News
Anambra Guber Poll: Court Clears Uba, Others
As the political intrigues in Anambra State continue to unfold, A federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, has affirmed that Senator Andy Uba remains the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the November 2013 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, following the ruling by the court that the Ejike Oguebego-led faction of executive remains the legitimate PDP executive in the state.
The trial judge, Justice H.A Nganjiwa stated this yesterday, while ruling on the interlocutory injunction brought by the Ejike Oguebego-led PDP faction executive in the state.
The Oguebego-led executive had gone to court praying, among other things, that the court should compel the PDP to accept Andy Uba as the legitimate governorship candidate of the party, and himself as the Anambra State chairman of the party against Ken Emekaye-led execo.
The duo have been in a protracted political battle in the state over who controls the party leadership in the state as well as held parallel party programmes in the state.
Consequently, Justice H.A Nwanjiwa while ruling on the motion, ordered the Peoples Democratic Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise and deal with the Ejike Oguebego-led PDP faction executive as the authentic party leadership in the state pending the determination of the substantive suit before the court.
The court also ordered all the parties involved in the matter to maintain the status quo as well as comply with the earlier directives of the court in that regard.
The court had earlier granted a similar motion directing the PDP to recognise Ejike Oguebego as the chairman but later withdrew it, and recognised the factional executive members led by Ken Emekaye which conducted the primary elections that brought Mr Tony Nwoye as the party gubernatorial candidate for the Anamba poll in November this year.
The court in its ruling yesterday, however, up turned the decision and upheld its earlier ruling to recognise the Ejike Oguebego-led executive which nominated Andy Uba as the PDP governorship candidate.
The judge also declined to set aside the orders earlier made by his senior colleagues on the matter, adding that he lacks such powers to do so.
‘I lack such powers to set aside the orders made by my superiors and the court, and whoever that is not satisfied with my position should go to the Appeal Court’, he declared.
Justice Nganjiwa, however, told both the plaintiffs and the defendants that he would no longer continue with the trial based on an alleged petition against him from one of the defense counsels in the matter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), challenging his credibility and fairness in the matter, adding that he would adjourn the matter and wait for further directive from the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Reacting to the ruling, counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party, the first respondent in the matter, M.M Kalu, explained that the order has a far-reaching effect on the matter at hand, noting that the outcome of the ruling can mar ort make PDP in Anambra State.
Kalu opined that the court rather than granting the orders sought by the plaintiff, went ahead in his ruling to strengthen the plaintiff, by asking PDP and INEC to recognise them, adding that the judge refused to hear their motion which borders on jurisdiction and proceeded to hear the interlocutory motion.
He urged the court to continue with the matter so as to deal with the substantive suit, adding that the judge would have discontinued with the ruling when he received the alleged petition.
“We will continue our matter here. The judge would have stopped the ruling when he received the petition, so we must continue with the matter until there is a further directive from the CJN”, he said.
‘The matter is of national interest. The ruling has seriously affected us because the court has strengthen our opponents”, he stated.
In his response, the counsel to the plaintiff, Charles Onyebukwa stated that the court was right in its ruling, adding that the import of the ruling was that Chief Andy Uba remains the legitimate PDP candidate in Anambra 2013 election as he was the product of the primary elections conducted by the Ejike Oguebego-led executive in the state.
He disclosed that there was no new development in the court ruling, noting that the court only re-affirmed its earlier decision on the matter.
The case was later adjourned to 17th September, 2013 for mention.
Delegations from the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are expected to meet, today, in a bid to avert a fresh strike.
The chairmen of ASUU branches had expressed readiness to commence a fresh strike over the non-implementation of their agreement with FG on IPPIS.
One of them, Chairman, ASUU, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Dr Ibrahim Inuwa, said the protracted strike, which was to press home the union members’ demands for the continued survival of the public university system in Nigeria, was suspended in December after the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the various issues and providing timelines for the implementation of each of the eight items in the agreement.
