₦airaland Forum

If other newspaper outlets are doing thier reporting this same way of Authority newspapers then there will be hope for the common man.Personally,i have no respect for the panel in the first place,it was set up by Obasanjo mainly for the purpose of witch-haunting those that are not his friends.Authority newspapers will surely go far if this tempo is sustained.

THE AUTHORITY NEWSPAPERS WRITES CODE OF CONDUCT TRIBUNAL BOSS
Asks: What is different between Bola Tinubu, others’ trial and Saraki’s?


20th October, 2015

The Honourable Chairman
Code of Conduct Tribunal
Jabi, Abuja.

Mr Chairman,
TRIAL OF SENATE PRESIDENT BUKOLA SARAKI AND MATTERS ARISING
The board of Editors of The Authority newspapers have been following the drama generated by the trial by your tribunal of Senate President Bukola Saraki.
It is common knowledge that before your Bureau had on the strength of petitions investigated at least four governors and senators who served between 1999 and 2007. They include Governors Bola Tinubu (Lagos), James Ibori (Delta), Late Adebayo Adefarati (Ondo), and Abubakar Audu (Kogi). On January 3, 2003, your predecessor in office, Captain E.E. Nsa (Rtd) wrote the then governor of Ondo State, Chief Adebayo Adefarati saying it received a “well-packaged petition” on the governor’s alleged abuse of office dated 19th November 2002. Till date, nothing was heard of the “well-packaged petition.”
In June 2007, your bureau charged Alhaji Abubakar Audu, a former governor of Kogi State on a six-count charge of corruption, abuse of office, conversion of public property to personal and family use. In early 2011, your bureau equally arraigned a former governor of Lagos State, Senator Ahmed Bola on a three-count charge of operating various foreign accounts between 1999 and 2007. On 13th December 2007, the CCB withdrew all the 19 charges levelled against a former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha (now deceased) two years earlier, on November 28, 2006.
It is instructive to note that all the former governors were later cleared by the CCT.
On November 19, 2009, your bureau declared Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, then immediate past chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) wanted. About six months later, the CCT withdrew all charges against the former EFCC boss.
While the board of editors of The Authority cannot fathom why ALL the aforementioned were charged and later cleared by your honourable Bureau, a common trend, however, in all the aforelisted cases was that the accused persons were not in the good books of the government of the day.
The board of editors of The Authority newspapers is doing a detailed report of the activities of your Bureau on the trial of afore-mentioned personalities vis-a-vis the ongoing trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki. We wish to know from Your Lordship if there is any difference between the ongoing trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki and that of the discharged former governors Bola Tinubu, Attah, Audu, Adefarati, and former EFCC boss Nuhu Ribadu, among others.
Your Lordship’s reaction is particularly important when placed beside the allegations in some quarters that your Bureau is being blackmailed into embarrassing the Senate President in exchange for EFCC discontinuing investigation on the N10 million bribe Your Lordship allegedly demanded from Mr. Taiwo Rasheed, a retired comptroller of Customs, who was being prosecuted by your tribunal for failing to declare his assets while in office, among other issues.

THE AUTHORITY NEWSPAPERS WRITES CODE OF CONDUCT TRIBUNAL BOSShe board of editors would appreciate a timely response from Your Lordship office to enable us meet our production deadline.
Sincerely yours,
Chuks Akunna
Executive Director

Dapo Abiodun living in self delusion,Says Kashamu

Our attention has been drawn to media reports credited to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Ogun East Senatorial District, Mr. Dapo Abiodun, that his purported victory at the National and State Assemblies Election Petitions Tribunal was an act of God.

Abiodun must be living in self delusion for him to claim any victory because none was awarded to him. Clearly, God is not mocked. It should be noted that it took him over 72 hours to say anything after the tribunal gave its controversial verdict.

For clarification purposes,  we wish to reiterate that the tribunal did not nullify Senator Kashamu's election. It only nullify the votes attributed to both candidates in 110 polling units out of 1,135 polling units in Ogun East Senatorial District.

