₦airaland Forum

OWERRI- Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the April 11 governorship election in Imo State, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, has debunked the recent media reports credited to Governor Rochas Okorocha, that he could have been the current Senate President if he had heeded to his (Okorocha’s) advice to join the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Chief Ihedioha’s media aide, Mr. Chibuike Onyeukwu, described the Governor’s claim as “a blatant lie, diversionary and indeed could only have come from a man, very well known for his penchant for falsehood.”

“Although, we find the Governor’s acknowledgement of Rt. Hon. Ihedioha’s capacity to chair the National Assembly as a well known fact, we however wish to state that the statement is in its entirety false, diversionary and indeed could only have come from a man, very well known for his penchant for falsehood,” Onyeukwu said.

Continuing, Mr. Onyeukwu stated categorically that Governor Okorocha did not visit Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha before the elections to plead with him to jettison his gubernatorial ambition.

“The only time Governor Okorocha visited Chief Ihedioha was in 2013, in company of Senator Osita Izunaso, to condole with him on the death of his younger sister and there is no way they could have discussed politics during the condolence visit,” Onyeukwu said.

He pointed out that the “massive fraud and massive rigging” that skewed the election in favour of the APC, would have been unearthed if the election tribunal had considered the petition filed against the declaration of Okorocha as winner of the governorship election.

“Rather than fruitlessly engage in diversionary antics, Governor Okorocha should concentrate on how to address the mounting issues of hunger, over nine months of unpaid workers salary and 20 months pension arrears, industrial actions, collapsed economy and comatose state of infrastructure under his watch,” Onyeukwu said.

Vanguard recalls that Governor Okorocha claimed at a recent press conference that he personally visited Ihedioha and advised him to join the All Progressives Congress, APC, and vie for the Owerri Senatorial seat of the party in the last general election.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/senate-presidency-comments-ihedioha-blasts-okorocha/

Most wanted terrorist Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram terrorist group, was sighted in the nation’s capital Abuja but was not pursued because of “orders from above” in one of the country’s security services, it has been claimed.

A Department of State Security (DSS) source told News Express that the incident took place earlier this year – before the change of guards that followed the assumption of office by the new regime in the country.

The source, who cannot be named because of the sensitive nature of the issue, said: “There was a time we were tracking Shekau, the Boko Haram leader, and we noticed he was with a former VP of Nigeria. Immediately we contacted our boss. The next thing we noticed was, the operation was called off, and we went back to our office.”

The source did not state the month the incident took place but said it was “earlier this year” during the tenure of Ita Ekpenyong as Director General of DSS. News Express could not reach Mr. Ekpenyong for comments.

The Nigerian military repeatedly claimed to have killed Shekau in the past and the Camerounian Army once made a similar claim.

However, the Nigerian Army included Shekau among the over 100 top Boko Haram chiefs on the poster of wanted terrorists which it released last week. Yesterday, News Express reported Francis Okoemu, a Nigerian counter-terrorism expert, as saying emphatically that Shekau is still very much alive and in charge of the terrorist group which has made large parts of the country’s north virtually ungovernable since it launched its campaign of violence in 2009.

President Muhammadu Buhari has given the country’s military next month as deadline to defeat the evil sect.

•Photo shows Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.

Source News Express

A N10 billion special loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria, has been approved for Edo State Government by the State House of Assembly, for capital development.

According to a letter to the Speaker of the House from Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, a resolution from the House was one of the prerequisites required from the state to access the fund.

The letter stated that the loan has been approved by the Central of Bank of Nigeria as a special facility for capital development for all states in Nigeria, including Edo State, adding that the loan facility has a tenor of 20 years at an interest rate of 9 percent.

“The Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has approved a ten billion naira
(10,000,000,000) loan, a Special Facility for Capital Development for all States in Nigeria, including Edo State.

“This facility from the CBN is a special intervention to states to facilitate capital project execution. The tenor is for 20 years at an interest rate of 9 percent.

