BREAKING NEWS: APC merges with New PDP

The merger was announced in Abuja.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has announced a merger with the Abubakar Baraje-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, tagged ‘New PDP’

The merger was announced at the end of a meeting at the Kano Governors Lodge in Abuja on Tuesday.

Mr. Baraje read the terse communique to journalists at about 11.46 a.m.

The merger means the APC now has its 11 governors and the seven governors who are members of the New PDP; making a total of 18 state governors.

The seven New PDP governors were expected to have a last meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan before taking a decision. The meeting is yet to be held.

Among those at Tuesday’s merger meeting were APC leader and former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu; APC National Chairman, Bisi Akande; Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso: former Kwara governor and serving senator, Bukola Saraki; former Nasarawa governor and serving senator, Abdullahi Adamu; former Bayelsa governor, Timipre Sylva; and Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako.

Others were former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari; Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi; National Secretary of the PDP, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Abia governor, Ogbonnaya Onu; former PDP vice chairman, Sam Jaja; Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed; and Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu.

Mr. Baraje said Messrs Ahmed and Aliyu left the meeting before it ended; but that everybody agreed the two groups should merge.

He said the two parties agreed “to work together in order to rescue the fledgling democracy of the nation.”

The meeting, where the merger was consummated,  lasted about three hours.

Several meetings had been held between the APC leaders and the leaders of the New PDP.  The APC had visited each of the seven New PDP governors in their states to convince them to join its fold. Some of the governors, like Mr. Aliyu of Niger, had said they would not leave the PDP unless they were chased out.

While being courted by the APC, the New PDP leaders were also meeting with Mr. Jonathan with a view to resolving the crisis in their party.

The meetings were unsuccessful with a final one, initially scheduled to hold before the Muslim Hajj rites, postponed.

Mr. Jonathan announced on Sunday when he arrived from the U.K. that he would meet the aggrieved governors (Kwara, Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Adamawa, and Rivers) this week. It is not clear if the meeting would still hold.

The new merger effectively changes the political landscape of Nigeria.

The ruling PDP had 23 governors; but with the exit of seven, now has 16 governors.

The new merger party has 18 governors; while the remaining two states, Ondo and Anambra, are led by the Labour Party and the All Progressives Grand Alliance respectively, although both governors are allies of Mr. Jonathan.

A similar permutation exists in the National Assembly.

Man drowns while swimming to win bet

| credits: Samson Folarin

A 25-year-old man, Toheeb Jimoh, has drowned in a Lagos river while reportedly swimming to win a bet.

He had allegedly bragged that he could swim the Lagos Lagoon from a particular point to the shore on Saturday evening.

It was learnt that when some people challenged his claim, he had allegedly dared them to place a bet. After the bet was placed, he reportedly went on a boat to the point and jumped into the lagoon hoping to swim to the shore.

 Friends of the deceased, who had accompanied him on a boat, were said to have fled the scene after he did not make it out of the water.

 The incident, which occurred at Aiyedun Street, Bariga, was said to have caused commotion among residents who trooped to the site, hoping to save Jimoh.

 The corpse of Jimoh was said to have been recovered around 7pm same day and buried beside the water around 12am in line with the traditions.

 Our correspondent learnt that the late Abeokuta, Ogun State indigene, had only recently gained admission into the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta before the tragedy struck.

 A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “He and some of his friends were actually fond of betting and gambling. So that evening, they decided to take the betting to another level. Toheeb told them he could swim from the Third Mainland Bridge end of the river to the shore.

“When the boat they took got to that point, which was a little close to the shore, he gave his clothes to his brother and jumped into the water.

 “His friends who were in the boat waited for him at the shore without success. After it dawned on them that something was amiss, his younger brother raised the alarm. By the time people got to the scene, he had died.”

 When PUNCH Metro visited the site where the incident took place, he observed that the scene was directly under the Third Mainland Bridge.

Leaves, pure water sachets, and other dirt were seen floating on the river shore. The area was mainly occupied by shanties and make-shift structures.

Residents of the area refused to comment for fear of being implicated.

 When our correspondent visited the Jimohs on Ajenifuja Street, he was told they had traveled to complete the burial rites. Their bungalow was also quiet, while the street was deserted.

 A resident on the street, Tiamiyu Abdullateef, said the deceased was highly pious.

He said Jimoh had earlier gone on a boat to “play a game with his friends”, and returned without any incident.

Abdullateef, however, said the deceased merely went to the lagoon to defecate after he became pressed.

“Then, he decided to swim and wash his body. His brother, Wale, waited at the shore. When he was swimming back, he just lost breath, and was exhausted. His brother saw him drowning but did not suspect that anything was wrong until it was too late.”

When our correspondent visited Bariga Police Station, a senior official told him that the police heard about the case informally.

The officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak for the police, said, “It was not reported here, and there is little we can do although we heard of it,”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said she was in a conference and promised to call back.

Senate blocks new aviation charges on private jets owners

Some Private Jets parked at the Abuja Airport, Nigeria

The Senate said there was need for more consultations.