In its judgment, the tribunal said at Page 133 that, “We do not feel comfort­able to nullify the election in Ogun East Senatorial District when 146,533 votes are valid because of 37,008 unlawful votes. We nullify the election into the Senatorial seat in the following polling units and order a fresh election.”

It is worthy to note that after cancelling the results of the election in the 110 polling units, the tribunal awarded 70,677 votes to Abiodun and 75,856 to Senator Kashamu.

The implication is that Senator Kashamu is still leading Abiodun with 5,179 votes. So, how can someone trailing behind Senator Kashamu with over 5,000 votes be claiming victory? How can someone who was defeated by Senator Kashamu in his polling booth, ward and local government be claiming victory? It does seem to us that he wants to get through the back door what he could not get in a free and fair contest.

At this stage, it is pertinent to ask some questions: Can a tribunal nullify the election of a leading candidate? If the reverse were the case, would the tribunal not have declared Abiodun the winner of the election?  As clearly stated by the tribunal, it could not nullify Senator Kashamu's election because of 37,008 votes that were cancelled from the results of both candidates.

It is also very important to reiterate that the rerun was ordered in 110 out of over 1,135 polling units in the senatorial district. That is less than 10 percent of the polling units in the senatorial district.

Put differently, according to the tribunal, the election was successfully held in 1,025 polling units representing 90.3% of the senatorial district as against the purportedly flawed 110 polling units representing 9.7% of the senatorial district! In effect, the election had a 90.3% success rate!

Another reason we believe the tribunal’s verdict was a travesty of justice is: there is nowhere in the Electoral Act where an Election Tribunal is empowered to make order a partial rerun of an election.

What the Act says is that if the irregularity complained of is deemed substantial enough to warrant a nullification, then a fresh rerun must be ordered, not a partial rerun. But, where the irregularity is not deemed substantial, then the election ought to be upheld and the petition dismissed. So, it is either an outright rerun or an election result is upheld. We believe that our electoral laws do not make allowance for partial rerun.

Abiodun and his pay masters must also not forget that Senator Kashamu has a right of appeal which he is already exercising. And until that is decided one way or another, he remains the Senator representing the good people of Ogun East Senatorial District. They have spoken loud and clear and the tribunal has reinforced it even after the unwarranted deductions.

So, for Abiodun's information, Senator Kashamu will remain in office. His certificate of return is still with him. It has not been withdrawn because there is no such consequential order.

Among other grounds, the Court of Appeal will decide whether the tribunal has the right to call for a rerun where less than 10% was found to be irregular, bearing in mind that there is always human errors/factors in every election which the tribunal itself acknowledged.

It is our humble view that the percentage of irregularities is less than 10% and it did not substantially change the result of the election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

So, the earlier Mr. Dapo Abiodun wakes up from his grand illusion the better for him. Truly, the good people of Ogun East Senatorial District have spoken and it has been unwittingly affirmed by the tribunal. We empathise with Abiodun on yet another forlorn ambition. He should take and be strong, knowing full well that another opportunity will soon be here in 2019.

Signed
Austin Oniyokor
Media aide to Senator Buruji Kashamu
13/10/2015

Ride on the people's senator.

SENATOR BURUJI KASHSMU LIVE @THE MINISTERIAL SCREENING.

Against all vituperations, personality slain and smearing, is the pictorial display of Senator Buruji Kashamu representing Ogun East Senatorial district of Ogun State performing his official duties which the good people of this district had appointed him to represent them.

Some days ago, partisan media organisations and biased factor of the NANS which is fully known to be sponsored by the APC had deliberately mis-interpreted the tribunal verdict of 'sacking' Prince Kashamu and the man of the year award bestowed on the humble senator for his philantropy for selfish motives, which is unethical and against the tenets of journalism and activism respectively. These media organisations and Ogun State chapter of NANS had disappointed so many and lost their prestige as a result of their alignment with political parties to character assassinate oppositions.

We implore the good people of Ogun east not to be moved by the action of the partisan media organisations and student groups used to assassinate the God chosens senator as proper legal action shall be taken. The Senator you have appointed to represent you in the red chambers believes so much in the rule of law, hence it will definitely prevail.