“This is to kindly request for a resolution of the House of Assembly in support of Edo State’s application for this facility,” the letter said.

The Speaker of the House, Victor Edoror, while passing the resolution, noted that the loan which is an infrastructural bail out for all states would impact positively for infrastructure development of local government areas in the state.

Also commenting, the Majority Leader of the House, Foly Ogedengbe, said Edo state government deserved the loan as the previous loans taken by the state government had been judiciously used for the benefit of its citizens.

Like in T.S. Eliot’s ‘Journey of the Magi’, where spiritual birth felt like death, even though one is being born into something new; one still witnesses the death of one’s way of life and usual old way of doing things.

The found of the Christ notwithstanding, the ‘three Magi’ got back home dejected and ‘no longer at ease’, as nothing had really changed.

It can be painful! I wonder if our usual ways of doing things will ever change in Nigeria. The discovery and crowning of Buhari notwithstanding; things may continue going the normal Nigeria way, safe for some that may become victims of interests of certain power-players and eventually be tagged scape-goat.

To be frank, I was totally disappointed in Buhari when I saw the list of ministerial nominees submitted to the National Assembly.

I couldn’t believe both my hearing and sighting organs. So this is the list we had had to await for good four months? So ordinary, compromised and above all routine-like. What is the difference from what we have always had in the past, where politicians who failed to win elections in their various states are compensated at the national level?

[size=13pt]Of course the list wouldn’t have attracted any eyebrow, had Buhari not promised Nigerians to appoint technocrats free of past corruption records. Again, Nigerians would have applauded him if the list had been made public for instance in the wee days of June (few days after May 29); since Mr. President had long known the politicians to be compensated. The purported search for new faces/technocrats were absent in the list.[/size]

Though no court has pronounced any of the nominees guilty as charged and many (including myself) are of the opinion that many of those whose petitions are forwarded from their various states are politically motivated; but that the list is included individuals who are under investigation on issues related to corrupt practices speaks volumes of PMB’s inability to give his anti-corruption war a clear definition.

Kindly pardon me if I have interrupted your reasoning or conclusion that the politicians on the list are technocrats after all. Yes, many of them fall into the category of technocrats, but one cannot excuse the fact that they equally fall into many other categories.

For instance, Babatunde Raji Fasola is a technocrat in his own right, but one cannot exonerate the number one example of APC governors in the last administration from being one of the ex-governors well petitioned. Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, Dr. Chris Ngige, Chief Audu Ogbe, Kemi Adeosun are some of the nominees who have one or two cases to answer in court.

Another category is the set of those who are compensated for loosing election in their individual states; Al-Hassan, Ngige, Fayemi, etc equally fall into this group.

However, having nominated them, the next task for Mr. President would be how to manipulate or influence the Senate to pat the nominees on their shoulder, ask them to bow and take a leave; then the business continues.

But would this task enjoy a smooth ride in a house that is sharply partitioned and obviously divided? Time will tell. In the Senate and indeed the National Assembly, we have caucuses and opposing camps right inside same ruling party who are ready to fight to finish and crush themselves at any slighted provocation.

Standing akimbo with deliberate calculations is the major opposition party (PDP) in the National Assembly who is ready to take advantage of any false move by the divided and disorganized ruling party.

Interestingly, those who are kicking against the nomination of Fashola are members and stakeholders of same party that produced Fashola. That of Fayemi in Ekiti, Kemi in Ogun and Barrister Bayo Shittu in Oyo might not be totally different from the Lagos scenario.

That there has not been any major petition and kicks from Kwara against Alh. Lai Muhammed is a testimony to the fact that our case is not a bad one as often exaggerated by our own very people. Only unity and eradication of politics of bitterness or hatred of personalities will take the system to the next level.

