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The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set up a fact-finding committee on the role played by some of its members at the election of the presiding officers of the National Assembly.

The party disclosed this in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, on Monday in Abuja.

The Chairman of the Committee, according to Ologbondiyan, is a former President of the Senate, Sen. Adolphus Wabara, and former National Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, as the committee’s Secretary.

Other members of the committee include: Sen. Ibrahim Mantu, Sen. Stella Omu, Mr Austin Opara, Sen. Abdul Ningi, and Mrs Margaret Icheen.

The terms of reference of the committee, according to Ologbondiyan is to find out why some of the PDP lawmakers failed to abide by the decision of the party during the National Assembly leadership election.

It is also to find out whether there was any involvement of the ruling party in the decision taken by the members involved.

“To find out where there are established reasons for taking the action by members, the committee should identify such so that the party can create mutual and political atmosphere for reasonable interaction with senators and Honourable members.

“To find out and recommend ways to checkmate such tendencies in the future and ensure that, moving forward, all members work together to defend the interest of the party at all times and circumstances.”

Ologbondiyan said that the committee was given three weeks from the date of its inauguration to report to the party’s NWC.

The PDP at early hour of the June 11 inauguration of the 9th national assembly announced it endorsement of Sen. Ali Ndume for Senate President and Umar Bago as Speaker of House of Representatives.

The party, in a statement issued by its National Secretary, Sen. Umar Tsauri, said the decision was reached at the end of a decisive meeting of members of the party’s NWC, leaders, state governors as well as the then senators and members-elect on the platform of the PDP.

Tsauri said the decision was in the best interest of the nation, in line with the party’s determination to deepen democracy, ensure a strong and independent legislature, while advising the then PDP lawmakers-elect to be guided accordingly.

Meanwhile the preferred candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Ahmed Lawan, emerged as the President of the Senate, and Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker of the House of Representatives, against the wish of PDP.



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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has vowed to challenge, at the Supreme Court, the dismissal of their application to be granted access to inspect the central server allegedly used by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to transmit results of the last general election.

Recall that the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal had earlier ruled in a unanimous decision that the request could not be granted since the issue of whether such central server existed or not, is already a subject of controversy in the substantive petition that is challenging President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election.




Reacting to the Tribunal’s ruling, a senior member of the Atiku and PDP’s legal team, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, told Journalists: “The nation was looking forward to this ruling and it is one that is very pivotal to this matter.

“The Electoral Act itself empowers the tribunal to grant access such as this to the petitioners in order to institute and maintain a petition, and that is what we are asking for.

“Somehow, at this stage, the court has ruled. But definitely this is a matter we want to take higher to the Supreme Court to challenge this ruling because we strongly feel that section 151 of the Electoral Act entitles us to have access to these materials.”

On its part, INEC, through its lawyer, Mr. Usman Uztaz, SAN, said it was satisfied with the ruling.

“These are issues to be tried during the hearing, you cannot try them in piecemeal”, INEC’s lawyer told newsmen.



See more here https://thickmatch.com/pdp-vs-apc-atiku-heads-supreme-court-inec-server/

Ayo Adebanjo, a leader of Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political organisation, has claimed that the number of Nigerians who have lost their lives under President Muhammadu Buhari was more than those who died during the civil war.

He said this while lamenting that Buhari was not sincere in his will to keep the country united.

Speaking with Tribune, Adebanjo enjoined Buhari to restructure the country because that remained the solution to killings across the country.

He said: “The number of people that have been killed under him is more than the number killed during the civil war; if Buhari really loves the country and is sincere about keeping the country together, he should restructure the country immediately. All these units in the federation should be autonomous enough to take care of security.

“I am Ayo Adebanjo. Everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion. What I am saying is that Buhari is the greatest civilian autocrat. Why? I am judging him by his actions. Will a democrat, in a democratic society, disobey court orders on two, three, four individuals? “Will a democrat, under the rule of law, invade judges’ quarters under the pretence that he wants to wipe out corruption? These are my reasons I don’t just label him. I call him a dictator by his actions and let people tell me that those actions are consistent with democratic principles. That’s all.
“Buhari is living in denial; we all know that. The whole world has been telling him that these people have been incompetent for the past four years that he has been there. That is not new; but he turned a blind eye.




