3 escape death as training aircraft crashes

 

Published on November 25, 2013 by pmnews   
Three crew members on board a training aircraft of International Aviation College, Ilorin, escaped death as the plane crashed during a routine exercise.
The incident occurred at about 11.33 a.m. today within the vicinity of Ilorin International Airport.
The college’s Acting Rector, Capt. Nuhu Abdulkareem, who announced the plane crash at a press conference in Ilorin, said it was the first recorded incident since its inception.
Abdulkareem said the three crew members of the single engine Diamond aircraft with registration number 5N-BRD were later taken to the college’s clinic for proper check-up and were certified fit.He said the college had established contact with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Accident Investigation Bureau, statutory bodies responsible for regulating aviation safety and investigating incidents.
He said the management of the college was awaiting the arrival of the officials of both agencies from Abuja to investigate the incident.

Ebonyi university breaks ranks with ASUU, reopens for lectures.

Published on November 25, 2013 by pmnews   ·   
The management of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, in eastern Nigeria on Monday ordered all the lecturers and students to return to classes immediately.
In a statement issued in Abakaliki, the Registrar, Mr Sam Egwu, said academic activities would resume on all the campuses of the university on Tuesday 26 November, saying the authorities have the support of 80 per cent of the academic staff.
The academic staff, in compliance with the directive of the national union, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, went on strike from 1 July. ASUU is still seeking an audience with President Goodluck Jonathan to reach a decision on whether to call off the strike.

• Dr. Fagge: ASUU president

The ESU statement said: “we have waited patiently for the Federal Government and ASUU to resolve the impasse (strike) to no avail. The management of Ebonyi State University has, therefore, resolved to commence academic activities on Tuesday.
“We, therefore, use this medium to inform all concerned that teaching and learning will begin fully on Tuesday, to enable us to cover what we have lost to the strike” , the statement said.
The decision to reopen the school was reached at a management meeting held on 20 November.
It said “80 per cent of the lecturers in attendance agreed that they should ignore ASUU’s nationwide strike and return to class.
“The lecturers are not happy that the strike is lingering and therefore gave their full support for the resumption of school on Tuesday”, the source said.
The source, however, said that Chairman of ASUU in the university did not attend the meeting.
The chairman, Prof. Ndubuisi Idenyi, in an interview with NAN, dissociated the branch of ASUU from the decision to resume studies.
“The strike is still in progress until we get directives from our national leadership”, he told NAN.
Idenyi said the leadership of ASUU in the university was ready for a showdown with the school’s management if it decided to punish lecturers who defied the return-to-duty order.

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Boko Haram kill 12 in Borno fresh attack - SUN

Our Reporter November 24, 2013 

From TIMOTHY OLANREWAJU, MAIDUGURI
No fewer than 12 people have been killed in Borno State as suspected Boko Haram insurgent attacked a village in Damboa area, military sources said yesterday.
The suspected insurgents were said to have attacked Sandiya village in Damboa Local Government last Wednesday, killing at least 12 people. They also set ablaze some houses, the sources said though information on the attack did not reach journalists in Maiduguri until yesterday.
Sources claimed the attackers were on revenge mission having learnt that their movements around the Sambisa Forest were exposed to security agencies.
The insurgents were said to have fled following a military raid around the area, a development that prompted villagers to give information to the security operatives around the area, leading to arrest of some of the insurgents. That sources said, might have prompted the insurgents numbering about 30 to invade Sandiya village.
Police sources said some residents disclosed some the insurgents numbering about 30 came in three Hilux vehicles and some motorcycles and were chanting Allahu Akbar (God is Great), as they shot sporadically into people’s home, killing 12 of the villagers while scores sustained injuries.
Borno State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tanko Lawal confirmed the incident in an email message, saying “the hoodlums invaded the community and killed 12 people, burnt houses, stole vehicles/ motorcycles.”
Damboa is about 85 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the state capital. It shares border with the famous Sambisa Games Reserves believed to host the biggest Boko Haram camp in the state.