All new fees charges by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, on private jet owners engaged in non-scheduled operations in Nigeria have been suspended by the Senate.

 The Senate Committee on Aviation, which gave the directive for suspension of the charges, also directed the agency and private jet owners to convene a meeting where consensus charges would be adopted in line with the Civil Aviation Act, 2006.

The directive was given at a tripartite meeting organized by the Committee in Abuja on Monday to resolve the contentious charges imposed by NAMA on private jets owners in the country.

By this development, NAMA would now revert to the old charges. The agency was charging $3000 for those registered abroad and $2000 for locally-registered ones.

There are about 87 jets registered overseas while 57 others were registered in Nigeria.

Bala Na’Allah, who represented the airlines at the parley said the charges were discriminatory, adding that they breached the Civil Aviation Act of 2006.

According to him, the Act provides that private jet operators should be consulted before new fees regimes are introduced.

“We want to be led by the rule of law. NCAA did not consult us before imposing levies on us. We are urging the senators to impress upon the NCAA to always carry us along through consultations because section 70 (1) C of the  act did not allow them to do whatever will be detrimental to the nation,” he said.

“For every take off, we are paying $2, 500 why are we paying in dollars when it is not our local currency in the country and NAMA did not see anything bad in implementing such discriminatory policy.

“It is discriminatory for NCAA to charge different levies for scheduled and non scheduled aircrafts. The law recommends payments either in local or hard currency but NAMA do not collect Naira.”

However, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of NAMA, Nnamdi Udoh, denied the claim that the agency compelled the operators to pay charges in dollars.

According to him, “They (operators) are also at liberty to pay in Naira. Payment in dollars is at their liberty. The provision of section 30 was being used in the past to collect levies. The charges would make them to ensure sanity.

“Before the new one-stop-shop payment, we were charging navigation, landing, parking and terminal navigation levies but services being offered in Nigeria must also conform to international best practices.

“They don’t pay five percent charges out of  the revenues they make. Safety is not cheap, the new levies are desirable because we have to maintain standards at all times.”

The NAMA MD alleged that some private jet owners had abused their licenses to engage in fraudulent commercial air operations.

Statistics showed that the Federal Government loses about $15 billion annually to private jet owners who operate commercial charter operations with their airplanes.

Timilehin: Killer policeman dismissed, to face trial

Timilehin Ebun

The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed a police sergeant, Razaq Alowonle, for shooting and causing the death of a nine-year-old boy, Timilehin Ebun, in the Ketu area of the state.

PUNCH Metro had reported that the deceased was killed in his father’s vehicle on June 13, 2013, by a stray bullet suspected to have emanated from Alowonle’s rifle.

Following the incident, a police delegation, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Damilola Adegbuyi, promised the slain boy’s parents that justice would be served.

The police authorities subsequently ordered that Alowonle should be given an orderly room trial on July 29, 2013.

A source at the Police B Operations Department, who made Alowonle’s dismissal letter available to our correspondent, explained that the police commissioner  had  ordered  Alowonle’s dismissal.

The source said the sergeant would also be charged to court.

Alowonle was also ordered to vacate the police barracks forthwith.

The document stated in part that, “Sergent Razaq Alowonle, with force number, 203693, was of improper conduct and acted in disobedience to lawful order contrary to paragraphs ‘O’ (IV) ‘E’ (111) ‘F’ respectively of first schedule of Police Act and Regulation 370 of 1990.

“Orderly room proceedings reviewed by the Commissioner of Police finds you guilty and approves punishment of dismissal from the force approved with immediate effect on September 6, 2013, and to be prosecuted in court on the appropriate charge.

“Retrieve his uniform and warrant card and eject him from barracks if so quartered and hand him over to the SCID, Yaba for prosecution. PAYPOL should stop subject’s salary forthwith. Treat as important.”

‘Teacher detained four days for taking policeman’s pictures’

Abragahou Aminu

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Pre-Adult Affairs Organisation, has accused the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, of illegally arresting and detaining a teacher, Abragahou Aminu, for four days for taking a picture of a policeman.

The organisation said the detention of Aminu, a Togolese, constituted a breach of his fundamental human rights.

Executive Director, PAAO, Sandra Duru, in a petition addressed to the Inspector General of Police, said, “Aminu was arrested on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 and kept in four different police detention cells before his kangaroo arraignment on Saturday November 23, 2013.

“All moves made by us to secure his release on bail were rejected by your men in Lagos command acting on the instruction of Ngozi Braide, Lagos PPRO. Aminu was first arbitrarily detained at Ketu Police Station, from Ketu, he was transferred to the PPRO’s office where he was harassed for hours.

“From PPRO’s office, the innocent Aminu was transferred to Area F detention cell and from Area F to X-squad cell. All these acts of injustice and unprofessionalism were perpetrated by your men simply because a man was caught recording an incident with his mobile phone.

“Sir, may we bring to your notice that the police possess no power to keep an accused in custody for more than 48 hours at most. We also remind you that the PPRO’s office is not meant for the torturing of an accused. We also inform you that the X squad detention cell that Aminu was detained for about 96 hours wasn’t meant for civilians but for that of undisciplined officers.”

