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INEC Frustrating My Appeal -Sen Sekibo …As Senate Threatens To Impeach Osinbajo
Senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District, Senator George Thompson Sekibo, yesterday raised alarm over circumstances surrounding the recent judgement of the Rivers State National Assembly and House of Assemblies Election Petition Tribunal which upturned his victory at the December ,10, 2016 rerun elections as he said he is yet to get copies of the judgment.
Sekibo in a chat with Senate correspondents in Abuja said the chairman of the Tribunal has also not been available since the ruling, adding that his lawyers were also yet to receive the ruling to enable them study it and appeal the judgment.
According to him, every attempt to reach the Chairman and other members of the Tribunal have proved abortive.
Senator Sekibo therefore alleged that there are grand plots to frustrate his right to appeal the judgement and pointed out that as a true citizen of this nation, he should be allowed to have his day in the appeal tribunal.
Recall that the three-man panel sitting at Apo Quarters in the Federal Capital Territory last week declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Andrew Uchendu winner of the election and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Sekibo and issue a fresh certificate of return to Mr Uchendu.
Senator Sekibo had immediately declared his intention to appeal the judgement on the grounds that he had enough evidence to prove the judgement wrong .
Meanwhile, the Senate, on resumption from a 2 – week recess, yesterday resolved to forthwith suspend all confirmation requests of nominees forwarded to it by the Presidency even as the Upper Chamber raise impeachment threat against the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
The Senate’s threat was said to have emanated from allegation of non compliance to the resolutions of the Upper Legislative Chamber by the Executive.
The warning came from the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, sequel to debate on the floor on a Point of Order raised by Senator Ahmed Sani over a statement issued by the Acting President that the Senate has no power to confirm nominees of the Executive according to the Constitution.
Commenting after the debate, Senator Saraki said, “this is an issue that we have to once and for all address, we can not pass laws and see that the laws are not being obeyed.
“This resolution must be obeyed by the Acting President, otherwise, we will take appropriate actions and resolutions”.
The upper chamber also called on the Acting President to withdraw his statement that the Senate does not have power to confirm certain appointees of the president
Earlier, contributing to the debate, Senator Isah Hamman Misau (APC, Bauchi), accused the Acting President of double standards on the issue of the Senate’s power of confirmation.
According to the lawmaker, “there are a lot of ministers who have high level corruption allegations against them but they have never been harassed, instead, these same ministers go about castigating the National Assembly.”
Senator George Thomson Sekibo making his comments chided the executive over its continued refusal to comply with the resolutions of the Senate.
“If the Acting President says we do not have power to return any nomination, I wonder if he is in touch with the EFCC Act. The EFCC Act states that the President shall nominate and Senate will confirm. If you reject one law, you will reject the constitution.
“There is nothing like executive orders in a democratic constitution. The Constitution did not give room for acting appointment after a nominee has been rejected by the Senate.
“If the Acting President says we do not have the power to confirm and then turns around to send us a nomination, which one do we now take? I think Senate should put a suspension on this nomination until this issue is resolved”, Senator Sekibo added.
Senator Samuel Anyawu, called on his colleagues to disregard any invitation extended to lawmakers by thee Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, in view of the double standard being applied by the executive on issues of the red chamber’s resolution yet to be complied with
“Magu came for a job interview and failed and he was rejected. As we speak, Magu is still parading himself as the chairman of EFCC. The same executive now writes a letter that we should confirm someone who went to resume office without confirmation and he was chased out of office. Now that name has been brought before us.
“The integrity of the Senate is at stake. This Senate cannot be disregarded and insulted; our authority to confirm cannot be eroded.
I am moving a motion that it becomes aborminable to read any other confirmation report in this chamber until they act on our position. Those who have failed should go back, Magu is not the last Nigerian Angel. He can serve this country in another capacity.”
Following the outcome of the debate, the Senate resolved to suspend all issues relating to confirmation from the executive until issues of confirmation as contained in relevant provisions of the constitution are adhered to.
Also, the Senate yesterday declared the ongoing moves by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to effect the recall of Senator Dino Melaye (APC Kogi West) by his constituents illegal and efforts in futility.
The Senate said the various stages passed so far in the move as facilitated by INEC were not in accordance with constitutional procedures and guidelines and therefore would only amount to waste of time.
Senate’s resolution to this effect followed a point of order raised against the move by Dino Melaye in the Senate chambers.
Melaye presenting his point of order , drew the attention of the Senate to alleged moves by INEC to conclude works on recall petitions written against him by some of his constituents sponsored by the State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
His words,“the score of both valid and invalid votes in the election that brought him into the Senate in 2015 was 118,000 but my governors and his appointees in four days claim they got a signature of over 188,000.
“They got INEC data base of registered voters and copied in one writing into a recall register and forged all the signatures. As I speak to you, over 120 dead certificates issued by the National Population Commission and these people relations and families have sworn to affidavit and these certificates have been deposited.
Consequently, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who cited Sections 68, 69 and other relevant provisions of the 1999 constitution (as amended), to make his contribution, wondered why INEC is not following the laid down procedure of carrying out such exercise.
“I am wondering why we are dissipating energy on this matter and wasting precious legislative time on a matter we should not. What is happening in Kogi, in respect of Senator Dino Melaye, as far as this Constitution is concerned, is an exercise in futility. They are just wasting precious time because the constitution is clear on what should happen.
“It is possible that the Attorney- General of Kogi State has not advised them properly, if he has done that, I am sure they would have applied their time to more meaningful ventures in Kogi State”, he said.
He specifically declared that in 2010, the National Assembly amended the constitution regarding section 69 which deals with recall process of a federal lawmaker.
According to him, as clearly stated by the section, “the number of those who are seeking for recall of Senator Melaye from the Senate are supposed to line up somewhere in kogi state with him and his lawyers and each person would verify their signature.
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.