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Call for Interim national government is anarchy — Olanipekun

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Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, the immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Body of Benchers (BoB), has described the alleged plot to install an interim national government in the country as a call for anarchy.

Olanipekun, who spoke at a public function organised by the legal body to mark the end of his tenure as its Chairman, further adduced reasons why the alleged plot would fail.

According to him, there is no provision in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, under which an interim government could be accommodated.

The senior lawyer, who is a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), urged aggrieved politicians to “ceasefire”, insisting that the outcome of the said interim government would be calamitous.

He said: “It is unconstitutional. To me, it comes from the pit of hell. Calling or asking for Interim National Government, where do you situate it? How do you compartmentalize it? How do you accommodate it within a constitutional democracy?

“Let us face it. Whenever there in any election anywhere in the world, there is bound to be disagreement. But will you because of every disagreement call for the system to be disbanded?

“You can not throw away the baby with the bath water, it is never done.

“Two and a half or three years ago in America, we know what happened. Even before then, like between Nixon and J. F. Kennedy, we know what happened then.

“But Nixon said, look, let us stop there. He halted himself. He restrained himself, even though people were telling him to go to court.

He refused and said he would not go to court because of his respect for that institution.

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“This time around, people have gone to court. That is a civilised thing to do. The law is there. Let them exploit the opportunities provided by the constitution and the statutes.

“But for some people to sit down somewhere and call for an Interim National Government, I, as a lawyer, I don’t know the jurisprudence that will accommodate it.

“It is just like those of us who are from the South West and Midwest, that is Edo and Delta, and also those of us from the North, where you have Obas and Emirs.

“Will you say because a traditional ruler has not behaved well and call for the title to be abolished? Is that how or the way it is done?

“Will one say because your child is not doing well in school and kill him? No of course! You will regulate him and bring teachers to improve him.

“You cannot call for an Interim Government where elections have been conducted”, Olanipekun, SAN, added.

Continuing, he said: “I am not saying that all is well. In every institution created by God for man, there will be minuses. You don’t have it hundred percent anywhere.

“I am not saying there are no rooms for improvement, but don’t let us call for anarchy.

“Let us not pray that anarchy be unleashed on the system. You know what Sociologists call a state of anormy. A state of lawlessness.

“No one is going to benefit from it. Let us remind ourselves, have we not had Interim National Government before?

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“I recall that on 17th of November 1993, I was arguing a matter at Lagos State High Court on behalf of Ondo State and someone came and whispered to me that Abacha had taken over.

“Why did Abacha had to take over? It was because there was an Interim National Government which could not be accommodated within the constitution, despite that it was set up by the military government through a decree.

“That was the Shonekan administration. Let us not make the same mistake again. Once beaten, twice shy.

“Interim National Government, I, Wole Olanipekun, with the little knowledge of law and jurisprudence that God has endowed me with, I don’t know how we are going to accommodate it and I can be quoted.

“No one is going to benefit from it. Let us remind ourselves, have we not had Interim National Government before?

“I recall that on 17th of November 1993, I was arguing a matter at Lagos State High Court on behalf of Ondo State and someone came and whispered to me that Abacha had taken over.

“Why did Abacha had to take over? It was because there was an Interim National Government which could not be accommodated within the constitution, despite that it was set up by the military government through a decree.

“That was the Shonekan administration. Let us not make the same mistake again. Once beaten, twice shy.

“Interim National Government, I, Wole Olanipekun, with the little knowledge of law and jurisprudence that God has endowed me with, I don’t know how we are going to accommodate it and I can be quoted.

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“Who will be the President? Or better still, what will be the nomenclature? What will happen to Governors at the state level?

“Anarchy is not good and I remember when I was the Attorney General of Ondo State. Do you know what Abacha did? First of all, he said he would take over at the Federal Level.

“He wanted to leave the state governors, civilian governors. But some people said No! That was because they also wanted positions — military governor here and military governor there.

“I want to plead as an elder statesman, for those calling for Interim National Government to cease fire.

“Let them introspect. Let them think of what is going to be the outcome.

“The outcome is going to be calamitous. It is going to be an ill wind that is not going to blow us any good. It is going to blow all of us into the Atlantic,” Olanipekun warned.