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Killer breaks loose - SUN

Our Reporter November 24, 2013 

• Man who murdered in-law granted bail, absconds
• Victim’s widow cries for justice
PATIENCE EGWUWA (onyenmapat@yahoo.com)
In March, 2011, 31-year-old Basil Ogbonnaya was murdered in cold blood in the Ejigbo area of Lagos. He was brutally killed by his brother-in-law and friend, one Israel Okafor Okereke.
According to the police, Okereke invited Ogbonnaya to his house at  Ejigbo, drugged and axed him to death. He afterwards dumped his body in a blue plastic drum at a dumpsite in the same area of Lagos.
According to the account, the accused  claimed that he killed the deceased because he owed him N3.6 million. Meanwhile, the victim’s widow, Mrs. Uzoma Ogbonnaya  dismissed the claim, saying that it was even the accused  that owed her late husband the same amount of money.
That’s not the news now. The news is that to the chagrin of Ogbonnaya’s widow, Uzoma, their three year old daughter, Precious and many lovers of justice, Okereke has since become a free man sort of . He was granted bail by a Lagos High Court and for over a year now, has not been attending court. What makes it so offensive is that the victim’s widow and her late husband’s family were not even privy to his  bail. The news came to her as a rumour and she didn’t want to believe it.
In an emotion-laden voice, she told Sunday Sun how she found out about the release of her husband’s killer. “There was a rumour,  some people said they saw him somewhere. Then I decided to check the Ikoyi Prison where he was kept. When I got there, I discovered truly that he had been released. The prison authority asked me the year he was brought in and I told them. When they went through their records, they said that he has been released. When we came to court, they confirmed that he has been bailed.”
Uzoma  feels betrayed by a system which made her believe that justice would be done . “I felt bad in the first place because after the incident, the police commissioner assured me that the case was not even against me. They told me that it was a crime against Lagos State Government and that they were going to take care of the case.  They  assured me  that it was going to be Lagos State against Israel (the accused person). With that assurance, I thought  they were going to do the right thing. Then of all of a sudden, they let him go.”
Even following his bail and subsequent disappearance of the accused person, the Lagos Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) could not offer her an explanation. “What I heard in court at the last date from two lawyers whom I believe represented the DPP was that the court did not give them a chance to oppose his application for  bail when the argument came up. The DPP lawyers were there on the day he was granted bail, but because they could not argue the bail, the court had no other choice than to grant him bail. I learnt this from their discussion. They did not explain to me”, Uzoma lamented.
It does seem that the conspiracy to deny her justice was hatched not long after her husband’s killing. Her efforts to follow-up the case were craftily thwarted. “We were following the case. My late husband’s family has a lawyer. They hired a lawyer because at a point I was out of the case. For reasons best known to them, they didn’t want me in their meetings. I know that they were not comfortable having me around because they felt the person who killed my husband was my cousin”, she said.
Though Uzoma tried hard to suppress the tears, they kept rolling down her cheeks as she muttered each word in anguish. “Through the IPO (Investigating Police Officer) at Panti, they were following the case to know how far the case had gone. They were told that a case can stay up to two to three years before being charged to court, but that at the appropriate time,  he would be taken to court. If not for the rumour mill, I could not have known that he had been released because the IPO kept telling me that the DPP had not  advised him. That was the feedback I was getting from Panti each time. They said they would let me know when the advice is given. Nobody got back to me when the advice was given. The next thing I heard was that the man had been released”, she said.
While Uzoma and her family were being dribbled, the case had gone before Justice Ademola Candide-Johnson of the Lagos High Court. Sunday Sun gathered that even though the DPP advice came through in December  2011, she was not told. The accused was charged to court in February  2012 and  again, she was left out of it. Subsequently, the bail application was filed, served, argued and granted but  she was not  told.
Asked what she wanted now, Uzoma said  “I am appealing to everybody involved, because in the first place the crime is against Lagos state government. Secondly, I am appealing to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Chief Judge of Lagos State. They should please intervene in this matter. They know what they can do about this case now. The murderer was arrested and handed over to them. I don’t know how everything went bad and they let him go. His case was reported in national newspapers, on the internet and the international community is aware of the case too. I have been receiving calls from people who wanted to know if it was true that the killer had been released. The international community is waiting to see how Nigeria is going to handle this case. They should please do the right thing. The people that released him should know where he is. They should bring him out in order for justice to be served.”