Read more here https://thickmatch.com/nigerians-killed-buhari-biafra-civil-war-adebanjo/

The Chairman, Kogi State All Progressives Congress, APC, Stakeholders Forum, Senator Alex Kadiri has called on Governor Yahaya Bello to pay workers and pensioners in the state before any reconciliation can happen.

This was contained in a press statement signed and issued by the Chairman of the forum, Dr. Alex Kadiri, after an interactive session with the governor by the leadership of the APC Stakeholders’ Forum.

According to him, the meeting which took place at Kogi state liaison, Asokoro, Abuja late on Sunday, was at the instance of the governor.

According to the statement, Governor Bello harped on the need for reconciliation in Kogi state chapter of the party and for there to be unity amongst members.

He urged both sides in the protracted party dispute to resolve their differences and move forward as one united political party.

Speaking on behalf of the Kogi State Stakeholders’ Forum, Senator Alex Kadiri made two demands: first that the state government should take steps to pay outstanding salaries and pension to workers and pensioners respectively so as to cushion the prolonged hardship they have been experiencing in the state.

Secondly, Dr Kadiri drew the attention of the governor to the non-implementation of the reports of the two reconciliatory committees led separately by Prince Tony Momoh and General Garba (retd), set up by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the former National Chairman of the party.

He also reminded the Governor that resolutions reached during the interactive session with Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo before the last general elections have remained unimplemented.

Kadiri, therefore, urged the Governor to take time to read the reports as a basis for genuine reconciliatory discussion.




See more here https://thickmatch.com/kogi-apc-stakeholders-give-conditions-genuine-reconciliation-gov-bello/

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, says he will bring inflation to single digit within the next five years.

Emefiele made the promise in Abuja on Monday during a press briefing on his policy road map in his second term.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inflation rate dropped to 11.4 per cent as at May.

He said that CBN, under his leadership, would ensure that monetary policy measures would be geared towards containing inflationary pressures.

Emefiele said that he would also support improved productivity in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.

He stressed that he would strive to continue to sustain a positive interest rate regime to the delight of the bank’s important stakeholders.

According to Emefiele, the decisions of the Monetary Policy Committee on inflation and interest rates will depend on data on key economic variables.

“We will work with other stakeholders and we shall bring down the cost of food items which has considerable weight in the Consumer Price Index basket.

“Our ultimate objective is to anchor the public’s inflation expectation at single digits in the medium to long-term.

“We believe that a low and stable inflationary environment is essential to the growth of our economy because it will help support long-term planning by individuals and businesses.

“Such will also help to lower interest rates charged by banks to businesses thereby facilitating improved access to credit and corresponding growth in output and employment,” he said.

Emefiele said that macro-economic stability was key to supporting improved Growth Domestic Product (GDP) growth and greater private sector investment.




Read more here https://thickmatch.com/emefiele-unveils-5-years-plan-cbn/

lalasticlala mynd44

A disagreement between the Federal Government and organised labour on the template to use to work out consequential adjustment on wages may delay the implementation of the new national minimum wage.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President Bobboi Kaigama told The Nation on the side-line of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, that while the government wants an amount to be fixed across all levels, labour wants the adjustment to be done in percentages.

The immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, had told The Nation that the government would run into trouble in the implementation of the minimum wage, if it carries out the consequential adjustment on percentage as the government would not have the money to implement it.

The government has set up a technical committee comprising of government representatives and officials of the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council to work out the template for the adjustment from Grade Level One Step II to Grade Level 17.

Kaigama, who threw his weight behind the call for a universal minimum wage – being canvassed by some world leaders at the 108th session of the global labour conference, assured workers that whenever the template is finalised, the government would be obliged to pay the arrears of the new wage.

He said: “We are concerned that the template for the implementation of the new minimum wage is not yet out. It is one thing to sign the law proscribing minimum wage and another is the implementation because there are two bodies in charge of negotiations.

“But as soon as we finish this last leg, the effective date of the law is the day the President signed the bill into law. Rest assured that all employers of labour in Nigeria will have to pay the arrears. The President gave us one month to sort this out. But after setting up the technical committee, we discovered that there are hitches.