 Duru alleged that Aminu wrote his statement under duress while in police custody, while the pictures were deleted from his phone.

She added that Aminu had lost his teaching job due to his prolonged detention and demanded that the police compensate him.

Braide however refuted Duru’s claims saying that Aminu was neither tortured nor threatened.

Braide said at least three police personnel had been dismissed in the state after videos had been tendered as evidence against them by members of the public.

She said, “The police as an organisation have nothing against members of the public taking pictures or videoing errant policemen in the act as this helps us to identify and expunge the bad eggs among us.

“However, we do not condone people taking pictures of policemen on duty for no reason at all. The nature of our job involves security and we cannot allow people to be taking pictures at random because the pictures could be used for ulterior motives.

“The suspect was brought in and his interrogation was recorded on video. Did you see any marks on his body? He was detained at the X squad which investigated the matter. The suspect was neither tortured nor beaten and has even been charged to court.”

PUNCH Metro investigation, however, revealed that Aminu was taking pictures of a policeman having an altercation with a commercial bus driver around Ketu Bus Stop on November 19, 2013.

It was learnt that Aminu was caught by a policewoman and subsequently detained at the Ketu Police Station after which he was transferred to the office of the Police Public Relations Officer the following day.

The suspect, while being interviewed by Braide in the presence of journalists, said he took the pictures because of the “action” at the scene.

He had said, “I am a French teacher at the Supreme Education Foundation, Magodo. I was walking by the bus stop when a policeman ordered a commercial bus to stop. The bus driver drove recklessly and almost hit the policeman and an argument ensued.

“When I saw this, I brought out my phone and began to take pictures because I felt the bus driver should not have driven in such a manner. Also, I felt the policeman should not have jumped in front of a speeding vehicle.”

The suspect was, however, made to write a statement at the PPRO’s office and a letter of apology before being transferred to the Lagos State Police  Command Headquarters where he was detained at the X Squad department

SFU arrests five for visa fraud

Adegoke and Popoola
| credits: Comfort Oseghale

Five persons have been arrested by the Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos, for their alleged participation in a visa scam.

The suspects, Micheal Raji, Johnson Adegoke, Oladimeji Popoola, John Osaghae and Smart Imafidon, were arrested by SFU operatives following petitions by the United States Consulate, Lagos, and the British Deputy High Commission.

Raji, a 32-year-old Higher National Diploma holder was said to have presented a Nigerian passport containing a forged UK visa during a US non-immigrant visa interview.

Raji allegedly confessed that the visa was given to him by Popoola who had directed that Adegoke should accompany him to the interview. Having made a part payment of N200,000 to Popoola for the visa, Raji was to pay the balance of N300,000 to Adegoke after his interview at the US embassy.

The SFU Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin said, “Popoola, a forged document vendor, admitted that Raji had approached him for his assistance to procure a US visa. He confessed that he had contacted one Taiwo Akande at Oluwole, who had procured a UK visa and Holland visa for N150,000 each.

“The visas which took a week to procure were delivered to Popoola at Molete, Ibadan, Oyo State.”

Popoola however claimed ignorance about the authenticity of the visas to PUNCH Metro.

He said, “I was introduced to Akande by another friend Ayodeji; he is currently living in the UK. I didn’t know the visas were forged because Akande had assured me that he had people working in several embassies.”

Osaghae on the other hand, is said to have presented a forged income tax clearance from the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue Service during his visa application to the UK High Commission.

A 34-year-old graduate, Osaghae claimed that he had received a letter of invitation for a film festival award in the UK last year, but was denied visa by the high commission.

Having received another invitation letter this year, Osagae said he gave Imafidon N180,000, to package documents for visa application. They had met in August 2013, when a mutual friend of Osahon introduced them.

Ogunsakin said, “Imafidon is a document vendor. He admitted that he packaged Osaghae’s document, but accused Osaghae of instigating him to forge a company income tax document as he was desperate to travel.

“The suspects will be arraigned in court soon to serve as a deterrent to other Nigerians intending to travel out of the country with forged documents.”

Rep condemns alleged invasion of Omuma council headquarters by Rivers Police

Nyesom Wike

Ogbonna Nwuke also backed calls for state police.

A member of the House of Representatives, Ogbonna Nwuke, has condemned Sunday’s invasion of Omuma Local Government headquarters of Rivers State, and the physical assault of the council chairman, John Anucha, by security operatives.

In a statement issued in Abuja after he received briefs from his constituents in the area on the attack, the lawmaker who represents Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency in the House, described the roles played by the police as despicable, shameful, unacceptable and undemocratic.

He said the siege on the council premises, using tanks, armed police and a sprinkle of soldiers, was coming against the backdrop of attempts to use the Omuma council premises to launch the Grassroots Development Initiative, GDI, by supporters of the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike.

The GDI is a political group founded by Mr. Wike.

Rivers State has been enmeshed in political crisis since April when the State House of Assembly ordered the suspension of the Chairman of the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Timothy Nsirim, and his councilors.