When she noticed the turn the case had taken, Uzoma petitioned the founder of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Bishop Mike Okonkwo, (her spiritual father), who then detailed FBA Nabena Law Firm to look into the case. As a result, Mrs. Bose Adedeji waded into the matter in June this year.
Adedeji told Sunday Sun  “When I took over the case, I went to Panti, because I learnt that was where the matter started. From there, I learnt that the man was arraigned before a magistrate court in Ebute Metta, Court 14 on April 11, 2011 a month after the incident. But because of the nature of the case, the magistrate court could not try the case as it does not have jurisdiction over murder cases.
“What they usually do is that they will take it for DPP’s advice. At Panti, I spoke with one Mayowa Elejede, the investigating police officer. He also told me that the DPP’s advice was issued in December  2011; that the man should be charged to the state high court. Though the DPP’s advice was given on December 13, 2011, they received it at Panti on February 13, 2012.
“The matter was assigned to Hon. Justice Candide-Johnson. He is the judge handling the matter and the same person that granted the accused bail. The charge sheet is dated December 13, 2011. I did not get the first date that the man appeared in court. When I went to conduct a search on the file, I only saw 26 pages.  Every other thing, even the bail application and the response were not in that file.
“When I asked the registrar, the registrar told me that those would be in the archive. I went to the archive to ask, and I could not get anything. I knew that they could not have been in the archive because the matter is still ongoing. It has not been concluded. The matter has been before the same judge.
“I was particular about the bail application and the response from  the  Attorney-General’s  office. What grounds were raised in the application and for which the bail was granted? There are some conditions you need to meet before you can be granted bail. I didn’t see the bail processes. When I insisted on seeing the papers, the registrar told me that the judge had issued a bench warrant on the accused person. But it is not about bench warrant.”
Adedeji further revealed what she gathered from a DPP lawyer concerning the bail. She added “The day  I went to conduct the search, I met one of the lawyers from the office of the AG. The lawyer told me that on the day the bail was up for argument, they were not with their file. So, when they could not respond,  the judge acted without listening to them and granted the accused  bail. According to him, the judge refused to grant them adjournment to enable them to respond to the bail application. But I have not been able to get anything to substantiate what the lawyer told me.
“From what I have gathered so far, the accused person was granted bail in June 2012. So, if the matter came before the judge in February  last year; and by June of the same year, he was already in a hurry to grant the accused  bail in  a murder case that was well publicized, then something seems to be amiss.”
The lawyer  herself was baffled by the incident. “Even as a lawyer, I am still trying to understand what has happened. There are so many people awaiting trial in our prisons for even minor offences and the court has not granted them bail. So, why will bail be granted someone who  murdered another person? I can’t understand it.”
However, contrary to what Sunday Sun gathered from Mrs. Adedeji,  Lagos State Ministry of Justice insisted that their lawyer was in court the day the bail was granted and had done his best in opposing the bail application. But that the court had granted it despite his protest.
Speaking with Sunday Sun, the Senior Special Adviser to the state governor on legal matters, Akingbolahan Adeniran insisted that “The counsel involved was in court and he opposed the bail application on that particular day.”
“We hadn’t done all that we needed to do because we ought to have filed the information in respect to the offence and we hadn’t done that.” This is despite Adedeji’s account that the charge sheet she saw was dated December 13, 2011.
Adeniran explained what likely led to the delay in filing the charges. According to him“When an investigation is completed, the police sends the file to us. We look at the case file and issue legal advice and then file the information. Obviously, that process takes time. We were in the middle of that process when the bail application was filed. And we basically indicated that we were working on it and that we would file the information. But we had not filed the information as at the time the bail was granted.
“So, we opposed the bail and that was why it was not an unconditional release; it was a conditional release. There were reasons attached to the release of the suspect in this particular case.” Is it possible for a court to grant  bail before a case is formally brought before it? Adeniran answers in the affirmative. “Yes, the judge can grant  bail even before someone is arraigned.”
