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BREAKING: Court dismisses Fubara’s appeal, affirms Amaewhule as Speaker of Rivers Assembly

Published

6 days ago

October 10, 2024

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara

BREAKING: Court dismisses Fubara’s appeal, affirms Amaewhule as Speaker of Rivers Assembly

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, affirmed Hon. Martin Amaewhule as the authentic Speaker of the Rivers State Assembly.

The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices, equally validated the Amaewhule-led members of the Assembly as bonafide lawmakers for the state.

While dismissing an appeal that was lodged before it by Governor Siminalaye Fubara, the court upheld a judgement the Federal High Court delivered on January 22, which nullified the 2024 budget of Rivers State on the premise that it was not presented before members of the state assembly that were known to the law.

According to the appellate court, Fubara, shot himself on the foot when he voluntarily withdrew a counter-affidavit he filed to challenge a legal action the Amaewhule-led lawmakers instituted to be recognised as valid members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The court held that governor Fubara’s decision to present the 2024 Rivers State Appropriation Bill to only four out of 31 members of the Assembly, amounted to a gross violation of section 91 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

It will be recalled that the Rivers State Assembly was fractionalised owing to the frosty relationship between Governor Fubara and his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike.

In the heat of the fracas, governor Fubara sidelined the Amaewhule-led 26 members of the House that were loyal to Wike and presented the state’s N800billion 2024 budget before the four lawmakers led by Hon. Edison Ehie who had emerged as a factional Speaker of the Assembly.

The Ehie-led faction, which had also declared seats of the Amaewhule-led pro-Wike lawmakers vacant for defecting to the All Progressives Congress, APC, from the Peoples Democratic Party, promptly passed the budget which was quickly assented to by Governor Fubara.

Meanwhile, following the intervention of President Bola Tinubu, both Fubara and Wike signed a peace pact that included the restoration of Amaewhule as the bonafide Speaker of the State Assembly.

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The factional Speaker, Ehie, who had approached the court and was joined as an interested party in the suit, subsequently withdrew all the processes he filed before the court and equally rescinded both his seat and his membership of the Assembly.

Whereas Governor Fubara, in line with terms of the peace deal, withdrew all the processes he filed to challenge the suit, however, the pro-Wike lawmakers only withdrew an impeachment notice they served on him while they declined to terminate their legal action.

While deciding the suit, Justice James Omotosho of the high court held that the budget was invalid as it was not properly presented before the Rivers State House of Assembly as required by the law.

It held that Governor Fubara acted like a tyrant when he demolished the Rivers State Assembly complex and withheld funds standing to the credit of the legislative house.

The court also described as unconstitutional, the redeployment of the Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the Rivers State Assembly by Governor Fubara.

Justice Omotosho stressed that the governor lacked the statutory rights to interfere with the operations of the Assembly, adding that he acted in contempt of a subsisting order that barred the parties from taking any steps to overreach the matter that was pending before the court.

Besides, the court held that the National Assembly could not take over the legislative affairs of the state in the absence of the preconditions that were listed under section 11 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

Consequently, the court, among other things, nullified all actions the Rivers Assembly took without the participation of the Amaewhule-led members of the House, among which included the presentation of the state appropriation bill.

It issued an order of injunction, restraining Governor Fubara from impeding or frustrating the operations of the Assembly under Amaewhule’s leadership as its speaker.

It ordered the governor to release all funds standing to the credit of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

While upholding the verdict of the lower court, the appellate court held that Fubara conceded to the Amaewhule-led lawmakers when he withdrew all the processes he filed against their suit.

“A party must be consistent in the presentation of its case. A party cannot approbate and reprobate or blow hot and cold at the same time,” the appellate court held.

It held that the orders of the trial court were appropriate given the circumstance of the case, saying the appeal Fubara filed before it amounted to an academic exercise.

Accordingly, it ordered Fubara to pay a cost of N500,000 to each of the Respondents in the appeal marked: CA/ABJ/CV/133/2024.

BREAKING: Court dismisses Fubara’s appeal, affirms Amaewhule as Speaker of Rivers Assembly

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Senate demands apology from Libya over Super Eagles’ maltreatment

Published

4 hours ago

October 16, 2024

Trends Admin

Senate demands apology from Libya over Super Eagles’ maltreatment

The Nigerian Senate has called on the Libyan government to issue a formal apology to Nigeria following the ill-treatment of the Super Eagles, the senior male football team, during their visit to Libya.

The issue arose after Libya’s 1-0 loss to Nigeria in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday. Both teams were scheduled for a rematch in Benina for their fourth Group D encounter in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.

On Sunday, the Super Eagles departed for Libya, but the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) reported that the team’s flight, which was an hour away from Benghazi, was unexpectedly diverted to Al Abraq, a city more than two hours from their intended destination.

Upon landing, the Super Eagles were left stranded, with no transportation or assistance provided by the Libyan Football Federation.

As a result, the Nigerian team was stranded at the airport for over 12 hours, prompting them to threaten to pull out of the AFCON qualifier against Libya. The incident sparked outrage among football fans and officials alike.

During Tuesday’s plenary, Senator Sulaiman Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (Kano South), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, raised a motion condemning Libya’s actions.