The crisis has not only resulted in violence at the Rivers State House of Assembly premises, the state governor, Chibuike Amaechi, was on one occasion blocked from entering the Government House, forcing him to take an alternative route to the state’s seat of power.

Mr. Amaechi had repeatedly demanded the removal of the State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, citing rising cases of security breaches and crimes since Mr. Mbu assumed duties in the oil-rich state. The police authorities and the Federal Government have, however, ignored Mr. Amaechi’s concerns.

“Once again, the police, apparently acting on the instructions of a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly who claims to be a staunch supporter of Nyesom Wike, has demonstrated great disregard for decency and resorted to the use of terror to intimidate the good people of Omuma Local Government in pursuit of narrow parochial political interests,” Mr. Nwuke said in the statement.

Mr. Nwuke expressed his shock at the “undemocratic methods” adopted by the police and an elected official to undermine the democratic tenets and the rule of law.

“We are further amazed that serving soldiers and policemen would allow themselves to be used to unlawfully force open the gate of a council premises in order to encourage the use of council grounds for the launch of a partisan group such as the GDI.”

The lawmaker stated that the use of soldiers and policemen to invade the council premises was evidence of the abysmal use of security personnel in Rivers State since the arrival of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mbu, to distort law and order and create tension and crisis.

“It was a clear affront on our collective sense of decency, our understanding of society’s preservation of public order and public security, and what is proof of the growing threat to whatever is left of our sense of public morality under the watch of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mbu,” he said.

Mr. Nwuke, who is also the spokesperson for the House of Representatives caucus of the Abubakar Baraje-led PDP, urged all men and women of goodwill, including rights groups, to condemn the Rivers State Commissioner of Police for his penchant for fomenting trouble under the guise of supporting certain interests in Abuja. According to Mr. Nwuke, Mr. Mbu’s acts of great indiscretion were becoming alarming and legendary.

The lawmaker noted that the growing misuse of security apparatus, particularly members of the police force, had strengthened the arguments by proponents of state police on the need for it to be introduced as part of our federal system.

He assured that the National Assembly would pay appropriate attention to calls for the establishment of state police when the time came.

FG should pay ASUU salary arrears –NLC, TUC

The President, Trade Union Congress, Mr. Boboi Kaigama

The President of the Trade Union Congress, Mr. Boboi Kaigama and the Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Chris Uyot,  on Monday,  called on the Federal Government to accede to the demand of striking university lecturers by paying their salary arrears from July to October, 2013.

Both Kaigama and Uyot, who spoke in different telephone interviews with our correspondent, said that the issue at stake was too serious for the government to endanger with a minor issue as  the withholding of the salaries of the striking lecturers.

Kaigama  said that the lecturers should have been paid their salaries as going on strike did not mean that they were no longer entitled to their salaries.

He explained that the union went on strike because the Federal Government failed to implement the 2009 agreement reached with the university lecturers.

He added that it was not the lecturers’ fault for embarking on the strike, saying the story would have been different if it was ASUU that violated the terms of the agreement.

He said, “It is okay, they are supposed to be paid their salaries;  when one is on strike, it does not mean that he cannot be paid his or her salary.

“They went on strike because of an agreement that was negotiated which the government has not been able to fulfill. The government should, pay them their salaries.  The situation would have been different if they were the ones that reneged on the agreement.”

On the issue of the insistence of the leadership of ASUU that the Federal Government must commence implementation of the fresh agreement with the union through the release of N100bn this year, he said that he did not see the government going back on the agreement.

He said that the TUC and the NLC would support ASUU to ensure the implementation of the last agreement as it was witnessed by him and the NLC President, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar.

“The NLC President Omar, and I are living witnesses to the final agreement that was reached between them and the government; we will support them based on what we witnessed, based on what they agreed with the government and the new implementation strategy.

“The  TUC and the NLC will back them to ensure that the implementation strategy is followed. An aspect will be implemented this year and the first quarter of next year,” he added

Kaigama said that while he wouldn’t speak for  ASUU, it was his conviction that they might have been waiting for an agreement to be signed before calling off the strike.

Speaking also, the Acting General Secretary of NLC, Uyot, said that the NLC was of the view that the Federal Government would not allow the issue of the outstanding salary arrears of ASUU members to disrupt its offer to the union.

Uyot said that it was unlikely that the Federal Government would allow such a “minor issue” to derail its discussions with the union considering the fact that both parties wanted the issue of the lingering strike to be resolved.

He stated also that while ASUU went on strike, the government couldn’t be exonerated from the industrial dispute having failed to implement the 2009 agreement reached with the university lecturers.

“Well, given the spirit of the discussions between ASUU and government officials led by President Goodluck Jonathan, the issue of non-payment of salaries, we do not think, is something the government might consider because the spirit was such that both parties particularly the government wanted resolved.

“So, we don’t think that a minute issue would derail the offer that the government has made.

“In any case both parties were involved in the strike. The union signed an agreement with the government which the government did not implement, so government cannot say that it was not part of the problem,” he said.

