Why we couldn’t intervene in NASS rejection of El-Rufai as minister – Gov Sule

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has stated that the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) cannot intervene in the ongoing ministerial nomination ordeal of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

Sule, a member of the PGF and a prominent figure within the All Progressives Congress (APC), clarified that despite El-Rufai’s rejection by the National Assembly in August 2023, the former governor remains a member of the APC.

He emphasized that the governors’ forum does not have the authority to address or alter the decision regarding El-Rufai’s nomination.

“El-Rufai has not left our party; he is still part of our party,” Sule said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday

“What led to his (El-Rufai’s) nomination, what led to his rejection by the Senate or by the security agencies, to be honest with you, are not issues we discussed either at the Progressives Governors’ Forum or even the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. They are not issues because what doesn’t concern us, we can do nothing about it.

“It is the prerogative of Mr President to nominate whoever should be his minister and he nominated. Also, there are agencies including the National Assembly that either confirm or reject and they rejected (him),” said the Nasarawa governor.

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El-Rufai was one of the northern powerbrokers who insisted that the APC presidential ticket for the 2023 general elections be given to a southern candidate in line with the unwritten principle of rotation of power between the southern and the northern regions in Nigeria.

This was after the eight-year tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, from the North-West geopolitical zone.

El-Rufai, who was Kaduna governor between May 2015 and May 2023, was vocal in his choice of ex-Lagos governor Bola Tinubu as the flag bearer of the party in the last general elections.

The then Kaduna governor, alongside his northern colleagues, backed Tinubu against two other northern juggernauts who were also aspirants – – then Senate President Ahmad Lawan and ex-Jigawa governor, Mohammed Badaru.

Tinubu later clinched the APC ticket and was elected Nigeria’s president during the February 2023 presidential poll.

In Nigeria’s political turf where compensation politics has become almost a norm, Tinubu nominated El-Rufai as one of his ministers three months after his inauguration.

However, El-Rufai fell out with the movers and shakers in the current government and was rejected by the Senate during the ministerial screening process. The upper legislative chamber cited security reasons from the Department of State Services as one of the reasons for his rejection.

Since the August 2023 incident, El-Rufai has not been seen in a gathering of APC chieftains. The former governor has also not been seen around the Aso Villa, the seat of power, or near the president whom he vigorously campaigned for in the last poll.

Conversely, El-Rufai has been spotted with chieftains of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) fuelling defection rumours, which he has dismissed.

Platinumpost reports that El-Rufai’s relationship with his successor, Uba Sani, in Kaduna, has turned sour with the state assembly probing his eight-year administration for alleged corruption, an allegation denied by the ex-governor.

Why we couldn’t intervene in NASS rejection of El-Rufai as minister – Gov Sule

45 Rivers elders back Wike, knock Odili over ‘disparaging’ comments

Worried over the raging political turbulence, Rivers State Elders Council has warned some individuals stoking the embers of crisis between the minister of the federal capital territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike and the former Governor Peter Odili to desist from the act.

Cybercrime: Convicted ‘Young billionaire’, forfeits N90m, $2,200, Abuja, Lagos properties

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the forfeiture of $2,200 in cash, N90,280,934, and several properties located in Abuja and Lagos following the conviction of a cybercrime suspect, Chima Hyginus Nkwocha, also known as “Young Billionaire.”

The Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Nkwocha on charges of impersonation and money laundering, according to an EFCC statement released on Wednesday.

Nkwocha was arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, following his arrest in August 2024 at the Lugbe area of Abuja, based on intelligence received by the EFCC’s Advanced Fee Fraud Section.

EFCC Allegations 

• Nkwocha was accused of impersonating individuals, including Frank Nils, Frank Cobert, Frank Brown, and Chiress Riffatt, using Gmail and Google Voice to defraud Linda Wheeler, an American citizen, for $345,000.
• He reportedly received the naira equivalent of the funds through Ginux Global Nigeria Ltd’s Zenith Bank account.
• The EFCC prosecution counsel, Lanre Adeola Olanrewaju, presented evidence including the defendant’s extrajudicial statements admitting to the crime, as well as electronic devices, forensic investigation reports, and other materials.

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Count one of the EFCC’s charges read:  “That you, Chima Hyginus Nkwocha (AKA Frank Nils, Frank Cobert, Frank Brown, and Chiress Riffatt), sometime in 2022 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did fraudulently impersonate Frank Nils, Frank Cobert, Frank Brown, and Chiress Riffatt on Gmail and Google Voice using the Gmail addresses, [email protected] and [email protected] with intent to defraud, fraudulently obtaining a cumulative sum of Three Hundred and Forty-Five Thousand Dollars ($345,000) from Linda Wheeler, an American, and receiving the naira equivalent through Ginux Global Nigeria Limited with account number 1228782493 domiciled in Zenith Bank, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 22(2) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22(4) of the Act.” 

The EFCC disclosed to the court that items recovered during Nkwocha’s arrest included:

• A black Mercedes Benz ML 350 with registration number B-2 and chassis number 4JGDA5HB9DA105827
• Two gold necklaces with pendants, one gold bracelet
• $2,200 in cash and N90,280,934 in a Ginux Global Nigeria Ltd Zenith Bank account (account number 1228782493), for which Nkwocha was the sole signatory
• A three-bedroom terrace duplex at Cookies Court 2, 2nd Avenue, Ocean Palm Estate, Ogombo, Sangotedo, Ajah, Lagos
• A three-bedroom bungalow and two self-contained apartments on Plot B023, Standard Estate, Galadima, Abuja
• A plot of land measuring 300 square meters at Eko Beach City, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos
• Two Zenith Bank drafts worth N5,000,000 and N3,000,000, dated September 12, 2024, and October 17, 2024, respectively
• An iPhone 13 Pro Max, a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

What Transpired In Court  

• At the resumed hearing in December, Nkwocha pleaded guilty to the charges. The defence counsel raised no objections to the EFCC’s evidence, admitting all the exhibits.
• Prosecution counsel Olanrewaju urged the court to convict Nkwocha in line with laws against cybercrime and money laundering.
• Justice Nwite convicted and sentenced Nkwocha on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, to two years imprisonment with an option of a N2,000,000 fine.
• The court also ordered the forfeiture of all items and properties to the Federal Government of Nigeria, declaring them proceeds of crime.
• EFCC quoted the judge as stating that the forfeited items included the black Mercedes Benz ML 350, gold jewelry, $2,200 cash, N90,280,934 in the Zenith Bank account, properties in Lagos and Abuja, Zenith Bank drafts, and electronic devices recovered from Nkwocha.

The conviction underscores Nigeria’s ongoing fight against financial crimes. However, the Federal High Court’s verdict remains subject to appeal by any aggrieved party.

Cybercrime: Convicted ‘Young billionaire’, forfeits N90m, $2,200, Abuja, Lagos properties