However, Lai Muhammed should start seeing himself as a Kwaran than a Lagosian. Frankly speaking, he has been more of a Lagos politician than Kwara. It is then hoped that he will use the position to compete with his counterparts in Kwara in terms of providing dividends of democracy to the people of Kwara rather than standing as opposing camps or enemies to one another; that is if the two of the three senators representing Kwara (Saraki inclusive) are magnanimous enough to support his nomination.

The question is, has he been relating with them well to deserve such? This is the same Lai that boldly stated that he will never recognize Dr. Saraki as the Senate President.

Is Tinubu planting Lai in Kwara against 2019 or planning to use him to ferment trouble? Future will tell. Should this happen and Saraki is eventually displaced, what good will Bola’s dynasty bring to an average Kwaran? From what to what?

We need to be careful by reading the stake of Kwara in the national politics adequately. As Kwarans, all we need is to become more active in governance, support our government and leaders when they plan and execute good policies and question them when necessary.

Will the ruling party recognize the danger of extermination starring them in the face, as a result of the obvious and sharp divisions among them, and take proactive measures to safe the party and indeed the system from the hands of usurpers who are ready to sacrifice the new hope of Nigerians for their selfish interests?

Will PMB recognize the precariousness in his accommodation of some power-players who are determined to hijack the system from him and therefore take a fiery blast against meek conformity? Time will surely tell. Though looks meek, Buhari sure has a heart of a lion; he will soon shake off the crumbs hanging on his stance and mystified body language on national issues.

dammytosh:
You are just a shameless being.

Your benefactor was docked and had to reply.

"Not guilty" 13 times.

First Senate President to be Docked.

He will answer his case and if found guilty, he will be jailed.

tobimillar:
History has been made nonetheless. The first sitting senate president to be docked. And a precedence has been laid... the next person to be docked may not be so lucky...afterall, if the number three man in Nigeria could be treated like a common thief, then others should be careful.

Besides saraki's political career is gone. He may still be senate president but he can never be Nigerian president.. the file will be well kept by the court just in case he plans to contest in 2019

chukwudi44:
If this case is concluded before 2019,then it would have been very fast. BTW until this case is decided at the supreme court, Saraki remains the Senate President

September 18
19:02

The Nigeria police is yet to receive the directive to arrest Senate President Bukola Saraki, Olabisi Kolawole, acting commissioner of police and police spokesperson, has told TheCable.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) sitting in Abuja on Friday specifically ordered the inspector-general of police to arrest the senate president and bring him before the tribunal on Monday.

Saraki had failed to appear before the tribunal, forcing Justice Danladi Umar, chairman of the CCT, to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.

But Kolawole said the police had not been given the directive, adding that as soon as they receive the order, the arrest of Saraki will be effected.

Responding to a question on whether the police would carry out the order of the tribunal, she said: “If the police receive the directive they will carry it out. As of now, I don’t think the IG has received the order. But if we do, we will obviously carry it out.”

Saraki is a facing a 13-count charge of corruption and false declaration of assets brought against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

He had approached Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the federal high court, Abuja, to halt his trial.

But the court issued an order asking the parties to the case – the chairman of CCT, the ministry of justice, the CCB and Saraki – to appear before it next Monday week.

Saraki’s lawyers interpreted Justice Mohammed’s order to mean the arraignment of Saraki on Friday had been suspended.

But Justice Umar ruled that the high court had no supervisory jurisdiction over the tribunal, voiding the order of the court.
https://www.thecable.ng/police-still-awaiting-directive-arrest-saraki

Nigeria’s Senate President Bukola Saraki have accused the Code of Conduct Tribunal of ignoring the subsisting order of a Federal High Court order by sitting.

Saraki revealed that his absence at the Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting today was based on counsel received that the tribunal will respect the decision of the Federal High Court.

Saraki stated and maintains that he is ready to submit himself to due process of the law on any issue concerning him, he also believes he has an inalienable right to resort to the same judiciary for protection when he feels his fundamental rights are about to be infringed upon.