SENATOR BURUJI KASAMU:A MODEL FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW.

Chalse Caleb Colton it was who said that In life, we shall find many men that are great, and some men that are good, but very few men that are both great and good.Senator Buruji Kashamu is such a man. he is good,he is great, He is extraordinary in every way.Senator Buruji Kashamu priority in developing his people and eradication of poverty is an act that is worth emulating by other politicians. The entire southwest and the civil servants in Osun State will forever remain grateful to Kashamu act of showing clemency.

In further recognition of his untiring ,exemplary and compassionate leadership stlye the national association of Nigeria student (NANS) under the leadership of Comrade Tijani Usman not long ago honour Senator Kashamu with the "Golden Man of the year" award.


Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to a new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom and kindness. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. Senator Buruji kashamu philantrophical gestures such as catering for certain number of HIV victims on a monthly basis,placing of the aged on a monthly payroll and provision of jobs for the youths distinguishes him from other mere political leaders.
.

Within the context of Ogun state, and indeed within the southwest politics, Senator Kashamu has no equal. He towered above his contemporaries. To truly appreciate his greatness, all you need do is to take a look at the men and women who now dot, and have dotted our public office and public space. Do so and you will be hard-pressed to name a political leader who truly has the interest of the masses at heart in Nigeria, in the last 10 years, who did more for his people and for his state than Senator Buruji Kashamu. In him we have the brightest star ever,and may have to wait more decades for a man like Senator Buruji Kashamu.

The election tribunal judgement of yesterday counts for nothing,Senator Kashamu will once again triumph over Dapo Abiodun again and again.

If Nigeria had more people like Senator Buruji Kashamu,it would be a more better place to live

OYEJIDE SUNKANMI.

Tribunal ruling: I remain Ogun-East Senator, says #Kashamu

The senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the red chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Buruju Kashamu has debunked online media reports that his mandate had been annulled by the Ogun State election tribunal and sacked from the parliament.
Kashamu, who spoke to journalists Friday, said the election tribunal did not nullify his election, but only cancelled the results of the election in some polling units in the district.

He expressed appreciation to God and the people of his senatorial district for their support, and urged his constituents to sustain their support as he remained confident that he would triumph at the end of the day.
According to him, the tribunal cancelled the result of the election in 110 polling booths out of the over 1,135 polling units in the senatorial district.
“With that, I am still leading with 5,179 votes. I am left with 75,856 votes while Dapo Abiodun has 70,677 votes. How does that amount to the nullification of my election? What the tribunal said is that there would be a rerun in those polling units. Until the rerun is done, I remain the Senator representing Ogun East,” Kashamu said.

Kashamu, who described the tribunal judgment as a miscarriage of justice, vowed to seek redress at the Appeal Court and ensure that he was declared the outright winner.
He cited the case of Mimiko vs. Agagu as well as Aregbesola and Oyinlola where Agagu and Aregbesola faced similar contests at the tribunal but were declared winners at the end of the day.
“After the deduction of invalid votes, Agagu was declared the winner. The same thing happened in the case between Aregbesola and Oyinlola.

After the deduction of the invalid votes, Aregbesola was declared the winner. So, why did that not happen in this case? It is sheer daylight robbery and we shall slug it out in the Appeal Court. Let me say, however, that even if we have the rerun 20 times I will defeat my opponent because I am the choice of the people,” he boasted.