Rivers got N257.6bn from Federation Account, says Okonjo-Iweala

Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala

The Federal Government has once again debunked Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s recent allegation that the management of the country’s resources is shrouded in secrecy.

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja explained that contrary to the allegation by the governor, the state actually received the sum of N257.6bn within the first 10 months of this year from the federation account.

This, it added, was the second highest amount received by any state government within the 10 months period.

The statement said, “It is obvious that His Excellency, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State wants to engage in a politicised debate on the management of the economy. We prefer to focus on facts.

“But we thank him most sincerely for at least admitting that he received N56.2bn. We also commend him for accepting that there was no intention by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, not to sign the Water Resources loan from the African Development Bank.

“Please recall that these were the only two issues that he previously raised in his well-publicised comments.

“It is a fact that Rivers State received N56.2bn from the Excess Crude Account which His Excellency identified as the Federation Account.”

The statement argued that the governor could not claim ignorance of the money his state received since monies taken from the ECA were first put into the federation account before being shared.

This, it noted, was the standard practice adding that the total amount states received from the federation account was far in excess of what they got from the ECA.

The statement signed by the Special Adviser to the mimister on communication, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu said, “Of course, the money is taken from the Excess Crude Account and put into the Federation Account before being shared. That is the standard procedure.

“The total amount that the states receive from the Federation Account is far in excess of what they get from the Excess Crude Account.”

To put the issue in perspective, the total amount which Rivers State has received from the Federation Account between January and October 2013 is N257.6bn which is the second highest among the states, of which the N56.2bn from the Excess Crude Account is a part.”

The state government had in statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, on Saaturday  insisted that Amaechi and the other governors had only made one request for the sum of $1bn to be shared from the Excess Crude Account.

The statement explained that there had been no other request from the governors that funds from the Excess Crude Account be shared among the states.

It described as mischief the suggestion that Amaechi refused to acknowledge that Rivers State had received the sum of N56.2bn from the Excess Crude Account between January and September 2013.

The statement had said, Contrary to the coordinating minister’s claim that ‘Mr. Amaechi was closely involved and actively participated in making requests to the Presidency for the account to be shared for the purpose of augmenting the regular allocations from the Federation Account whenever there was a shortfall, Governor Chibuike Amaechi and his colleague governors have only attended one meeting where one request was made for the sharing of $1bn from the ECA

“Beyond that one meeting, there has been no other meeting where it was decided that money from the ECA be shared among the three tiers of government. There is a position of the National Executive Council’s on the matter of the Excess Crude Account.

“This position is that the savings in the ECA belonging to all the states is not to be touched. Indeed, this is in tandem with the position of the honourable minister that the ECA is savings for the rainy day and not to be shared in the manner she now seems to suggest.”

CNPP demands Jega’s removal over flawed Anambra poll

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties has called for the resignation of the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, over the failed governorship poll in Anambra State.

The CNPP also on Monday claimed it discovered discrepancies in the results earlier announced by INEC.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Osita Okechukwu, the party said it was making the call on the basis of emerging incontrovertible evidences that showed that the election was marred by gross irregularities.

The statement disclosed that CNPP had uncovered massive fraud in the votes allocated to candidates after the inconclusive November 16 governorship polls in the state, “which gave the All Progressives Grand Alliance candidate, Willie Obiano, undeserved lead.”

Apparently referring to the insistence of INEC on conducting the supplementary election this week Saturday, the CNPP made it clear that if Jega still upholds the flawed result in spite of substantial evidence, it would be left with no option but to call for his resignation.

“For the avoidance of doubt, beyond the mangling of the voter register, the deliberate delay in arrival of voting materials at the stronghold of the All Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party  and the Labour Party and withholding of result sheets, is the bizarre allocation of 96,569 votes which gave APGA candidate the undeserved lead,” the statement read.

It further stated “Where on earth did INEC manufacture the 96,569 votes from? The INEC posted the Anambra State governorship result as follows:  Total Votes Cast – 429,549; Cancelled Votes -   113,113; leaving a differential of 316,436

“The electoral body stated that Mr. Willie Obiano of APGA got 174,710 to finish tops. Mr. Tony Nwoye of PDP polled 94,956 to finish second, Mr. Chris Ngige of APC came third with 92,300 votes, while Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah of LP came fourth with 37,440.

“The amazing results tallied 399,406 as the total number of valid votes allocated to the four major candidates during the election. However, bearing in mind that INEC said 429,529 people voted, out of which 113,113 were nullified, that means only 316,436 legitimate votes were recorded.”

It added, “The implication is that the number of votes allocated to the four major candidates by INEC is higher than the total number of valid votes cast during the election. This does not even take into consideration the votes garnered by the remaining 18 candidates in the contest.”

“Total votes allocated to candidates are 413,005. When you subtract 316, 436 from 413,005, you get 96,569. It is our contention that the total votes scored by APndidate were inflated from 78,141 to 174,710 votes, being the preferred candidate whose double registration allegation still vibrates in spite of INEC’s attempt to sweep it under the carpet.”

The statement noted that it was trite law that if a principal willfully upholds or adopts the shady actions of servants or agents, as in this instance, where Jega still upholds the flawed result in spite of substantial and incontrovertible evidences, they would call for his resignation.