“So, we decided to go back and prepare some scenarios, then back and look at them before agreeing on one which will cut across all levels in the service.

“Government is of the opinion that we fix an amount across, but we believe that is not scientific. We believe we should take a percentage, even if that means you have to stagger it. We are preparing scenarios and at the end of the day, we hope to arrive at something.



See more here https://thickmatch.com/disagreement-template-may-delay-implementation-new-minimum-wage/

Ahead of the forthcoming elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has pegged the purchase of its governorship elections forms at N21m.

Rising from its 86th Emergency National Executive Council, NEC, meeting at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, PDP pegged the nomination at N20 million and the expression of interest form at N1 million.

Speaking after the meeting, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, explained that the party decided to increase the price of forms because the cost of conducting primary election was very high.

He, however, assured that the party would conduct a free, fair and credible primary in Bayelsa and Kogi states to produce credible candidates in the coming months.

“The return of expression of interest/nomination forms would commence on Monday, June 24 and close on Wednesday, July 24 at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja,” he added.

Also, a document signed by PDP National Organizing Secretary, Col. Austin Akobundu (RTD) disclosed that sales and return of expression of interest/nomination forms would commence on Monday, June 24 and close Wednesday, July 24 at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

PDP had sold its presidential nomination and expression of interest form for the 2019 presidential election at N2 million and N10 million respectively making a total of N12 million, while that of governorship was sold for N1 million and N5 million, making a total of N6 million.




See more here https://thickmatch.com/pdp-pegs-kogibayelsa-guber-election-forms-n21mhigher-presidential-form/

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has said that he will no longer appoint people older than him into serious positions of responsibility in his government.

Ayade clocked 52 last March.

The governor was explaining why it was taking him many weeks to name his commissioners and other appointees since he was inaugurated for second term last May 29.

Ayade said it was not in his nature to talk harshly to his elders, the reason he said he was unable to shout at older members of his government in his first term.

“I am looking for younger people to appoint into my government. I will no longer appoint older people. I need younger people so that I can shout at them in order to fast track my government.”

The governor was particular that the new secretary to government will be a younger person. The former, Ms Tina Agbor was much older than the governor just as his deputy, Professor Ivara Esu, who was his former lecturer.

During his pre-inauguration speech in his office, Ayade also said he will not continue with a bogus cabinet of 29 commissioners and over 6,000 appointees.

“I want to work with a cabinet dominated by young technocrats I can be able to talk to and keep them on their toes,” Ayade said.




See more here https://thickmatch.com/ill-no-longer-appoint-older-people-cabinet-governor-ayade/

The Ekiti State government has appealed to its citizens not to victimise any Fulani herder performing legitimate businesses in the state.

The government urged the populace to be cautious and be circumspect of their actions to be able to distinguish herders that are pursuing their means of livelihood in a decent manner and those that are perpetrating evils.

The government revealed that it has approved the appointment of Prince Alexander Adebukola Aina as the new Owa of Oke Oro in Ijero local government area of the state.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Thursday at the post state executive council press conference, the Information Commissioner, Mr. Muyiwa Olumilua, said part of the security strategies of government has been that all the residents must be vigilant and report strange faces to security for prompt action.

“The government has no problem with Fulani herders doing legitimate businesses. Our people must know that we have the Ekiti anti-grazing law is in place and it shall be applied when necessary,” he noted.

Olumilua said the council also approved the contract for the completion of Oba Adejugbe market in Ado-Ekiti, construction of internal roads at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital and additional upgrading of the Technical College, Ado-Ekiti for optimum productivity.

As part of the efforts to boost food production, Olumilua added that government has approved the clearing of 1,500 hectares of land across five local government areas, which will be done in partnership with multinational agencies for direct investment in the state.

Speaking further on the Oba Adejugbe market, the Commissioner for Works, Mr. Sola Adebayo, said: “the facility is 70 percent completion and we want to commission it during Fayemi’s first year in office.

“The contractor has been mandated to deliver by September ending. We have done a lot of amendments by removing some structures therein. We have a local content law that will make the indigenes participate in the contract and allocation,” he said.


See more here https://thickmatch.com/ekiti-govt-warns-indigenes-attacking-legitimate-fulani-herdsmen/

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has expressed concern over the current structure of the All Progressives Congress in the South-South.