Inuwa said over seven months after the MoU was signed only two out of the eight issues had been addressed.
He listed some of the outstanding issues to include payment of the earned academic allowance, funding for revitalisation of public universities, salary shortfall, proliferation of state universities and setting up of visitation panels.
Others are renegotiation, replacement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) with the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) and withheld salaries and non-remittance of check-off dues.
A statement by the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr. Charles Akpan, said the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, will be hosting the leadership of the ASUU to a meeting at the ministry’s Conference Room, Federal Secretariat in Abuja.
“The Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, will be hosting a meeting with ASUU. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 2, 2021 at Minister’s Conference Room,” the letter read.
The National President, ASUU, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, had said that the union was invited by the Ministry of Labour to discuss issues surrounding the Memorandum of Action, which was signed with the Federal Government in December, 2020.
However, Osodeke, explained the last time the union met with the government was around March/April.
He said, “The Ministry of Education, which is our ministry, has not called us to any meeting since we signed the Memorandum of Action. But the Ministry of Labour, which is just an intervention ministry, around March/April called us to a meeting in which we discussed and they promised to implement all those things.”
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says 30 out of 65 private airplanes verified owe duties to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The Public Relations Officer, Joseph Attah, made the disclosure to newsmen, yesterday.
He said some of the airplanes came into the country by Temporary Importation Agreement which allows them in without payment because it was secured by bond.
The spokesman noted that many later fail to turn up to pay on the expiration of the agreement.
The customs explained that the verification was not meant to embarrass anyone but to collect payments due to the government.
The service has given another two-week extension which commenced from Monday, July 26, to Friday, August 6.
Attah said with the increasing economic challenge, every revenue is important.
“With this, you can now tie proper ownership to every aircraft or private jet that flies in and out of the country.
“The owners of private jets are highly placed Nigerians who should be respected and approached in a manner that provides convenience. That is what these extensions stand for,” he added.
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has suspended embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police and Head, Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force, Abba Kyari, from the exercise of the powers and functions of his office.
Kyari’s suspension was contained in a press statement by the commission’s Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, made available to newsmen, yesterday.
The commission said Abba Kyari’s suspension took effect from Saturday, July 31, 2021, and would subsist pending the outcome of the investigation in respect of his indictment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States.
The commission has also directed the Inspector General of Police to furnish it with information on further development on the matter for necessary further action.
The commission’s decision which was conveyed in a letter with reference, PSC/POL/D/153/vol/V/138 to the Inspector General of Police today, Sunday, August 1st, 2021, was signed by Hon. Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court and Honourable Commissioner 1 in the commission for the commission’s Chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police who is currently on leave.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, had recommended the immediate suspension of DCP Abba Kyari from the service of the Nigeria Police Force, pending the report of the four-man investigative panel constituted to probe him.
A statement by the spokesperson of the Force, CP Frank MBA, last Saturday, the IGP, in his letter to the Police Service Commission (PSC), dated July 31, 2021, noted that the recommendation is in line with the internal disciplinary processes of the force.
According to the IGP, the suspension would also create an enabling environment for the NPF Special Investigation Panel, to carry out its investigations into the allegations against Kyari without interference.
He explained that the suspension is without prejudice to the constitutional presumption of innocence in favour of the officer, the statement said.
The four-man Special Investigation Panel (SIP), is headed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in-charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), DIG Joseph Egbunike.
“The SIP is to undertake a detailed review of all the allegations against DCP Abba Kyari by the US Government as contained in relevant documents that have been availed the NPF by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“The SIP is also to obtain detailed representation of DCP Abba Kyari to all the allegations levelled against him, conduct further investigations as it deems fit, and submit recommendations to guide further actions by the Force leadership on the matter,” Mba said.
Meanwhile, the IGP has reaffirmed the commitment of the force to the rule of law, and assured the public of the sanctity of the probe as well as the absolute respect for the rights and privileges of the officer throughout the period of the investigations.
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