Doctor arraigned for allegedly killing pregnant woman during abortion

The judge ordered the case transferred to a superior court.

A Yaba Magistrate’s Court in Lagos on Monday held that a 35-year-old Medical Doctor, Edeye Monday, had a case to answer over his alleged murder of a 22-year-old pregnant woman, Tolani Aderoju.

The Police Prosecutor, Godwin Anyanwun, while arraigning Mr. Monday in court on July 31, 2012, said the accused on May 29, 2012, injected Ms. Aderoju with some unknown drugs, while attempting to abort her pregnancy.

The prosecutor had told the court that Ms. Aderoju’s mother, in her complaint, said her daughter had informed her that she was pregnant for one Mufutau Alonge.

She said that Mr. Alonge had taken her daughter to Monday’s private clinic for an abortion.

According to the prosecutor, the accused, after injecting Ms. Aderoju with drugs, but could not terminate the pregnancy, rushed her to another hospital, where she died.

Mr. Anyanwun, a police inspector, said that the offence contravened Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, and that the penalty was the death sentence.

But the court adjourned the matter till Nov. 25 to await the advice of the State Director of Public Prosecution’s (DPP) on the matter, while it ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, the Magistrate, Adekorede Ajibade, said: “a murder case has been established against the accused.”

“Consequently, his case will be transferred to a court of superior record”.

She said that legal advice from the DPP had established a prima facie case of unlawful killing against the accused.

Ms. Ajibade consequently ordered that the case file be transferred to the High Court, for trial.

(NAN)

Oshodi, Ikeja top sexual abuse areas in Lagos

Statistics gathered by a human rights organisation, Partnership for Justice, has shown that sexual assaults such as rape are mostly common in Oshodi, Ikeja, Agege and Ketu areas of Lagos.

Managing partner of the group, Itoro Eze-Anaba, said this in Lagos on Monday during the opening of the Marabel Centre – a sexual assault and referral centre – located at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

She said the purpose of establishing the centre was to provide assistance for rape victims without divulging their secret.

She said, “From July to November 25, the centre has offered free services to 124 victims who have been raped or sexually assaulted in Lagos State. Our statistics show that majority of the survivors of rape are children between the ages of 11-15.

“Children are more at risk of sexual assault in Oshodi/Mafoluku, Ikeja, Agege/Oko Oba, Mile 12/Ketu areas. The Mirabel Centre offers medical examination and treatment for illness and injuries caused by sexual assault. We counsel to help cope with emotional and psychological effects of rape and help in reporting the incident to the police.”

Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof Wale Oke, added that the centre would increase access to Lagosians, whom, he said, suffer more from sexual assaults.

He said, “Victims of rape or sexual assault may feel ashamed, angry, guilty, distressful and anxious. There may be a disbelief of what has happened to them, and hence they need to get back to their normal lives as quickly as possible.

“Whatever they feel is normal; they need back their lives and must be committed to restoring it. Women in Lagos have always been at the forefront of the liberation struggle, and we owe an immense debt of gratitude to women for the instrumental role they play in the polity.”

Chairman, Advisory Council, National Human Right Commission, Abuja, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, emphasised that those found guilty of sexual assaults should be punished.

“We must stop being silent and stop negotiating certain boundaries in the name of family name or friendship.  Defaulters of sexual assaults should be severely punished because we have to stop exposing our children and women to risk of rape and other sexual assaults,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix Ogundeji, urged Lagosians not to hesitate to report rape cases to the police before evidences became vague.

“There is no police station that you will report sexual assaults case to that won’t help you. All you need to do is to ensure that you contact them early so the evidences can be easily proven and justice can be well ascertained. You should know that good evidences are required to excel in a criminal case,” he added.

Doyin Abiola, Former Concord Newspapers Boss, Arrested For Fraud

Doyin Abiola

By SaharaReporters, New York

Former Managing Director of the defunct Concord Newspapers, Dr. Doyin Abiola has been arraigned before the Federal High Court, Lagos, for fraud.
A statement signed by Police Public Relations Officer DSP Ngozi Isintume-Agu said that the Financial Malpractices Investigation Unit (FMIU) of Special Fraud Unit (SFU) said that between 2006 and 2008, as a Director of the Integrated Microfinance Bank, Dr. Abiola granted to herself without collateral and approval from the Management, the sum of N26,611,246.48.
Dr. Abiola, of 42/46 Moshood Abiola Crescent, Ikeja, Lagos, and wife of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, is one of four Managing Directors or Directors of Integrated Microfinance Bank (IMFB) located at 6A Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja, who were arrested and charged by the SFU.
The others are Akinteye Simon Ademola, Dr. Jerry Orimovuohoma and Oladapo Bello.
The SFU said the four officials of IMFB unauthorized credit facilities to the tune of N327,566,000 to themselves and other related companies without collateral and that the loans are still outstanding.  In the forensic investigation conducted by FMIU of SFU, the Directors were found wanting in the discharge of their duties while on the Board of Integrated Microfinance Bank (IMFB).
· Ademola of Plot 7, block 90, Mobolaji Ogunde Crescent, Magodo GRA Phase 2, Lagos converted the sum of N131.176 million to his personal use without approval.
· Orimovuohoma of 129B Oba Ladejobi Street, GRA, Ikeja granted unauthorized credit facility to the tune of N29,200,000.00 to himself without collateral.
· Bello of 23/25 Ijora Causeway, Ijora, Lagos recklessly granted the sum of N3,200,000.00 to himself without collateral.
“The bank liquidity was greatly affected with the sum the directors took,” the statement said.    The case comes up at the Federal High Court on December 10.

