News

APC LG primary: Members accuse LASIEC of swapping losers with winners

Published

3 years ago

June 16, 2021

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The last is yet to be heard about the local government chairmanship and councillorship primaries conducted by the All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos.

According to reports, some winners in the elections have been surreptitiously replaced in the list published by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission.

It was gathered that several of those who won the primary and were so declared, had their names replaced with those of persons who lost the May 29 contest.

In the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, for example, Mr. Dipo Olorunrinu, a former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, was declared winner of the local government chairmanship primary and was presented with the LASIEC form which was filled and published.

Maureen Ashara was named as the winner of the Vice Chairmanship seat, while for councillorship, Olulade Temitope, was named winner of Ward A1 Eko Akete.

In A2 Odofin ward, Oreofe Elliot, was declared winner and in Ward K Ifelodun (FESTAC III), Egobi Osagie-Daniel emerged victorious.

READ You are chasing straws: Lagos APC slams LP guber candidate over attack claims

In Ward C Orire (FESTAC II), Ahmed Mohammed was declared winner while in B1 Irepodun (FESTAC IA), Anuoluwapo Adeosun emerged as winner. In B2 Ado (FESTAC IB), Idowu Saidat emerged victorious and in J Tomaro/Ilado ward, Iwakun Oluwafemi was the winner.

However, it was learnt that four of the victorious candidates were mysteriously dropped when the final list was published by LASIEC.

The winner of the local government chairmanship primary, Olorunrinu, was dropped and his name was substituted with Valentine Buraimoh, who is the current chairman of the local government.

Another winner of the councillorship primary, Adeosun, was replaced with Abimbola Oshodi while Osagie-Daniel was replaced by Ajide Fatai and Oluwafemi was substituted with Kiki Emmanuel.

Sources within the APC said some of the new candidates were imposed by some party leaders for reasons best known to them.

When contacted on the telephone, the APC Spokesman in Lagos State, Seye Oladejo, said some of the changes were approved by the appeal committee.

READ Lagos LG elections: APC holds primaries today

Oladejo, however, said the committee was still sitting and changes could still be corrected.

The APC spokesman said, “After the primaries, we set up an electoral appeal committee to entertain petitions from aggrieved aspirants and there were places where primaries were disrupted and since we were pressed for time, the option was not to do a fresh primary but for leaders in the affected place to sit down and reach a consensus on who would be candidates.

“The alternative would have been for our party not to have candidates which would not be acceptable to us. So, after they appear before the committee or consensus, there could be changes based on the decisions of the appeal committee or consensus and as it is, the appeal committee is still sitting so they haven’t completed their assignments.”

News

Court knocks FG for lack of diligent prosecution in Tukur Mamu’s terrorism financing case

Published

17 mins ago

April 29, 2024

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A federal high court in Abuja has reprimanded the federal government for lack of diligent prosecution in the charge filed against Tukur Mamu, publisher of Desert Herald newspaper.

At the court session on Monday, David Kaswe, prosecution counsel, was not in court despite having entered his name on the cause list, indicating his presence.

Abdul Mohammed, Mamu’s counsel, urged the court to stand down the matter to await Kaswe’s return.

However, the prosecution lawyer was still not in court when the case was called again after the judge had delivered a judgment.

Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, expressed surprise over “the miraculous disappearance” of the federal government’s lawyer in court.

“I am also aware that the prosecution was in court this morning, but as to the miracle of the disappearance of the prosecution as at the time this matter comes up for hearing is beyond my understanding,” Ekwo said.

“This antic of the prosecution is only being tolerated in today’s proceeding.

“If the prosecution demonstrates that they are not ready to prosecute this matter either diligently or expeditiously, the court will make the right decision at that point.”

READ Lagos LG elections: APC holds primaries today

MAMU ASKS TO BE TRANSFERRED TO KUJE PRISON

Mamu’s lawyer moved an application to transfer his client to the Kuje correctional facility.

He said the prosecution had already responded to the motion.

In the application, the defence counsel said the Department of State Services (DSS) has refused to obey a previous court order which directed that Mamu should be allowed access to his doctors.

He said Mamu would get proper medical attention in Kuje prison.

“This application is brought so that we will take the defendant to the prisons because they always obey court orders there so that if we go there, he will have access to his medical officer,” he said.

“It is completely within the discretion of the court and we do not want to bring an application for contempt as that will take time.

“Therefore, we want the court to vary the order and the defendant will stay in the Kuja correctional facility. That is what we are asking for.”

READ BREAKING: Baba Ijesha jailed 16 years

The judge adjourned the matter until May 20 for ruling on Mamu’s application.

BACKGROUND

Mamu is standing trial for allegedly aiding the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.

After his arrest in 2022, the federal government said $300,000 was found in his possession.

He was arraigned in March 2023 by the office of the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism.

However, in March, he pleaded not guilty to all the counts and denied having allegiance to the terrorists.

Mamu is alleged to have received $120,000 as ransom payments on behalf of the Boko Haram terrorist group.

The monies were said to have been received from families of hostages kidnapped during the train attack.

He was also accused of exchanging voice note communications relating to the hostages with one Baba Adamu, a Boko Haram spokesperson.

The federal government also tagged the $300,000 found in Mamu’s possession after his arrest, as terrorist funds.

READ Re: Acceptance of the outcome of Ward C2 and C5 Councillorship Primary Election- Matters Arising

Mamu, an aide to Ahmad Gumi, a popular Islamic cleric, was involved in negotiations for the release of the passengers abducted during the attack on a Kaduna-bound train.

News

Abuse of office: Emefiele challenges jurisdiction of Lagos court to try him

Published

1 hour ago

April 29, 2024

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The Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has deferred till the end of trial, its ruling on the application filed by the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to try him on the charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Through his lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olalekan Ojo, Emefiele submitted that he cannot be tried in the high court of any state in Nigeria for alleged acts of abuse of his office as this raises issues of constitutionality and legality.

The former CBN governor also noted that counts 1-4 of the 26 counts charge filed by the EFCC against him are unconstitutional as they are not contained in any law in Nigeria.

His counsel asked the court to make an order striking out counts one to four of the charge on the grounds that:

READ Lagos PDP, APC lock horns over LG poll

. the Honourable Court has no jurisdiction to try the offence of abuse of office in relation to the office of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria which the 1st Defendant occupied at all times material to the commission of the offences and

ii. the 1st Defendant’s/Applicant’s acts said to constitute arbitrary acts resulting in abuse of office are not offences known to law as mandatorily required by section 36(12) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

The EFCC through its counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Rotimi Oyedepo, however, countered these arguments.

Citing decided cases of the Supreme Court, he asked the trial judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, not to defer or prevent the trial of the case on the basis of objections challenging the particulars of the counts of the information.

“That approach is intended to take us back to where we are coming from as this were the basis for Section 1 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA and the purpose for which Administration of Criminal Justice Law, ACJL was intended. The intention of our collective resolution as a nation was to to prevent undue delay in our criminal cases.

READ Gabon military leaders release ousted Bongo, allow him to travel abroad for treatment

“I urge my lord to refuse this invitation, trial has commenced, this application to prevent the trial today is unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional and I urge the court not to depart from the decision of the apex court as to do so would amount to judicial rascality,” Oyedepo stated.