He said there is an urgent need for the APC leaders to consider rejigging the party in the region to strengthen it for future challenges.

According to him, re-organisation of the party from now will enhance it to clinch some positions in 2023.

He added that it would change the notion that the region is a stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Omo-Agege revealed this when South-South APC members led by the National Vice Chairman, Ntufam Eta paid him a visit to congratulate him at his residence in Abuja following his election as the deputy Senate president.
He said: “The party in the south-south needs to be rejigged. You provided leadership for us, we want you to continue to provide that leadership but the difference now will be the support you are lacking, the support the party did not have then, with this platform given to us, as a party man, we are going to provide the support for you to have a vibrant party because some of us feel bad when we hear that south-south is a PDP zone.

“Some of us were in PDP and we know what we need to do to wipe all those things away from the political space but people need to understand that if you provide enabling environment for our party people, they will succeed but if we just render ab-initio that that area is a PDP stronghold, leave them because they are not many, it will be a challenge and that is the challenge we have been having but God-willing, we are going to change that narrative.

“We are going to provide the support to the party for it to grow and be competitive so that as we head towards 2023, we will have a chance to prove to our brothers and sisters in the south-south that we are ready.”



See more here https://thickmatch.com/apc-needs-rejig-omo-agege/

The Court of Appeal in Kaduna has dismissed the suit by ex-Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, challenging the judgment of a Federal High Court in Kano that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to issue Certificate of Return to Shamsudeen Dambazau.

Shamsudeen is the son of former minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau.
The court had nullified the candidature of Sumaila after his election as representative of Sumaila/Takai federal constituency of Kano in the 2019 general election.

Sumaila won on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On Wednesday, the court held that Sumaila’s appeal lacked merit and consequently dismissed same without cost.

The court agreed with Dambazau’s counsel, Nuraini Jimoh, that Sumaila was not validly nominated to be vie for a seat in the House of Representatives having contested for Kano South senatorial primary and lost to Kabiru Gaya.

Jimoh had argued that the state chapter of APC dubiously compensated Sumaila with House of Representatives’ ticket.


See more here https://thickmatch.com/apc-rep-seat-ex-minister-dambazaus-son-floors-buharis-former-aide-sumaila-court/

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday said it had withdrawn and re-issued over 70 certificates of return after the 2019 general elections.

Okoye said that one of the biggest challenges facing the commission is the large number of pre-election matters that are still pending in various courts of law.

“As at today, the commission has a total of 809 pre-election matters while we have just 800 post-election matters, so the implication is that we have more pre-election matters than post-election.

“As at yesterday, the commission has withdrawn and reissued over 70 certificates of return that were previously issued to those who were elected into the various states and national assembly positions.

“There are more that we are still withdrawing and more that we are still re-issuing, some of these things arose from the not too transparent party primary elections that were conducted by the various political parties.

“It is really a source of concern that up till today, there are still a number of cases arising from pre-election matters in courts,’’he said.

Okoye said that one of the things the commission is looking at is whether the fourth alteration to the Constitution of Nigeria would properly address the issue of pre-election matters.

He said this is because the fourth alteration, gave the court of first instance a total of 180 days within which to determine cases and issues arising from pre-election matters.

“But 180 days from the period of the conduct of party primary elections and the end of substitution period dovetailed into the conduct of elections and even beyond.

“This more or less distorts what the commission’s activities and also puts it on edge in terms of knowing which political parties would be on the ballot and which would not,” he said.

He said that the number of political associations waiting to be registered are more than the existing ones adding that if they are registered Nigeria would have over 200 parties in 2023 elections.

“So I think we need to have a national conversation to see whether we really need the number of political parties in existence in the country or not,’’Okoye said

He called for the necessary reforms to be put in place.

The European Union Ambassador, Mr Ketil Karlsen said that the union made recommendations from its election observations not to castigate Nigeria but to instigate reforms to strengthen the electoral process.

Karlsen said that four years is not a long time to begin electoral reforms and urged the nation to consider a wider form of reform to enhance inclusiveness, especially of women.

Mr Idris Wase, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, reiterated the 9th assembly’s commitment to carrying out electoral reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.

