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BREAKING: Appeal Court upholds Inuwa Yahaya’s election as Gombe Gov

Published

6 months ago

November 23, 2023

Inuwa Yahaya

BREAKING: Appeal Court upholds Inuwa Yahaya’s election as Gombe Gov

The Court of Appeal in Abuja confirmed Inuwa Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the legitimately elected governor of Gombe State on Thursday.

The appellate court, in a unanimous ruling by a three-member panel of justices, dismissed as without merit an appeal brought by the PDP’s candidate, Jibrin Barde, to contest the outcome of the state’s gubernatorial election on March 18.

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The court found no basis to overturn the Gombe State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s decision, which certified Yahaya’s election victory as governor on September 23.

BREAKING: Appeal Court upholds Inuwa Yahaya’s election as Gombe Gov

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Fubara can’t change House of Assembly venue – Falana

Published

28 mins ago

May 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Femi Falana

Fubara can’t change House of Assembly venue – Falana

A human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has said Governor Simi Fubara of Rivers State can’t arrogate the power and functions of the legislature to himself.

Falana said this in reaction to the executive order by Fubara relocating the sitting of the house of assembly to the government house.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Falana faulted Fubara’s move, saying the legislature is not an extension of the executive but an independent arm of the government.

He explaining that since both arms of government are independent of each other, Fubara cannot change the sitting venue of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“I would like to assume that the governor issued that executive order before the intervention of the High Court in Rivers State,” Falana said on the show.

“The house is independent of the executive. So the governor cannot tell the house where to sit.”

Fubara had on Friday issued an executive order for the immediate and temporary relocation of the sitting of the Rivers State Assembly to the Auditorium, Admin Block of the Government House, Port Harcourt.

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In an official Gazette, Executive Order of the Rivers State Government 001-2023, Fubara cited the unsafe state of the House of Assembly complex.

But Falana insisted that Fubara was wrong to move the sitting venue of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and referenced an impeachment of a governor done outside the premises of the House of Assembly which was nullified by the Supreme Court.

“This was very clear in the Oyo State case which led to the impeachment of Governor Ladoja whereby under the influence of the late Chief Lamidi Adedibu, the House was alleged to have sat in a hotel and the Supreme Court made that point abundantly clear that an impeachment carried out in a hotel deviates clearly from the Constitution,” the human rights lawyer said.

“So any sitting of the House outside the premise of the House of Assembly complex will not be known to law; will not be recognized by law.”

He said if there is a need for a sitting elsewhere, the members of the House of Assembly, properly constituted, will have to decide where to carry out their meeting.

“There is a separation of powers under the Constitution and each organ of the government must recognise its own powers and limitations,” he said.

Fubara can’t change House of Assembly venue – Falana

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EFCC to work with UK prosecutors in Diezani’s case

Published

34 mins ago

May 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke

EFCC to work with UK prosecutors in Diezani’s case

There were indications at the weekend that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will apply to a United Kingdom court as an interested party in the trial of a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

A team of the anti-graft commission is billed for London to begin the process of filing papers as a party to the case.

The EFCC may also avail the UK court of its findings and the forfeiture order of a high court in Abuja on the former minister’s $2.5 million homes and cars.

Diezani has been on trial in the Southwark Crown Court in the UK for an alleged £100,000 bribe.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) alleged that Diezani might have “benefitted from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties”.

On October 2, 2023, a Magistrate Court granted bail to the ex-Minister for £70,000 after deeming her “a flight risk.”

The hearing of Diezani’s case will begin in November 2025.

According to a source, the EFCC is seeking to be an interested party in the case to enable Nigeria to have access to assets which may be seized from the ex-minister.

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The source said: “This country may not be able to retrieve questionable assets from Diezani if the EFCC does not file an application as an interested party.

“We have received an advisory on this important bend to Diezani’s trial and we will be part of the case in the UK.

“A team will leave for London any moment from now to explore legal opportunities and file necessary papers as an interested party.

“The overall aim is for Nigeria to benefit from Diezani’s trial, especially the recovery of all assets linked to funds looted in this country.

“The EFCC has sufficient evidence against Diezani, including a court order on the former minister’s $2.5million homes and cars.

“In another case, a former chairman of EFCC confirmed that the commission recovered $153million and secured the final forfeiture of over 80 properties in Nigeria valued at about $80million.

