Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Danladi Umar, has fixed March 24 for ruling on an application of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to dismiss the charges of false declaration of assets filed against him by the Federal Government.

Counsel to Saraki, Kanu Agabi (SAN), had urged the CCT, dismiss his client’s case as it lacked merit as the tribunal did not have the jurisdiction to even seat over the case.

Agabi described the charges as frivolous, pointing out that it was merely a personal vendetta against his client by a political opponent who felt he had been embarrassed by his client.

“Politicians are fighting on the Streets. One of them is beaten and he has come to the Court. He wants to use the court to settle the scores; to achieve what he could not achieve on the streets,” he said.

The prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, also submitted that the CCT had in another judgement, admitted that it erroneously freed former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, in 2011.

The implication of this disclosure 5 years after, is that Tinubu is still liable to being charged before the CCT.

http://www.thebriefng.com/2016/03/18/stop-wasting-our-time-sarakis-counsel-tells-cct/

That anyone believes this is just as appalling as the vague and baseless report, the names of these aides are well known, so putting a name here and there does not validate your report.

If you claim this happened, why aren't the names of the papers that were present revealed?

This shoddy journalism SR practices is becoming tiring. If this can be taken as the truth, then its safe to say yet to be confirmed allegations that Tinubu and Nasir el-Rufai sponsor stories like this on your site should be taken as the truth too.

The way this thing works is this; blogs like SR take the time to paint stories that discredit everything outside their preferred outcome. Now once unsuspecting readers take this in, hook, line and sinker, when a report comes out stating something other than what SR wants, the public becomes angry, the judicial officers are humans too, they are pressured by reports like this. This is preempting the judicial process

jcflex:
With his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal scheduled for Friday, March 11, 2016, Senate President Bukola Saraki’s aides have given bribes to judiciary numerous reporters based in Abuja in order to shape the reporting of the trial, two reliable sources have confirmed to SaharaReporters.

An undercover investigator for SaharaReporters was present when Mr. Saraki’s aides met with Judiciary reporters inside an Abuja garden called Nelson Nuek Gardens, and handed each of the reporters the sum of N50,000. The garden is located in the Central Business District of Abuja, quite close to the International Conference Center.

Our major source, who was present at the parley, disclosed that all the judiciary reporters covering Mr. Saraki's case attended the meeting where bribes were handed out.

Our two sources disclosed that Chuks Okocha, a special assistant to the Senate President, distributed Mr. Saraki’s cash largesse to the reporters. At the meeting, the senator’s aides struck a deal with the reporters to have only one of the friendly reporters write a report of the trial which would then be syndicated among all the reporters. It was agreed that each reporter would merely retouch the syndicated report and send it to their medium.

Before his appointment as Mr. Saraki’s aide, Mr. Okocha had worked for Thisday newspaper group, owned by Nduka Obaigbena.

One of our sources revealed that Mr. Okocha warned the reporters that the Senate President’s office would not tolerate any negative reports by the reporters who collected the bribe.Saraki's spokesperson Yusuf Olaniyonu was being awaited when our investigator left the meeting.

Senator Saraki is being prosecuted for alleged false declaration of assets. All his attempts to use political contacts and appellate courts to scuttle his trial failed. Last week, he unveiled a new legal team led by a former Attorney General of Nigeria, Kanu Agabi, who once supervised the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danlami Umar, and who while as a minister of justice recruited Rotimi Jacobs, the chief prosecutor against Mr. Saraki.


http://saharareporters.com/2016/03/07/senate-president-saraki-bribes-judicial-reporters-ahead-corruption-trial[b][/b]

The platform had claimed that Justice Ofili-Ajumogbia is also guilty of taking money from Fani-Kayode, to drop the corruption case that brought him before her.

“SaharaReporters has however learned that Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia has some other undisclosed strikes against her, including obtaining money from former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode to set him free of the corruption charges against him in a case before her.” the report said.

However, in a series of strongly worded tweets, Kayode prayed for the persons behind the platform to burn in hell.