Sunday Sun  asked under what  conditions  bail could be granted and Adeniran said “I don’t know that for now. It wasn’t something that we could get from the bar ready. Remember that these things happened sometimes back. If you want, maybe we can ask for a CTC (Certified True Copy) and furnish you with that.”
The controversy was exacerbated as  the lawyer engaged by the family of the victim, Mr  O. R. Kalu  also claimed that the DPP lawyers did not oppose the bail. He further claimed that he was left in the dark by the office of the DPP. After the accused person’s first appearance at the magistrate court, Kalu said he had “written a letter to the office of the DPP, telling them that we were interested in this matter. I asked them to contact me whenever they were charging the case to the proper court  and to inform me of any development in the matter. They acknowledged the letter and gave me a copy.
“When the defense  filed the application for bail, the DPP did not contact  me despite the fact that he knew that the defense counsel   will not serve me any papers. He will rather serve the DPP. But the DPP office never reverted to me.”
Kalu said he was unaware that the accused was granted  bail until “sometime  towards the end of last year and  that people  became apprehensive saying that they saw the accused  somewhere at Ketu. When I checked at the Ikoyi Prison where he was remanded, I found out that he had been released on bail.”
Kalu then traced the case to Justice Candide-Johnson’s court and said he discovered that “the affidavit in support of the bail application was all fabricated. They deceived the court with the facts deposed to in the affidavit. And of course, I think there was no reaction from the DPP. There was no counter-affidavit. It means that there must have been a compromise somewhere along the line. It’s a murder case and it would not have been easy for the accused to just walk away like that.”
The conditions were not that difficult, he said adding  “He was required to provide two sureties in the sum of N500,000 who must have  landed property and must be  relations of the accused. That must be the reason they brought the wife of the accused and one man who claimed to have a street named after him at Ikotun. They fabricated a landed property and brought forged papers to the court. They succeeded because they were able to bribe the bailiff whose responsibility it is to verify the deeds to the properties.  He will come back and tell the court that the properties were genuine. In this particular case, everything before the court was all lies. A lot of compromises must have taken place and a lot of money must have changed hands.”
Sunday Sun sought the views of a human rights lawyer, Wale Ogunade on the developments on this matter. What could have led a court of law to grant bail in a murder trial which had barely started? What does the law say about bail and murder cases?
Ogunade said  “Generally, murder cases are not bail-able because they are in the realm and species of a capital offence. Capital offences are not bail-able. They include armed robbery, murder, sometimes manslaughter and of course treason. When it comes to issues of bail for these offences, judges are very circumspect, very careful in granting bail.”
“For him to be a free man, a lot of things could have gone wrong. How many times did the court sit to know that the prosecution was not serious with the case? But even if the prosecution was tardy, that does not mean that a bail should be granted. How many times did the court sit on the matter? The judge can say “Well, I have carried out my investigation, I found out that this is a trumped up charge”. That again, does not give him the right to act on his own.
“So, to me, this is an exception of the situation on ground. If it is just that the prosecution could not move its case, then the judge ought to have given them enough time to put their house in order because the man was in custody. Since  bail was granted, the man  refused to attend his trial, which again is serious. It shows that the man has no respect for the law of the land. Then there is something wrong somewhere. If the prosecution is not complaining, then the complainants, the family of the victim should do something. It is the duty of the complainant to complain to the world. So that people who matter will take it up.
“I am sure that because of  this publication, the chief judge of the state, the commissioner of police and  the attorney-general of the state will intervene in this matter. These three people are the heads of the various agencies involved in this matter. Let them beam the searchlight on this case and find out what has gone wrong. We want to know the truth because things can’t continue like this in this country, else  we are done for.  The rule of law must prevail. If it does  not, then people will do anything with impunity because we encourage the culture of impunity”.
Even though the rule of law cannot bring back Basil Ogbonnaya to his three-year old daughter, Precious, who was only seven months old when life was snuffed out of  him,  it can at least ensure that more kids  are not made fatherless before they even learn to say “Daddy.”

