Permanent secretary suspension: Senate wade in

The Senate on Tuesday waded into the suspension of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Danjuma Sheni. President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the suspension of Amb. Sheni over his alleged role in the recall of Nigeria envoy to South Africa.
The Federal Government claimed that Sheni recalled the envoy without clearance from President Jonathan. The Envoy, Martin Cobham, was recalled over the controversy trailing the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi, brought the suspension to the attention of the Senate on Tuesday. Ningi, (Bauchi Central Senatorial District) pleaded passionately for the Senate to prevail on the Federal Government to recall the permanent Secretary. Ningi said, “Recall that this Senate through a motion which all of us endorsed asked the Presidency to recall the Nigerian High Commissioner in South Africa over the Xenophobic attacks in that country. “Recall too, that the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been suspended and placed under an investigation for recalling the Ambassador without jurisdiction and without the clearance of the President who is the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces. “Aware that the President and Commander-In-Chief is responsible for such recall and also aware that the Permanent Secretary has no powers whatsoever to recall an Ambassador without a clear directive by the government. “Knowing the anger and the mood of this country and believing that the Senate and indeed the National Assembly did the right thing in suggesting and urging the executive to recall the Ambassador. “I therefore want this Senate not to look the other way but to urge the President, Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces to tamper justice with mercy. “It is indeed his responsibility, powers and jurisdiction and I think it is important at times like this that the Senate President should urge the President to tamper justice with mercy, so as to say the Permanent Secretary should not be dismissed. “He did the wrong thing at the wrong time and he should not have done it because of the mood so the President, a humble man should tamper justice with mercy.” The Senate did not debate of the issue but Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said the issue would be conveyed to President Jonathan. Ekweremadu added that “the recall of an Ambassador is a very sensitive matter.”

Jimi Agbaje gets tribunal’s nod to inspect poll materials

The Lagos State election petitions tribunal has granted leave to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, to inspect all polling documents and devices used for the April 11 election in the state.
The tribunal chairman, Justice Sylvanus Oriji, granted the prayer of the petitioner while ruling on an application filed by Agbaje through his counsel, Clement Onwuenmonor.
Justice Oriji also ordered the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide certified true copies of all polling documents including printed data from card readers in each polling‎ units in the state.
The two orders were given out of five prayers filed by the petitioner‎ before the tribunal.
The tribunal had earlier ‎taken the submissions of Agbaje’s counsel and that of the All Progressive Congress, Ademola Sadiq.‎
‎In his reaction to the ruling, the APC counsel noted that the ruling was made on point of law.
‎Meanwhile, Justice Oriji has warned lawyers against delaying the petitions before it.
He said the tribunal would not tolerate strategies aimed at delaying the expeditious hearing and determination of petitions by lawyers.

Rivers commission begins sitting, Witnesses testify

The Commission of Inquiry into politically-motivated killings in Rivers State yesterday began its sitting in Port Harcourt. It was earlier reported last week that a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt restrained it from sitting. But chairman of the Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, who presided over the yesterday’s inaugural sitting, said no member has received any court order restraining it from sitting.
Odinkalu who is also the chair of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said “so far we have received about 30 memos from members of the public” pointing out that it would be fair and transparent to all concerned.
He appealed to petitioners and any aggrieved parties in the matters that would be tabled at the commission t to come up with verifiable evidence to enable the commission do its job without bias. During the yesterday’s sitting, four witnesses appeared, testified and were cross-examined. The witnesses that appeared are: Mrs Patience Adube, wife of late Chief Christopher Adube who was assassinated in his house in Obrikom, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area alongside three of his children and two others on April 3.
Another witness was Mr Anthony Onyemachi Ogarabe, a businessman in Obrikom who also testified in the case of the late Adube. Mrs Precious Adube, the second wife of the late Adube who is the mother of the three children that were killed, also testified. The names of the three children are Joy, John and Lucky. Mr. Kennedy Ahiaidu, an employee of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku also told the commission that on January 14, 2014 a group of young men numbering about 50, attacked her house but did not succeed in killing anybody in the family house.
He said during the election campaigns, they re-grouped, came back and to kill his father, the late Chief Ahiaidu. After testifying, the petitioners prayed the commission to fish out the perpetrators of these dastardly acts and their sponsors and bring them to justice.