SENATOR KASHAMU’S POLITICAL STATURE:
THREAT TO APC
We read with dismay, in the dailies, the ranting of the APC, Ogun State chapter, over the NANS Award to Senator Buruji Kashamu the Senator representing the Ogun East Senatorial District, Ogun State. We concluded that its reaction is envious of the intimidating posture and wide frontier of Prince Buruji Kashamu in political sphere.
The Peoples Democratic Party, Ogun State chapter has observed that some apologists and members of the APC had hitherto run foul their mouths on the award saga. The earlier critics, like the APC Ogun State Chapter , condemned NANS for given the Golden Man of the Year Award to Senator Kashamu describing it as a honour misplaced.
For the avoidance of doubt, we are very proud of Senator Buruji Kashamu as one of our foremost leaders in the Party not limited to Ogun State but across South West, Nigeria.
We appreciate his personality, mentoring, kindheartedness and philanthropy. We are very bold to say that Senator Buruji Kashamu enjoys the respect, love and goodwill of his people in Ogun state and beyond. This irrebutable fact is a pointer to his landslide victory at the poll at 2015 National Assembly election.
Senator Kashamu like notable APC leaders such as Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, etc. had stood trial over alleged crime without conviction. They have also been honoured severally by their people and communities. Why then the hullabaloo about Senator Kashamu's award ?
Though, Kashamu was arraigned in two British Courts over alleged drug related offences and was acquitted. Similarly too, the Nigeria Government , on the purported request of the American Government, attempted to process his extradition which an High Court , Abuja , justiceously stalled. Senator Kashamu afotiori , before the law, remains perpetually innocent until contrary is proved. Why then should any reasonable person think that Senator Kashamu should, now, be treated as an outcast or a condemned criminal?
The APC lampoon further shows the politics of lies, propaganda , hatred and pull PDP down of APC.
The APC, in Ogun State knows and realizes that Senator Kashamu is the most formidable threat it has. It is aware also that the Senator is ever ready to provide leadership and use all his God’s given resources to unseat the retrogressive, APC, ruling party in the State.
APC in Ogun state does not tolerate opposition. This explains why it is presently challenging elections of all the Nine(9) PDP House of Assembly members, one(1) House of Representative and one(1) Senate.
To us, we appreciate the leadership of NANS for its consideration for the person of Senator Buruji Kashamu. We also commend NANS for its non-partisanship, courage and independence. Gone in the past, when such awards would only be restricted to ruling Party (APC).
We are bold to say that the award was a big surprise to the awardee as he has never met any of the NANS representatives before and they (NANS) did not request for anything nor give any condition before giving the award to the Senator as being alleged or thought of in the imagination of the APC.
NANS should please note the assurances and determination of our distinguished Senator, Prince Buruji Kashamu to continue to do more to promote educational system and wellbeing of students generally.
Conclusively, we see the grandiloquence of APC as a mere rhetoric and polemics of a drowning Party at least in Ogun Statel.
Comrade Niyi-Osoba,
Director of Orgarnisation,
PDP, Ogun State.
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Tribunal didn't sack Kashamu
Our attention has been draw to some media reports that the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Prince Buruji Kashamu, was today sacked by the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
We wish to say that this is not a true reflection of what transpired at the tribunal.
Although the tribunal has said the full judgment will be made available on Monday, it could not be said to have sacked Kashamu because, according to it, after the removal of voided votes, Kashamu is still leading with 5,179 votes.
According to the tribunal's findings, Kashamu has 75,856 votes against Dapo Abiodun's 70,677 votes. So how can the person leading be said to have been "sacked"? For who? The losing candidate? We think not.
Besides, the rerun was ordered in 110 out of over 1,135 polling units in the senatorial district.
Certainly, we are going to test veracity of the tribunal's verdict at the Court of Appeal. The tribunal has given its judgment, but it is not the end of the road. That is the beauty of the judicial process.
Signed
Austin Oniyokor
Media aide to Senator Buruji Kashamu

RE: KASHAMU SPONSORS BILL ON MENTAL HEALTH

Our attention has been drawn to a report with the above title in the online version of The Punch newspaper which should be published in the hard copy edition of Friday, 9th October, 2015.

Despite exercising great restraint in not joining issues with The Punch newspaper over the years, we have noticed a consistent pattern by some elements within the newspaper to prosecute a proxy political battle.

This time, the newspaper took its biased for Senator Kashamu a notch higher when it deliberately twisted a report that a bill he sponsored on mental health illnesses had passed first reading in the Senate.