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Specialist robbers:They rob, detain and rape female victims - SUN

Our Reporter November 24, 2013 

By Ngozi Uwujare
The cup of iniquity of two alleged robbers in Edo State spilled over lately when the photographic memory of their victim became their nemesis as the woman led the police to their den.
Until they were nabbed by men of the Edo State Police Command, the two suspects identified as Augustine Ogbebor and Lucky Ekhator  detained and raped their female victims for at least two days.
Their cookie began to crumble when they robbed a woman who was returning from the market at about 7.00pm in Benin City.  They abducted the woman and took her to   Ekhator’s home  in the St. Saviour area of Benin City where she was robbed of her Blackberry handset and the sum of N28,000. Then they proceeded to rape and detain her for two days before she was released.
Not willing to sweep the ugly incident under the carpet, she summoned courage and filed a report at a police station. She gave a full description of the suspects to the police.
Acting on this  information, a police swat team raided the house and arrested  Ogbebor and Ekhator.
Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Foluso Adebanjo, who narrated the incident to Sunday Sun, further revealed that the two suspects had for long been involved in several  armed robberies noting that they always detained and raped their female victims. He said the suspects  made useful confessions on their involvement in several armed robberies. .
Somewhat filled with regret that their bubble had burst, one of the suspects, Ogbebor, who hails from Benin City said “We didn’t know that she could identify the house where we raped and detained her for two days. It was there that the police came to arrest us.”
Ogbebor also recalled another incident involving a woman  they robbed as she was returning from church adding that their  effort was a dry run as they did not get any money from her.
“We abducted  the woman thinking that she had money with her. It was afterwards  we  found out she only had a bible. We then took her to Ekhator’s house  where we raped and detained her for two days before releasing her.
Sunday Sun gathered that their  evil business of detaining and raping female victims began in 2012  after cutting their teeth as robbers.
“We started with robbery and later decided to be raping our victims and detaining them in our house for at least two days,” Ogbebor said.
While corroborating Ogbebor, Ekhator however said  “We didn’t use guns, we only used a knife to scare our victims into submission before robbing them of their personal effects.”
Adebanjo said the two suspects who were arrested on October 5, 2013 would soon appear in court to answer for their crimes after investigation is concluded.

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Eaglets get N2m each, national honours - PUNCH

November 11, 2013 by Olalekan Adetayo 

 

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday announced a cash gift of N2m each for all the players of the nation’s Under-17 team, the Golden Eaglets, who won the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Soccer Championship on Friday in Abu Dhabi, United Emirates.

The players, their handlers and key members of the Nigerian Supporters’ Club, according to the President, will also be honoured with national honours during the next award ceremony.

Jonathan announced the rewards at a reception he held in honour of the players at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The President announced a N3m cash gift to the team’s Head Coach; the assistant coaches get N2.5m each; the team doctor, physiotherapist and team secretary get N500,000 each while the team technical officer, team coordinator, medical officers and the curator will get N300,000 each.

Jonathan said with the gifts, he was keeping his earlier promise to the team when he charged them to go and conquer the world.

Describing the cash gifts as token, the President encouraged state governments and members of the organised private sector to join the Federal Government in appreciating players, saying no amount of reward could be adequate for the young Nigerians.

“The team, the handlers, the coaches and the officials including some key members of the supporters club and the Nigerian Football Federation will all be rewarded when we give national honours,” he said.

The President said he was pleased to host and honour the players who he said by their outstanding performance had brought pride and honour to Nigeria and Africa.

He said the players won fairly and convincingly, adding that the victory is for the whole of Africa.

Spanish police arrest 25 Nigerians for ‘sex trafficking’- PUNCH

November 11, 2013 by Agency Reporter 

 

Spanish police say they have arrested 25 people in a sex-trafficking ring that brought women from Nigeria to work as prostitutes.

The women, allegedly lured with the promise of good jobs in Europe, were first flown to Mexico or Brazil, travelling on false identity documents.

From there, they were flown to Paris, then smuggled into Spain to work in the sex trade, police say.

Five women who were victims of the sex ring were freed in the raids.

Police found one member of the gang performing an abortion on one of the five women, reports the BBC.

Arrests were made across Spain – in Madrid, Toledo, Cantabria and Palma de Mallorca.

More than 100 vans concealing luxury goods were also seized.

The gang used the vans to launder their profits and send them back to Lagos, police say.

The vans, with dark-tinted windows and welded doors, were stocked full of beer but had luxury items hidden deeper inside.

Goods worth an estimated 5m euros (£4.1m; $6.6m) were found in 94 vans seized in Madrid and another 26 in the port of Valencia, including high-end televisions and cases of alcohol.

Police say the gang was formed more than 20 years ago in Nigerian universities and was also known for sending so-called Nigerian letters by email, asking recipients to send money.

Suspected robber videos colleagues during operation - PUNCH

November 11, 2013 by Eniola Akinkuotu 

 

Nwafor (middle) and others suspects and Exhibit recovered from the suspects

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old robber, Prince Nwafor, with a visual recording of a robbery operation that he took part in.

According to police authorities, the suspect is part of a robbery gang that specialises in snatching vehicles in Lagos and selling them at low prices.

The gang was also alleged to have robbed in Ebonyi and Anambra states.