Rebel governors clash with Tukur again

Rebel governors

The New Peoples Democratic Party and the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP  have  renewed their war of words on  the crisis rocking the ruling party.

While the New PDP, through its National Secretary, Chukwuemeka Eze,  accused Tukur of blocking Sunday’s meeting between  President Goodluck Jonathan and   the seven aggrieved PDP governors, the PDP national  chairman  distanced himself from the allegation.

Before the New PDP made the allegation, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, said  the  aggrieved members of the PDP, including the rebel governors, were free to leave the party.

Akpabio’s comment   immediately drew flak from the  factional PDP and some of the rebel governors, who accused him of playing to the gallery.

The New PDP had in a statement by Eze, called on the  founding fathers of the PDP not to remain silent  over the   crisis in the PDP  because Tukur was not happy with the ongoing reconciliatory meetings.

Jonathan had   on his arrival from London,  postponed another round of  meeting he was billed to hold with the rebel governors in the Presidential Villa on Sunday.

Although  he cited jet lag and  ill health  as reasons, The PUNCH gathered  that  he was under pressure from  hawks in government to do so.

Before  he announced the postponement,    some of the  rebel governors had arrived in Abuja, hoping that the meeting would hold.

 The seven aggrieved governors are Rabiu Kwakwanso(Kano); Aliyu Wamakko(Sokoto); Rotimi  Amaechi (Rivers); Sule Lamido(Jigawa); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Abdulfatai Ahmed(Kwara); and Murtala Nyako(Adamawa).

• Tukur  aggravating  crisis

However,  the New PDP   said   the   suspension of four   of its key members    by the Tukur-led National Working Committee  of the ruling party,  was aimed at further aggravating the crisis in the  ruling party.

The   four  are; Alhaji Abubakar  Baraje, erstwhile National Chairman of the PDP; Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,  Dr. Sam Sam Jaja  and Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure.

The four men had  been asked to appear before the Disciplinary Committee  of the PDP on Wednesday in Abuja.

The New PDP said, “As if that(suspension)  is not enough, Tukur has also told whoever cares to listen that the proposed peace meeting of President Jonathan and the G-7 governors cannot see the light of the day as long as he is the national chairman of  the PDP.

“Instructively and shockingly, the meeting which was scheduled to be held last(Sunday) night was put off at the last minute by Mr. President, who is the PDP National Leader, despite publicly announcing that he was fit again and set to resume work last night upon his return from his London trip.”

• Count me out of your woes-Chairman

But  Tukur   told the   New PDP that  he was  not part of  its members problems.

He advised  the members  not to make him the arrowhead of their political war.

Tukur, through his media aide, Mr. Oliver Okpala, told one of our correspondents  in Abuja that the meeting  between the rebel governors and  Jonathan was  purely an initiative of the Presidency.

He said, “It is wrong and completely unreasonable for any right thinking person to accuse Tukur of having a hand in the deadlock of the meeting because it is a presidential initiative and not an NWC affair, where Tukur presides.

“Therefore, there is no way he can get involved or frustrate such a presidential initiative. The so-called factional members should desist from insulting   the integrity of Tukur, who is a nationalist.

“Tukur is not part of their political problem and therefore should not be seen as the arrowhead of their political fight. The earlier these people retreated  from their rascality, the better for them.”

• Aggrieved PDP members free to leave

Earlier  on  Monday, Akpabio had  said aggrieved members of the PDP, including   the   rebel governors, were free to leave the party.

He also warned them   against  capitalising on President Goodluck  Jonathan’s humility and patience to continue to  distract him.

Akpabio gave the warning while  speaking  with State House correspondents  on  the sideline of  the launching of the third edition of the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria programme in  Abuja  on Monday.

Akpabio, who is also the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, had  reminded those against  the PDP leadership, that no one could be a good leader without first being a good follower.

He added that the PDP, as a big and robust party, was not worried by some of its members’ threats to dump it  and  join the opposition All Progressives Congress or the Peoples Democratic Movement.

But he admitted that  in  politics, it was normal   for  people  to leave one political party for another .

He  said  that political leaders must realise that sometimes, when they wanted to join another party, their followers might not go with them.

The governor  claimed that there were many APC members who had already expressed their desire to join the PDP.

He added that many of those who fell  under that category would soon come out publicly to identify with the PDP once the issue of the seven rebel governors  was  resolved.