He criticized the Libyan authorities for failing to adhere to international sports best practices, stressing that such treatment was unacceptable.

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The Senate urged the Libyan government to apologize for the disrespect shown to Nigeria’s national team, emphasizing the need for fair treatment and respect in international sports relations.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Barau I. Jibrin, who presided over the session said, “The essence of sports is to promote unity and competition and enhance brotherhood among the countries on the continent. The way our players were treated is terrible and condemnable.

“Fortunately, you (Kawu) have come through a personal explanation, and this is what we intended it to do because we don’t want a diplomatic row. So, we call on the ambassador and whoever is concerned and the authorities to come out and apologise for what they have done to our national team.”

Earlier in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon Eseme Eyiboh, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.

Akpabio said, “We demand a thorough investigation from the Disciplinary Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and appropriate sanctions to be meted out against those involved.

“It is also imperative that the Libyan authorities take immediate action to investigate this incident and ensure that those responsible are held accountable to prevent future occurrences.”

Senate demands apology from Libya over Super Eagles’ maltreatment

News

Soludo rejects LG autonomy, signs bill to deduct from council allocations

Published

4 hours ago

October 16, 2024

Trends Admin

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo

Soludo rejects LG autonomy, signs bill to deduct from council allocations

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, on Tuesday passed into law a bill for local government administration in the state.

The governor said granting full autonomy to local government areas in the country was impractical and could lead to “humongous chaos” and hinder sustainable development.

He spoke in Awka on Tuesday after signing the “Anambra Local Government Administration Law 2024”.

The Anambra bill, which was passed by the State House of Assembly last Thursday, provides a framework for local government administration within Anambra.

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“The absolute autonomy to the 774 local government areas in the country is an impossibility,” Soludo said.

“In fact, it is a recipe for humongous chaos. The attendant challenges before the issue of local government autonomy are such that would certainly deepen the fate of the system and spell doom for the expected beneficiaries of the process if not well planned.”

Soludo explained that the new laws are consequential to the Supreme Court judgment and not intended to undermine it.

“The new laws by Anambra House of Assembly are therefore consequential to give operational life to the Supreme Court judgment and not to undermine it,” Soludo stated. “If the State House of Assembly abdicates this constitutional duty, the Local Government will then have no law on the use and management of its finance.”

Newstrends reports that the bill requires local government areas (LGAs) to remit a portion of their federal allocations into a consolidated account controlled by the state.

Section 13(1) of the bill stipulates that the state shall maintain a “State Joint Local Government Account” into which all federal allocations to LGAs must be deposited. Section 14(3) of it mandates that each LGA must remit a state-determined percentage to the consolidated account within two working days of receiving their allocations.

Meanwhile, Section 14(4) outlines that if the state receives the LGA’s allocation on their behalf, it must deduct the specified percentage before disbursing the remaining funds to the LGA.

Soludo rejects LG autonomy, signs bill to deduct from council allocations

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Ahead Ondo poll, PDP demands removal of INEC commissioner

Published

5 hours ago

October 16, 2024

Trends Admin

Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Oluwatoyin Babalola.

Ahead Ondo poll, PDP demands removal of INEC commissioner

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday expressed lack of confidence in the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo state, Oluwatoyin Babalola.

The governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, therefore called on the national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu Mahmoud, to remove the commissioner ahead of the governorship election slated for November 16 in the state.

Makinde made the call while addressing a crowd of party supporters in Akure during the official flag-off ceremony of the 2024 Ondo state PDP governorship election campaign.

The Oyo state governor, who is also the PDP south-west leader, said the removal of the REC would prevent what happened during the last gubernatorial election in Edo state and ensure a free, fair and credible election in Ondo.

He warned that the opposition party would not fold its arms and allow a repeat of the drama that characterised the Edo election in Ondo.

Makinde asked Mahmoud to deploy another REC that will be fair and allow a level playing field in order to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.

He said: “This message is for the INEC national chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmoud. You must remove the REC in Ondo state, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola.

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“The last governorship election in Edo state was a fraud and we don’t want that in Ondo state. The current REC is from Ondo state. We don’t want her to conduct this election. We will not condone injustice.

“What they did in Edo will not succeed in Ondo. We will protest until she is removed. Bring another REC that will be fair, that will allow a level playing field. We as PDP aren’t afraid of any contest. Remove her or else, we will continue to protest.”

Also, the PDP governorship candidate, Agboola Ajayi, asked for the deployment of Babalola from the state, saying the REC would not be fair if allowed to conduct the poll.

“Ondo REC must be redeployed. She was born here. Her parents live here. She can never be fair in this election. We don’t want her in Ondo state. Babalola must leave,” Ajayi said.

Agboola promised to diligently implement his 7-key agenda for the state which includes infrastructure, agriculture and health development.

The Chairman, Ondo National Campaign Council, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state, described the PDP candidate, Ajayi, as a tested hand.

The PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagun, said: “We don’t want what happened in Edo state in Ondo state.

“We want free, fair and credible elections in Ondo state. Our governorship candidate, Agboola Ajayi, is a well tested candidate that can deliver dividends of democracy for the good people of Ondo state.”