The recording, which was captured with a camera phone, showed how Nwafor’s gang members robbed a motorist of his car in an undisclosed location. He, however, did not appear in the recording.

The police said it was believed that Nwafor intended to release the incriminating video on the Internet for allegedly cheating him every time they went for operation.

Nwafor, however, told PUNCH Metro that he made the recordings so he could blackmail his colleagues with it.

He said his colleagues usually cheated him when sharing their loot and the recording was meant to be used as a leverage to force them to share the robbery loot equally.

He said, “I was a commercial motorcycle rider but when the Lagos State Government began to restrict our operation, I abandoned the job and started working as a labourer at construction sites in Lagos. However, the money was too little.

“When I travelled to my village in Ebonyi State, I met Kingsley Chibuzor, who told me that he came to the state to snatch some cars and asked me to join him. Since I needed money, I joined his gang. However, they were always cheating me when they were sharing the money.

“In the first robbery operation I did with them, we stole two cars and sold them at N800, 000. We were three, which means I should have received at least N250, 000. Unfortunately, I was given only N100, 000.

“During the second operation in Abakaliki, they cheated me again. So the third time, I used my camera phone to record the entire operation. I kept it to be used as leverage so that if they cheated me again, I can use it to blackmail them.”

The suspect said things, however, did not work as he planned because after another operation, he was not contacted by the gang members.

He said after a lot of efforts on his part, he located them and discovered that another member of the gang, Enebeli Ozoemena, held his (Nwafor)N200, 000 share.

He said, “We had a big quarrel and everybody went their separate ways until we were arrested by operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad.”

When asked what he did with the money he made from his robberies, the suspect said, “I went to Ebonyi State, where I had my wedding. Weddings are expensive. Soon after, my wife gave birth to a son and we were happy, but when I left the gang, I became so broke that I had to sell some of my things in order to feed.

“My parents, my wife and child had been killed during a communal clash between Amedo village in Ebonyi and Adama Village in Cross River.”

PUNCH Metro had reported last week Wednesday that a prison escapee, Chibuzor, who is the alleged gang leader, and Enebeli, were arrested by the police.

Our correspondent learnt that through Chibuzor’s confessions, Nwafor was arrested.

SARS operatives, who made the arrests, found the visual recordings of the robbery operation on Nwafor’s mobile phone.

Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the arrest to our correspondent on the telephone, said some of the stolen vehicles had been recovered, adding that efforts were on to recover the remaining ones stolen by the gang.

Fresh confusion hits G7 govs’ camp •OBJ rejects their plans to defect to APC, PDM •Govs raise lobbyists to meet president - TRIBUNE