“We will partner together with all stakeholders for the purpose of improving our laws, we will begin now and not wait till the end of our tenure to start it,’’ Wase said.



See more here https://thickmatch.com/inec-retrieves-re-issues-70-certificates-return/

The Peoples Democratic Party in Kwara State Tuesday kicked against the sacking of the 16 Local Government Councils chairmen by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.

Abdulrazaq took the decision few hours after the state House of Assembly recommended their sack pending completion of investigation against them.

In a statement signed by the party’s state chairman, Engr Kola Shittu, the party demanded its retraction, describing the move by the legislature as illegal and undemocratic.

He said it was wrong for the House to recommend the suspension of the councils bosses on allegation of financial misappropriation when they hadn’t been properly investigated or invited for questioning.

The PDP chairman said” it should be noted that neither the House nor the governor has the power to suspend the council chairmen who were lawfully elected by their people.

“The council chairmen were lawfully elected in 2017 by the people for a three-year tenure, which will expire in 2020.

“Neither the governor nor the state Assembly has the power to suspend or sack them before the expiration of their administration.




See more here https://thickmatch.com/kwara-pdp-kicks-gov-abdulrazaq-sacks-16-lg-chairmen/

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, says the Federal Government is discussing with stakeholders on ways to restructure Nigeria’s power sector with a view to improving supply and attracting more investment to the country.

Osinbajo stated this in Abuja on Tuesday at a Breakfast Meeting of the Lagos Business School.

He expressed the Federal Government’s commitment to creating “a willing buyer, willing seller” situation in the power sector market.

According to Osinbajo, the same old ways where Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) controlled territory that they could not service cannot continue, NAN reports.

“I think that what the Distribution Companies will argue, and what also we have to accept, is that we really have to have a cost-effective tariff one way or the other.

“The way it has worked in the experiments we have seen and what we have done is, for example, what we call the energising economies projects that we have done where we have enabled private power in markets,” he said.

The Vice President noted that private power projects had been executed at the Sabon Gari Market in Kano; the Ariaria Market in Aba; the Sura Market in Lagos; and in Ondo.

He said that the arrangements enabled the private power supplier to provide power to shop owners and businesses at an agreed cost-effective tariff.

Osinbajo observed that the current regulatory framework of the power sector in the country had to take into consideration the effective model of power supply.

“I think the current regulatory structure just has to accommodate the realities and we have got to make sure that we move ahead, otherwise we are going to have ourselves – as we are at the moment – regulating 4,000 megawatts of power for the next four years, which obviously is a disaster.

“We can’t sit here complaining about some people, who are complaining about power and saying we should cancel the licences of people who are providing power.

“It’s not going to work.”

The vice president further said that the Federal Government was also working to attract more investment to the gas sector.

On industrialisation, he said government was planning to develop Special Economic Zones nationwide with the aim of creating special places that would have different atmospheres conducive for processing, manufacturing, and industrialisation.

He said that economic zones were being built in Lagos, Aba, Katsina, and other places.

Osinbajo said that there were also plans to build up infrastructure in small, medium, and large industrial clusters already existing across Nigeria.

He said that government was looking at the leather hubs in Aba in Abia; Ogidi in Anambra, and Kano state as well as iron works and fabrication clusters in Nnewi, Anambra State and in Bauchi.

“The whole point is that we want to make sure that where we have existing economic clusters, we go in there to assist with power and other infrastructural needs that they may have there.

“So, we are not necessarily creating new zones or new clusters, but building up those that we have so that they can be much more productive.”

The vice president, who also spoke on human capital development in the “Next Level” of the Buhari administration, especially in relation to education and health, said that Nigeria would have a problem if something drastic was not done about them.

He said that the Federal Government and the states were considering how to enforce the nine-year free and compulsory education policy in the country.

“This is a policy of the Federal Government and we believe that it must be enforced, especially because we know that this is the critical years of the child’s life,” he said.

He said that enforcing the policy would ensure that the number of out-of-school children in the country dropped.

According to him, the Federal Government’s policy on education also involves the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics programmes, which will deal with the whole question of teacher training for digital literacy.

