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ALGON Flays Court’s Decision To Hear APC Suit
The caretaker committee chairmen of the 23 local government councils in Rivers State, under the aegis of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), has slammed surreptitious moves by the Court of Appeal to resume hearing on an appeal brought against the state government by former council chairmen elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former council chairmen had on June 20, 2015, approached the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, to challenge their sack on July 9, 2015, after they were granted leave by the court to challenge the judgment of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt that sacked them.
Thereafter, the state government challenged the decision of the Court of Appeal, which granted the plea of the former chairmen to appeal the decision of the lower court before the Supreme Court.
The Tide gathered that the appeal is still pending before the apex court.
Addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt, spokesman of ALGON in the state and Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state, Osi Olisa wondered why the Appeal Court will commence hearing on the matter, when it was still pending before the Supreme Court.
Olisa said, “In spite of the appeal now pending and ongoing before the Supreme Court, another proceeding dealing on the same subject matter has been commenced by members of the All Progressives Congress at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt vide appeal No: CA/PH/338/2016.
He explained that the aim of the appeal was to force a fait accompli on the Supreme Court in appeal No: SC/536/2016.
“The attention of the Honourable Justices of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt Division has been drawn to the proceedings before the Supreme Court but rather than follow the laid down principles in a long line of judicial proceedings which preludes the Court of Appeal from proceeding with a matter when an appeal touching on the matter has been entered in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal is poised to proceed without regard to the Supreme Court.
“The posture of the Court of Appeal leaves a lot of room for concern because our judicial experience with some justices on the panel of the Court of Appeal has been unsavoury.
“The Court of Appeal intends to proceed with the hearing of the appeal even after finding as a fact that some of the parties have not been served with the processes, and in spite of the several pending motions filed by some of the parties in the matter, including an application for stay of proceeding pending in the hearing of the appeal at the Supreme Court.”
The ALGON spokesman alleged that members of the APC in the state, led by the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi have been boasting that they will use the Court of Appeal to take over the local government councils in the state.
He stated that the president of the Court of Appeal has already constituted a special panel to hear the matter with a task to deliver a judgement in favour of the APC against all odds.
Olisa said, “Members of the All Progressives Congress led by the Transportation Minister, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi have continued to boast that they will use the Court of Appeal to take over the local government councils in Rivers State.
“We have also received information that a special panel have been constituted by the president of the Court of Appeal to hear the matter and the latest information we have is that the panel has only one task, to deliver a judgement in favour of the APC against all odds.”
The local government council chairmen, therefore, called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen and the National Judicial Council to prevail on the special appeal panel from going ahead with its proceedings, noting that the issues before it were allegedly matters already before the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Justice Dongbam Mensen of a 3-man special appeal panel set up to entertain petitions on the sacked local government council chairmen on the platform of APC during the administration of former governor, Chibuike Amaechi has adjourned further sitting on the matter to November 6.
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.