News, noted that Nigerians were unanimous in their reactions to the tribunal judgement and thereby appealed to the governor to display the spirit of sportsmanship following the outcome of the judgement.
According to those who spoke while reacting to the judgement, forging ahead collectively for the development of Nasarawa state was the best way forward adding that these can be realized only when governor Abdullahi Sule toe the part of honour by accepting defeat.
APC lawyer, Dr Mubarak Adekilekun had appeared on the TVC station for an interview where he was said to have spoken against the judgement.
An Adamawa state indegene who identified himself as Emmanuel Bako wondered how a lawyer of repute will come before a National Television to disown issues that were obvious and in line with the law upon which the tribunal judgement was based
He argued that over voting in Gayam and Ciroma wards of Lafia local government were clear issue of manipulation, maintaining that results presented by the APC manually could not have been more authentic than the results uploaded from the INEC Biometric capturing machines.
Other Nigerians however, argued that the issue with the Nasarawa governorship election can not be in any way liken to the situation in Kano state.
“We are Nigerians and we have been monitoring the electoral processes in Nasarawa state. We therefore hold strongly that governor Abdullahi Sule ought to have congratulated the PDP candidate, David Emmanuel Ombugadu for the overwhelming support received from the people of Nasarawa State during the March governorship election”.
“We are not judges but it is wrong for a political party to describe a tribunal pronouncement as a monumental error. APC should not be a judge in their own case rather they should seek further legal redress instead of using a fowl language to describe a judgement delivered by a competent court
Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the State has congratulated its members over the verdict of the governorship election tribunal which affirmed their candidate, Hon.David Emmanuel Ombugadu as the rightful and lawful elected governor of Nasarawa State.
In a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Ibrahim Hamza, the party said the victory did not come as a surprise because justice was served at last and correctly too.
The statement further called on party members and supporters to remain calm and celebrate moderately as well remain resolute as the party’s legal team is working hard to ensure total victory at all levels of the judicial process.
The statement commended the tribunal for “the painstaken attention to details, and the decision that was arrived based on merit of the case and did not allowed itself to be hoodwinked by mere technicalities, which the Respondents obviously wanted so badly.”
The party further revealed that following the outcome of the meeting with security services, all political parties were advised to restrict their political activities and those of the supporters to respective party offices and residence of the candidate for now, in the interests of peace in the state at large.
The party therefore advised its members against the use of vulgar words that could ignite tension and inflame passion capable of threatening peaceful coexistence or cause harm to persons or properties anywhere in the state.
Explaining that the security services have already upped their game in vigilance in order to forestall any unpleasant outcome and that mischief makers will be on their own.
Subsequently, the statement added, that the State PDP Chairman Hön Francis Orogu has directed all LG chairmen of the party to ensure compliance with the directive in the interest of peace in the state.
Meanwhile statewide celebration has continued since Monday till now. Both Muslims, christians and traditionalists have joined in the celebration across villages and communities in the state and beyond over the victory of David Ombugadu.
Law
MAMBILLA: Court halts proceedings, adjurns over EFCC’s invalid prosecution witness against Agunloye

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

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.”
Law
Court bars Ganduje from parading himself as member of APC

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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