Akpabio said, “I don’t see a problem in the issues of certain politicians wanting to change party. It  is a normal thing in politics that people move from one political party to the other. But what is important is that we move on and the country moves on.

“And as the  PDP is very big and robust, with  branches in 774 local government areas,   if you have five persons moving away from  it, you have 10 to 50 moving into it.

“There  are so many APC members who are approaching me on a daily basis that they want to  be in  the  PDP but I keep telling them that it is not yet time. When  we  resolve this issue of  the G-7 governors,  you  will see the big fishes that will come out of the APC.

“They are ready to come out and when they come out, it is going to be a boom for the PDP.The  party is robust enough to readjust itself. It  is the only political party in Nigeria that is not owned by any individual or  a  certain group.

“The PDP   belongs to Nigerians. So, if one Nigerian leaves the PDP, another Nigerian comes in  and  the party goes on.Those  of us who are leaders  need to be careful because when we are   moving to another political party, our followers may not go  with us.

“ In  the PDP, there is no shaking. I’m

very delighted that the President is very prepared to continue to discuss with any group, not just the G-7, any group of Nigerians within or outside the party.”

The governor  also cautioned aggrieved members of the PDP against   taking  advantage of    Jonathan’s  humility and patience to distract him.

He said,  “I  just believe strongly  that we have  a very humble  and patient President .  I hope that we don’t take advantage of these attributes  to waste his time and distract him.”

The governor added that  it was imperative for people to know that they  could only be good leader by first being good followers.

Akpabio said it was based on the conviction of the PDP  leadership and that of the President that any rebellion could be resolved through dialogue that peace meetings were initiated.

 He said, “I have seen newspapers clips where they  mentioned  ‘the rebellious governors,’ ‘the G-7’ and so on and so forth.

 “In any rebellion, we can resolve it through dialogue and I think that that’s what the President is doing. That is also what the PDP leadership is   doing;  to see how it can  discuss  and bring the situation to a close.

 “But I believe that you cannot be a good leader unless you are a good follower and I believe also strongly that leadership comes from God.

 “So the question of rebelling against leadership  has its repercussion because if I rebel against the leadership at the federal level, I should expect somebody also to rebel against my leadership at the state level, maybe from my own local government.

 “And it is expected that as a state governor, I should respect the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, it is not important who occupies the position. I think what is important is to give respect to the institution of the Presidency. And that way, the international community can  also  respect   Nigeria.”

 He however said he was not opposed to continued dialogue with the aggrieved governors.

  The governor  said there should be an end to the dialogue so that the President could  concentrate on the work he was voted into office to do.

 He  added, “There is no price you cannot pay for. There is  the need for all to have peace . But the disagreement  in the PDP  is not something to worry about. It is just that it is overblown by the press.

• Akpabio playing to the gallery

However, some of the aggrieved governors dismissed Akpabio’s suggestion that they were free to leave the PDP.

One of the governors, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said  Akpabio  was simply playing to the gallery.

  He  said, “Where was he when we formed the PDP? He is in no position to tell us whether or not to leave the party. He  has no such moral authority. The party does not belong to either him or  Tukur;  it belongs to all of us.”

  Umar Kyari,  the   Director of Press and Public Relations to Lamido , said  his boss  would  not leave   a party he and others formed and nurtured to maturity.

 Kyari  added, “His Excellency  is not leaving the PDP.

  “He will remain to ensure that the right things are done and the party tows the path of internal democracy, justice and fairness.”

Also,  the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt,   Tony Okocha, disagreed with  Akpabio that  rebel governors’ supporters  would not follow them  to another party if they   decided to dump the PDP.

 Describing  Amaechi  as the head of the political infantry in Rivers State, Okocha   expressed worry that Akpabio and  his cohorts had failed  to advise   Jonathan on the need to realise the electoral strength of Kano and Rivers states.

He said, “Amaechi  is our leader and  he has  the mandate to make case on our behalf and if he decides to leave the party (PDP), we will join him. Akpabio is living in a world of illusion.”

• ‘Akpabio  politically inferior to rebel govs’

     The New PDP  has also flayed   Akpabio, saying he is   the brain behind those plotting to discredit Jonathan if he ventures to contest the 2015 election.

It said, “Because of his inferiority complex, he (Akpabio) does not want those who are better than him in all ramifications to be in the PDP. All    the G-7 governors are his superiors in politics.

“He has lost ground in Akwa Ibom and can’t guarantee his ward for the PDP much less of the state. He is the arrowhead of 16 is superior to 19 to exhibit his poor understanding of democracy.”

• Bauchi New PDP members  back Tukur

Meanwhile, leaders of the New PDP  in Bauchi State have   pledged  their loyalty to Tukur.

The leaders made this    known in a letter dated November 19, 2013 and signed by  their  Chairman, Lawal Isa; Secretary, Mr. Ishak Umar; Youth Leader,  Alhaji Abubakar Doma;   and Woman Leader, Alhaja Baba Fika.

The letter, reads,  “We are better informed. We wish to extend our unflinching loyalty and solidarity to you (Tukur). We know that within this short period, you have introduced programmes aimed at rejuvenating the party towards success   in 2015.”