Fear of Extradiction: Kashamu sue IGP, NDLEA, 10 others

Prempting his likely extradition to the United States for alleged drug offences, Senator-elect, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has dragged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and 11 others before a Federal High Court in Lagos to forestall such move.
 In an Originating Summons brought before Justice Okon Abang, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain alleged that there was a conspiracy between the law enforcement agencies of Nigeria and the U.S to humiliate as well as prevent him from being sworn-in as Senator.
  Joined as defendants with the IGP in the fundamental rights suit marked FHC/L/CS/508/15, are Chairman, Nigerian Drug Laws Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA); Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC); Director General, Department of State Security, (DSS); The Interpol National Central Bureau, (NCB); and Attorney-General of the Federation, (AGF).
Others are – the Clerk of the National Assembly; the National Security Adviser to the President; Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); Nigeria Custom Services (NCS); Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Kashamu is seeking nine declarative orders from the court to restrain the defendants from arresting, detaining or otherwise effecting his abduction upon spurious allegation, that defendants’ actions are illegal, unlawful, ultra vires and a breach on his rights. He also wants the court to direct the clerk of the National Assembly to accord all facilities and privileges due him as Senator-elect.
When the matter was called for hearing on Monday, counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, who said he was yet to see the court processes, prayed for an adjournment to enable him find out which of the agency’s offices was served. He told the court that the commission was yet to reply to the suit because he hasn’t laid hands on the processes.
Apologising for stalling the proceeding, Oyedepo noted that it would be in the interest of justice if EFCC was given a short adjournment to reply to the suit. But lawyer to the applicant, Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), urged the court to discountenance EFCC’s application for an adjournment, on grounds that the matter should be determined expeditiously. He argued that there was no material fact before the court to exercise its discretion, adding that since EFCC had conceded that they were served and failed to respond after 12 days stipulated by Order 8 Rule 3 of the court, there was no room for extension. Aside the EFCC, the NIS also pleaded for a short adjournment to enable its lawyer reply the applicant’s brief.
He told the court that the NIS has not been able to respond to the application as a result of the ill health of its counsel.

Three corp members arrested in Edo for electoral fraud

Three members of the National Youth Service Corps who served as ad-hoc staff during the April 11 House of Assembly election in Edo State have been arrested for allegedly selling ballot papers and other sensitive materials. They were alleged to have sold the electoral materials for N40, 000.
 The state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, who disclosed this while reviewing the 2015 polls said 15,000 workers were used for the conduct of the elections.
Mike Igini said the three corps members sold two packets of ballot papers. He stated that two staff of the commission who could not account for election materials given to them were suspended.
The REC said investigations have commenced to determine the culpability of the two INEC staff in the incident. “The ongoing investigations will determine whether their act was deliberate or out of sheer negligence. “With respect to the NYSC members, they were given ballot papers of which they sold two packets and were nabbed,” he stated. Igini, who described their offences as severe, said they would be dealt with ruthlessly.

DSS arrested 16 INEC staff for electoral fraud

Men of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Imo State last night arrested 16 members of staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for altering the result sheets of the governorship election to suit the figures that were “dubiously allotted to political parties”.
Among those arrested is said to be the head of operations and other Electoral Officers, who presided over the governorship and House of Assembly elections.
Confirming the arrest, a DSS official, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said the INEC officials were caught while thumb printing ballot papers in favour of an opposition political party. According to the reliable source, the suspects were detained at the DSS State headquarters.
 The All Progressives Congress (APC) had demanded the redeployment of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Gabriel Ada for allegedly working for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The party also passed a vote of no confidence on the leadership of the INEC in the state and called for a new team to conduct the rerun.

Eligibility Suit: Plantiffs discontinue case

Justice Adeniyi Ademola, the judge presiding over the eligibility suits against the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, Wednesday, stopped further hearing on two separate suits after plaintiffs filed notices of discontinuance before the court.
Three persons had asked the court to stop Buhari from contesting the March 28 presidential election.
The motions for discontinuance were filed by the plaintiffs’ lawyers on Wednesday.
Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), counsel to one of the plaintiffs, Chukwunweike Okafor, told the judge that his client decided to withdraw his suit to enable the incoming government to focus on the task of governing the country effectively.
Dr. Chike Amobi, representing Max Ozoaka, also confirmed that his client has withdrawn his suit.
The pending eligibility case is filed by one Ayakeme Whiske.