Saraki revealed that having satisfied himself that the case filed by the CCB and the manner in which the case was filed show that he will not be given justice, resorted to the Federal High Court for the determination of the issues of competence of the prosecutor as well as compliance with the procedure stipulated in the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.

A statement released by Saraki reads: “The Federal High Court on Thursday, September 17, 2015, therefore ordered that the all parties in the case should appear before it on Monday, September 21, 2015. The implication of this ruling by a Court of competent jurisdiction is that the sitting today has been overtaken by event. It is for this reason that Dr. Saraki chose to go about with his normal official schedule,

“Today at the Tribunal, Counsel to the Senate President, Mr. M. A. Mahmud (SAN), raised a motion stating that there is a pending constitutional matter before the Federal High Court to be decided on Monday and that the Tribunal should hold the trial until the constitutional matter is disposed of.

“We are however dismayed that the Tribunal chose to disregard the order of the Federal High Court and the motion to suspend hearing till Monday when all parties are expected to argue their positions on the constitutional matter.

“It is also a surprise to us that despite the application by the lead counsel to the Senate President that he will produce Dr. Saraki on Monday and the personality of the person involved as the Number three man in the country, the Tribunal insisted on issuing a warrant of arrest as if its intention is simply to embarrass Dr. Saraki. We are not unmindful of the fact that the Tribunal is acting under political influence and external pressure. This is dangerous to our democracy.

“The conduct of the Tribunal today left nobody in doubt that it cannot do justice on the matter before it. It is also clear that today’s decision is an abuse of the rule of law which portends danger to our judicial system. The Tribunal has equally set a bad precedent in the way and manner it conducted itself during the proceedings.

“We want to emphasise the fact that this is not part of any war against corruption but using state institutions to fight political opponents and seeking to achieve through the back door what some people cannot get through democratic process.

“We need to caution here that in a desperate bid to settle political scores and nail imaginary enemies, we should not destroy our democratic institutions and heat the polity for selfish reasons. Let us all learn from history.

“The Senate President is a law abiding citizen who will not do anything to undermine the judicial process and authority. However, Dr. Saraki will always act to protect his fundamental human rights.

By Kayode Sesan

President Buhari has been strictly advised by Senegalese marabouts hired by the Buhari administration to perform spiritual cleansing rites at the Aso Rock Villa to shut down the Aso Rock Villa Chapel, fresh facts emerged on Wednesday.

An informed source familiar with the details of the matter who spoke to BREAKING TIMES on Wednesday on condition of anonymity disclosed that President Buhari, acting on the advise of Senegalese marabouts who performed spiritual cleansing at the Aso Rock Villa prior to his relocation from the Defence House to Aso Rock, advised him to shut down the Aso Rock Chapel as its continued existence was affecting spiritual activities being conducted on behalf of the President.

It will be recalled that BREAKING TIMES first reported that President Buhari will not take residence at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa until the necessary “spiritual cleansing” has been carried out at the Villa by a team of Senegalese marabouts hired by the President. The Nigerian presidency denied the report.

Popular Nigerian online newspaper, The Trent broke the news of Buhari’s decision to close the Aso Rock church. According to the report dated Thursday, September 3, 2015, eyewitness accounts disclosed how heavily armed men stormed the Aso Rock Chapel on Sunday, August 30, 2015 denying worshippers access to the church. The Trent reported further that “Less than two months ago, the Children’s Church of the Villa Chapel where the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Oludolapo Osinbajo worships with the children was closed down on orders from above. According to our source, “Security concerns were given as reasons for the closure of the Children’s Church.”

The report by The Trent was immediately rebuffed by stiff denials from the Nigerian presidency with a statement by presidential spokesman Femi Adesina vehemently denying that such an incident ever happened. Prince Laolu Akande, a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and media adviser to Vice President Osinbajo also flatly denied the report in a set of tweets captured here:

http://www.thebreakingtimes.com/senegalese-marabouts-compel-buhari-to-order-closure-of-aso-rock-church/