In a highly suspicious move, the Court of Appeal in Lagos has already given a hearing date to recently jailed People's Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Olabode George. Our sources said the court has chosen to hear George's application for bail next Thursday, November 19, at the Court of Appeal complex in Lagos.

It is unclear if a panel has been constituted for the hearing but it is clear that there are serious efforts by ministers in the Yar'Adua cabinet to influence the appeal by proposing that Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour be included in the panel. Like George, Justice Rhodes-Vivour is a Lagosian.

A little drama had unfolded earlier in the week as Mr. George's nomineee in the cabinet, the junior minister Ademola Seriki and some other PDP chieftains, approached the Attorney General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa, to seek his help with the Court of Appeal process. The "committee of friends" was shocked when Aondoakaa handed them a piece of paper which contained the cost of getting George out on bail. The cost, which our source did not disclose, was so huge that when George was contacted about it he said that it would bankrupt him. He reportedly said he would rather spend do the time and get it over with than pay that much to get out on bail.

Chief George was sent to jail for 21/2 years two weeks ago alongside four other members of the board of the Nigeria Port Authority on charges of corruption, abuse of office and disobedience of lawful financial directives in the management of over N85 billion NPA funds.

Source: SR