See more here: http://www.thebriefng.com/2016/03/03/may-sowore-sahara-reporters-burn-in-hell-forever-fani-kayode/

The Federal Government of Nigeria, has debunked the National Assembly’s stance on gagging social media, through regulations.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed made this known, while delivering the closing remarks at the recently concluded Social Media Week 2016, in Lagos.

Mohammed who has come under fire for his comments on government policies, said “Social media itself must understand that power without control is destructive. I think the social media needs to set up code of conduct.

Do you agree with Lai Mohammed?

See more here: http:///FKJx3M

...Saraki maintained that it was wrong for Premium Times to classify vehicles provided for security agencies like the police and State Security Service by the National Assembly management for their operations as vehicles bought for the Senate President.


See full post here: http://www.thebriefng.com/2016/02/27/i-still-use-malfunctioning-car-saraki/

The reputations of both men remain a huge mountain for the party to surmount, if indeed it will consider them come 2019.

As President Muhammadu Buhari continues to keep his cards close to his chest with regards his political future, the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, may find this early move by the PDP, discomforting, fearing it will have to make last minute decisions should Buhari refuse top run.

See full post here: http://www.thebriefng.com/2016/02/27/fayose-more-than-qualified-to-be-president-aide/

On corruption, the question posed to him was; “What about your campaign promises to root out corruption, if it turned out that some of the guilty ones were members of your own party or your own associates, would you crack down on them too?”

See more: http:///WYxEyb

“We have to be careful about the credibility of various Boko Haram leaderships coming up and claiming they can deliver.
“I cannot be against it (negotiating with Boko Haram). Our main objective is to secure those girls safe and sound, back to their parents and their schools to rehabilitate them to go back to normal life.

It will be recalled that former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, had in his time, attempted a similar feat only for the move to backfire, leading to a massive volcano of violence from the sect, when it became evident the government had reached a “ceasefire” with a sect that did not represent the Abubakar Shekau led extremists.

See more: http:///ncq3Jo

The legal expert and close confidant of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, made this disclosure in a statement made available to journalists, where he lambasted the President, saying the imposition of treasonable felony on Dasuki was unrealistic because, a single individual cannot overthrow a government.

Adegboruwa lamented that the dictatorial tendencies of Buhari was a dangerous trend and might throw the country into chaos.

Dasuki’s residence in Abuja and Sokoto were on Friday, raided by the DSS under the pretense that he was in possession of dangerous weapon that was dangerous to national security.

The DSS further alleged that Dasuki was plotting to overthrow the government of the day, charging him with treasonable felony.
http:///57fooK

The Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, on Tuesday said, despite the numerous attacks by the violent sect Boko haram, the sect cannot be found.

While speaking with State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, the Chairman of the NGF, Abdulazeez Yari emphasized that the nation was suffering from the guerrilla welfare onslaughts orchestrated by the sect.

The incessant bombings that heralded the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari who promised to confront the group headlong have continued as the weeks progress.
http:///kbWUwA

In a press statement released on Wednesday, the Presidential spokesperson stated emphatically that Buhari’s talks with Obama would only focus on security, trade and economic ties.

Adesina’s statement completely ignored the statement made by the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, where she stated clearly, that talks between both Presidents would include a proposal for the reversal of the Nigerian law on same-sex marriages.

On Monday, the Nigerian Pilot quoted Thomas-Greenfield as saying “As a policy, we will continue to press the government of Nigeria, as well as other governments which have provided legislation that discriminates against the LGBT community.

“This is very much a work in progress, but I think you will agree with me that the law in Nigeria really went far in discriminating against this community, but also people who associate with them.

“So we will continue to press the government, to press the legislature to change these laws and provide human rights for all Nigerian people, regardless of their sexual orientation.”

She went on to state that “With what is happening in the US, you can determine how far we are willing to go.”

In conclusion, she said “So we are prepared to push this as a policy, not just in Africa but across the world.”

What do you guys make of this?

See full story here: http:///OV6VHq