It will be recalled that the Department of State Service, DSS, said it confirmed a plot by some politicians to install an interim government and stop Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from being inaugurated as President on May 29.

“The planners, in their many meetings, have weighed various options, which include, among others, to sponsor endless violent mass protests in major cities to warrant a declaration of state of emergency.

“Another is to obtain frivolous court injunctions to forestall the inauguration of new executive administrations and legislative houses at the Federal and State levels,” the security agency added.

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UPDATED: DHQ declares physics professor, 7 others wanted over murder of 17 soldiers in Delta

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The Defence Headquarters has declared eight persons wanted in connection to the killing of army personnel in Okuama community, Delta state.

The 17 army personnel were killed on March 14 during an operation in the community.

 

Among those declared wanted are Ekpekpo Arthur, a professor of physics at the Delta State University; Akeywiru Omotegbono, Andaowei Bakrikri, Igoli Ebi, a lady; Akata David, Sinclear Oliki, Clement Oghenerukevwe and Reuben Baru.

The names of the deceased soldiers are A.H Ali, D.E Obi, S.D. Ashafa, U. Zakari, Yahaya Saidu, Danbaba Yahaya, Kabir Bashir, Abdullahi Ibrahim, Bulus Haruna, Sole Opeyemi, Bello Anas, Alhaji Isah, Clement Francis, Abubakar Ali, Adamu Ibrahim, Hamman Peter, and Ibrahim Adamu.

After the killing of the army personnel, President Bola Tinubu and the military high command promised that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

On Wednesday, the personnel were buried at the military cemetery in Abuja and were posthumously conferred with national honours by President Tinubu.

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The president also offered scholarships to children of the late officers.

 

Speaking during the burial ceremony of the late personnel, Taoreed Lagbaja, chief of army staff (COAS), said it was “highly demoralising” that the soldiers were killed by those they were equipped to protect.

The army chief added that it took over 72 hours of searching to recover the vital organs of some of the deceased soldiers.

 

He added that the Nigerian Army exercised “a lot of restraint” in the search for missing arms and body parts of the deceased soldiers.

 

The army chief also said some of the widows of the slain officers are pregnant.

 

“The Okuama killing has added to the care of the Nigerian Army and, by extension, the Nigerian state, 10 widows, three of whom are four, five, and eight months pregnant, 21 orphans, and many other dependents, which include parents,” Lagbaja said.

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We didn’t monitor Labour Party national convention, says INEC

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it did not monitor the national convention of the Labour Party (LP).

 

Recall that on Wednesday, the LP conducted its national convention at the Grand Seasons Hotel, in Nnewi, Anambra state.

Julius Abure was re-elected as chairman of the party at the convention.

However, Rotimi Oyekanmi, media aide to Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, said that the conduct of the convention was not monitored by the electoral umpire.

Oyekanmi did not specify why INEC did not monitor the convention.

The convention was initially slated for March 29 but was later changed to March 27. The leadership of the party had said the date was changed because the initial day falls on Good Friday, a very important date for the Christian faithful across the world.

The venue was also changed from Abia to Anambra.

 

Speaking on the change of venue, Kehinde Edun, LP national legal adviser, said the party duly informed INEC about the change in venue and date.

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“So, we are at liberty to pick any venue of our choice. We only need to inform INEC about the change in venue and the time,” Edun said.

 

There have been calls for the party to suspend its national convention.

 

On March 17, the house of representatives caucus of the LP called for the suspension of the convention to enable the party “properly plan” the event.

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described Abure’s re-election as “an illegality”.

 

On March 16, the NLC and LP traded words over calls for the suspension of the party’s convention and resignation of Abure as chairman of the party.

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DHQ declares eight wanted over murder of 17 soldiers in Delta

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The Defence Headquarters has declared eight persons wanted in connection to the killing of army personnel in Okuama community, Delta state.

The 17 army personnel were killed on March 14 during an operation in the community.

 

DHQ named those declared wanted as Akeywiru Omotegbono, Ekpekpo Arthur, Andaowei Bakrikri, Igoli Ebi, Akata David, Sinclear Oliki, Clement Oghenerukevwe and Reuben Baru.

More to follow…

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