“The allegations against Diezani by the EFCC border on alleged stealing of about $2.5 billion from Nigeria’s coffers as a minister.

“It is necessary for this nation to rise to the occasion because, in March 2023, the NCA also provided evidence to the US Department of Justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling $53.1 million linked to Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.

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“Like the P&ID case, the EFCC has sufficient evidence to pull through a case against Diezani. We want all stolen, diverted and questionable assets back in the custody of Nigeria for the good use of our citizens.”

The source added: “I think the EFCC is collaborating with the NCA in the UK on this.

“It is also unclear if the UK court will ask Diezani to return to Nigeria to serve prison terms if convicted. This is why we also need to be an interested party in the case in the UK.”

Last year, the Head of the NCA’s international corruption unit (ICU), Andy Kelly, said the “charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation”.

“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries.

“We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat.”

Diezani was arrested in London in 2015 shortly after stepping down as minister, and was charged in August with six bribery offences.

She has spent more than eight years on police bail, living in St John’s Wood, an expensive area of London.

EFCC to work with UK prosecutors in Diezani’s case

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Tinubu won’t allow frustration of Rivers State Govt operations – Presidency

Published

1 hour ago

May 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Siminalayi Fubara, Nyesom Wike

Tinubu won’t allow frustration of Rivers State Govt operations – Presidency

The Presidency, yesterday, said President Bola Tinubu will not take sides between Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara over the ongoing political crisis rocking Rivers State.

This came as the Rivers State government, yesterday took a swipe at the Abdulahi Ganduje-led All Progressives Congress, APC, over comment that Governor Siminalayi Fubara has committed impeachable offence.

The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson in Port Harcourt, said Ganduje has no legal ground to talk about the impeachment of Governor Fubara.

Also, Rivers State elders and leaders in Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and All Progressives Congress, APC, said to be loyal to Federal Capital Territory, FTC, Minister, Nyesom Wike, warned Governor Fubara not to tamper with structures at the House of Assembly quarters.

Meanwhile, court-suspended factional Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule has insisted that the structures at the Assembly quarters were in excellent condition, fully functional and currently occupied by the lawmakers and their family members.

In another development, youths of Rivers State have urged President Bola Tinubu to take action and call his FTC Minister, Wike, to order over the continued political crisis in the state.

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Tinubu won’t take sides between Wike, Fubara

Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Tinubu, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this during an interview on TVC.

Ngelale said anyone with the belief that President Tinubu would take their side in the political crisis would be disappointed. According to him, President Tinubu won’t allow any attempt to frustrate the Rivers government.

He said: “I believe that anyone who believes that by their actions, whether it’s from the federal level, state level or the legislative branch in the state or the executive branch in the state, if they are banking on Mr. President to take sides on this matter, they’re mistaking and they’ll be disappointed.

“Mr. President will not do that. What he will do is to ensure that everybody has what they need in order to work.

“He will also ensure that any attempt to frustrate the operation of the Rivers State government in conducting its affairs in a way that it would benefit the Rivers people, that’s obviously is not going to be allowed by this President or anybody else.

“So, I think there’s a need for all stakeholders to understand that Mr President won’t take sides.”

You lack moral standing to talk about impeachment, Rivers govt tells Ganduje-led APC.

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Johnson noted that Fubara has not committed any offence that would warrant his impeachment, adding that Ganduje still has legal issues to clear himself from.

He said: “Gaduje is under the loose of the law. He has not even been able to clear himself from the challenges of what his ward that suspended him and other issues against him pending before the court.

“Is it Ganduja that will tell me that Fubara, who has no offence, Fubara who is as clean as the cover of a book should be impeached? He was the governor of a state and the state faced some issues of integrity. I would have expected that he finishes issues around his integrity before he talks about Fubara.

“Fubara cannot be impeached by the devices of cronies. There is nothing serious about his speech because Fubara is standing on a clean slate. Governor Fubarar has not committed any offence. Fubara had sometime in October, 2023, ask ‘what is my offence’ and nobody has been able to tell us what Governor Fubara has done.

“I, therefore, condemn that statement and say that Ganduje should go and look for his political bearing back home. Ganduje is the chairman of APC on acting capacity and there are legal impediments. In law, there are pendency that are hanging on Ganduje which cannot allow him to stand on a good ground to talk.”