Instead of commending Senator Kashamu for being one of the first set of lawmakers to sponsor a bill in the 8th Senate, or at least just report event and tell us the contents of the bill, it (The Punch) went on a binge to cast aspersion on his person.

First, which unnamed experts told The Punch that drugs "remained the major cause of mental ailments among the youths?" This is just a colouration given to the report by The Punch's Sunday Aborishade who has a clear mandate to report lies about Senator Kashamu and/or twist reports that relate to him. Recall that he was the one who, shortly after the 8th Senate was inaugurated in June, reported that Kashamu was absent at the Senate whereas he was not! Now, in another of his jaundiced reports, Aborishade says "Kashamu is currently being investigated by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency on issues relating to drug abuse which, experts claimed, remained the major cause of mental ailments among the youths". Pray, does it not smack of ignorance that a man who had been tried and discharged severally over the same allegations both in Nigeria and the UK could be said to be "being investigated"? If he is still being investigated by the NDLEA (the very agency that had severally testified in his favour), why was the extradition proceedings instituted against him dismissed in June, this year?

In case The Punch and its minders do not know, according to WebMD, mental illnesses are caused by three major factors, namely biological factors/inherited traits, psychological factors and environmental factors. It is under the environmental factors that you have substance abuse. It is NEVER “a major cause of mental ailments” as The Punchclaimed, all in a desperate bid to justify its biased reportage.

So, the less than clever attempt to narrow mental illnesses to drugs abuse and make Senator Kashamu unfit to present the bill, even when several courts have exonerated him,  is wicked and unprofessional, to say the least!

It is only consistent with The Punch’s Pull-Kashamu-Down campaign. It has an uncanny penchant for twisting anything that relates to Senator Kashamu, and there are several examples. It reportage of Ogun State/South West PDP issues, congratulatory message to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,  face-off with the NDLEA and lately the NANS award!

We do know the relationship among the Managing Director of The Punch newspapers, Mr. ‘Demola Osinubi, former Governor Gbenga Daniel, Mr. Dapo Abiodun and some politicians in Ago-Iwoye, Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State where Osinubi and Senator Kashamu hail from.  But we never knew that anyone would sacrifice professionalism on the altar of primordial sentiments.

Clearly, Osinubi and his cohorts are under a clear mandate to use the newspaper to run down Senator Kashamu under the pretext of performing its professional duties! But, we know that no man, no medium, no matter how powerful, is more powerful than God.

 Thank you.

 

Signed

Austin Oniyokor

Media aide to Senator Buruji Kashamu

What I do not understand is why Nigerians keep worrying themselves unnecessarily.The nans president said the award was presented to Kashamu based on his philanthropical acts.

Kashamu is not the richest businessman nor the richest politician in Nigeria but he keeps showing clemency on the poor masses,he keeps giving back to the society,he has on his monthly payroll HIV victims in Ogun state and the southwest in general.People should be thanking him instead of condeming him.

Dangote is the richest man in Nigeria today how much is Dangote doing to elevate poverty?,how many people are on his monthly payroll?

Nigerians should be praying for Kashamu.

After Moses come Joshua....Senator Kashamu is no doubt the new opposition leader in the southwest.He is loved by all I will not be surprise if in the near future he becomes the the number one political leader in the southwest.

Kashamu is expected to lead the southwest people to the promise land in the near future.

Kudos to the writer of this piece....your ability is never in doubt.

This is a no case to answer for Senator Kashamu.The Ndlea chairman should be made to suffer for the agency illegal act.

If i digest very well.....Senator Kashamu opted out of the aircraft after the captain made an announcement that the aircraft is faulty.My question to nairaland is simple,Is it a crime for one to guide against evil or bad ocurence?What if the aircraft developed a major problem and the captain announced, it is a minor issue?Senator Kashamu has the right to fly on any aircraft he likes provided he has the money for that.

I an afraid we no longer practice real journalism in Nigeria anymore,this same story was on saharareporters yesterday and many nigerians condemed it outrightly and today Nairaland is spreading it as well.It hold no waters.My advice for nairaland is to stop this copy and paste attitude and face real journalism.