Osinbajo said that the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration would expand the Social Investment Programmes, including the N-Power scheme, the Home Grown School Feeding Programme, the Conditional Cash Transfer, and the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme so that it would include more Nigerians.



See more here https://thickmatch.com/osinbajo-reveals-fg-plans-power-sector/

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II says, Kano Emirate Council has no grudge against the state government as being speculated.

According to him, his mission to China in that regard has opened the gate for the state government to take complete inventory of what is most needed in effecting such an industrial revolution in the state.

He said the report he gave to the state government was taken into cognisance for such an objective to be realised.

He, however, noted that no state in the country could ever develop with its industries folding-up, adding that concerted efforts had to be made to ensure that viable avenues for employment were created.

He said the status of Kano as a commercial nerve centre of northern Nigeria had to be sustained and consolidated in the interest of creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.

The monarch expressed optimism that his mission to China in ways to explore avenues of revitalising Kano industries would not be an exercise in futility.

On the legislatures, the monarch charged the lawmakers to be diligent and committed in fulfilling the responsibilities bestowed on them by the electorate.

He pointed out that their mission at the assembly, was to ensure that they fulfilled all their campaign promises with regards to the issue of good governance.

“As leaders, you are expected to be spectacularly honest and have the fear of God in whatever you are doing.

“You should all remember that you will one day die and be made to account for your deeds, while in the saddle of authority.

“ You and I and everybody are not immune to such investigation by God, who created us to serve humanity as leaders.

“We will be made to account for our deeds and we will also be judged by posterity for being at the helm of affairs and what we did whether it is good or bad, will be the legacy we will all leave behind,” he said

“We want some gray areas to be cleared. We are serious on achieving such objectives by the grace of God,” he said.

Earlier in his remarks, the speaker told the monarch that they were at the palace to seek his blessings on ways to develop Kano in the present democratic dispensation.

“We are also here in the palace to introduce the principal officers of the house to you,” the speaker said. (NAN)


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Justice A. A. Okeke of the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Monday, granted an application made by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for the arrest of a serving Senator, Albert Bassey popularly known as OBA, compelling him to appear in court and face the money laundering charges preferred against him by the Commission.

Senator Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial district in the Upper Chamber.

According to his counsel, Barrister Samuel Ikpo, he failed to appear in court because he was not served a copy of the charge. Ikpo also added that he was instructed by his client, to appear in court and receive the charge on his behalf.

However, the prosecution through its counsel, Mohammed Sadisu Abubakar gave detail account on efforts made by the Commission to serve the lawmaker.

“My lord, since the filling of the charge, the prosecution has made frantic efforts to serve the suspect the charge but all our efforts proved abortive, as the suspect, who has been on administrative bail granted him by the EFCC has jumped bail.

“The Investigating Officer, Osatuyi Ayodele, also placed a call to him on June 6, 2019, inviting him to the office so as to be served the charge, but the Lawmaker failed to show up after he promised that he would.

“One of his (Senator Bassy) lawyer, Ini Utuk, was also contacted on June 7, 2019, but equally failed to show up, after promising to do so. Till this moment My lord, the suspect has failed, to honour the terms of his administrative bail which is to always make himself available.

“In the circumstances my lord, I humbly apply, pursuant to Section 113 and 114 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act for this honourable court to issue a warrant for the arrest of the suspect and to produce him before this honourable court”, Abubakar said.

But the defence counsel, however, argued that the charge be given to him since the matter was coming up for the first time before the court and that the suspect was not served the copy of the charge.

“The defendant was sworn in last week in Abuja as a Senator. I respectfully apply that the charge be given to me to hand over to him”, said Ikpo.

Responding on point of law, the EFCC counsel countered the argument of the defence, as he hinged his argued on the provisions of Section 114 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

He said, “My lord, Section 114 of the ACJA provides that the court can issue an order for the first time, depending on the nature and circumstances of the case and the nature and circumstances of this case gives rise for the issuance of a bench warrant.

“This is a criminal matter and there is no provision in ACJA 2015 to serve a charge through counsel in respect of a suspect who has not appeared before the court. My lord, I urge you to discountenance the submissions of the defence counsel”, Abubakar argued.




Read more here https://thickmatch.com/court-orders-arrest-senator-albert-bassey/