• Written by  Taiwo Adisa and Olawale Rasheed -Abuja
• Sunday, 10 November 2013 

FRESH confusion appears to have hit the camp of the aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under the aegis of G7, over their plan to defect to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
A meeting of the G7 with former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State, last week was said to have ignited the confusion as sources confirmed that the former president flatly declared to the aggrieved governors that he was not in support of their plan to join rival APC or another party, the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM).
Obasanjo, who is seen as the godfather of most of the aggrieved governors, including Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Babangida Aliyu of Niger and Rabiu Musa Kwakwaso of Kano and practically influenced their election into office, was said to have told the governors that he was not in support of their plan to join the APC.
Sources confirmed to Sunday Tribune that Obasanjo said there were persons in the APC and other opposition parties he could not work with and that he believed that the governors were better off working with President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I prefer that you seek ways out of the crisis in the PDP. It is better you work with Jonathan than to join parties that harbour people who should ordinarily be in jail as we speak,” Obasanjo was quoted as telling the aggrieved governors.
It was also confirmed that the charge from Obasanjo has immediately thrown the G7 into confusion as a number of the governors have decided to work out a peace option with Jonathan.
Last week, three of the governors floated peace moves towards seeking a way out of the crisis and resolving with President Jonathan.
Two of the governors were said to have lobbied friends of the president to open talks with them so that they can get a way out of the crisis.
It was confirmed that while one of the G7 members decided to lobby close associates of the president in Abuja, including political office holders and legislators, others resolved to lobby statesmen and top members of the cabinet to prevail on Jonathan to accede to some of their requests.
“I believe that people like you should talk to the president so that he can look into our requests. We have been talking of eight points. He can consider two of them and pave the way for us to reconcile. It is better we remain together in the PDP than go to another party to start afresh,” the G7 member pleaded with sources close to the administration.
Though it was confirmed that the governors of Adamawa, Kano and Sokoto have concluded plans to defect to the APC, the other governors are said to be taking Obasanjo’s advice seriously.
It was also confirmed that the reality in the APC setting in Kwara, Jigawa and Niger states was also a source of confusion among the G7 members.
Sources said the entry of any of the G7 governors in each of the three states was certain to spark another round of crisis which could further deplete the camps of the governors.
It was confirmed that despite the readiness of the APC leadership to hand over the party’s structure in Rivers State to Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the governor has also been reluctant to jump camp because of the reality that doing so could further expose his political base.
Last week, it was also confirmed that one of the governors personally visited President Jonathan, while another was said to have initiated a strategy that would see the National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), intervene on their behalf and plead with the president.
A source said that the NSA got involved in the G7 crisis earlier in the year when security reports were said to have indicted the governors who were then travelling from one part of the country to the other to rally support for their agenda.
A number of them were said to have rushed to the NSA who later led them to the president where they explained their side of the security reports.
Checks across the factions also showed that both sides had pushed the fight to the edge of precipice with both now weighing options before taking the final plunge. As much as some new PDP leaders are flirting with APC, they are said to be worried by emerging resistance from the middle and lower rank of the APC to their likelihood to join the party.
For the mainstream PDP, the adopted option of closing the door against the new PDP is said to be under challenge by other mainstream forces who dread the electoral consequences of entering the New Year and even the election year with the party in crisis.
Sunday Tribune gathered that while many loyalists of the president are already working on a post-G7 agenda, other groups on the fringe are pursuing other options to prevent total pullout by the Kawu Baraje-led faction.
An administration official, however, said “carrot and stick is an option we want to go back to,” adding that “if that fails, we face 2015 without them.”

ASUU meets tomorrow; may call off strike Wed/Thurs in Kano - TRIBUNE

• Sunday, 10 November 2013 

THE Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) will tomorrow hold a referendum, where the lecturers will discuss the outcome of this week’s meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan.
At tomorrow’s meeting, the varsity teachers are expected to review the months long industrial action and take a decision on whether or not to end the four-month-old strike. Already, notices were said to have been sent out by the local chapters of ASUU to their members, calling on them to attend, so they could be part of the important meeting.
The NEC of the union will meet on Wednesday in Kano to ratify the decision of the congresses after which a decision to end or continue the strike will be taken.
It will be the first time the lecturers will meet, after the 13-hour long meeting they held with the president and observers are optimistic that the strike will be called off soon.

Day of rage: Gunmen sack 7 communities in Benue, kill 25 •JTF averts suicide attacks in Kano/Abuja, kills 5 insurgents, loses 2 men •Many injured in Osun communal clash - TRIBUNE

• Written by  Oluwole Ige, Johnson Babajide and Kola Oyelere
• Sunday, 10 November 2013

NOT less than 32 persons lost their lives in different violent clashes across the country at the weekend, with many others injured and communities numbering seven completely sacked in one of the incidents.
In Benue State, not less than 25 people were feared dead in a renewed clash between Fulani mercenaries and Agatu gamers in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
The clash, which an insider said started early Saturday, raged till the evening.
Seven communities were said to have been completely sacked by the rampaging Fulani men.
Last Thursday, two communities were said to have been attacked by the Fulani in a raid that resulted in the killing of three persons, injuring of many others and displacement of about 6,000 people.
Of the latest report, a source noted that the Fulani mercenaries invaded the seven communities in a commando style, killing and maiming members of the communities.
The member representing the area in the state House of Assembly, Honourable Sule Audu, who spoke with Sunday Tribune on telephone, confirmed the invasion by the Fulani mercenaries, adding that the crisis was still fierce as of the time he was speaking.
He also said he could not ascertain the number of casualties.

7 killed in soldiers, Boko Haram gunfire exchange
In kano, the Nigerian military said two soldiers and five suspected members of the Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram, were killed in shootouts early Saturday morning at Hotoro, on the outskirts of the town.
It will be recalled that Kano has been relatively peaceful in recent months.
But news of the shattered peace came as spokesman for the Joint Task Force (JTF) Captain Ikedichi Iwehia, told journalists that the suspected Boko Haram members planned simultaneous suicide attacks in the Federal capital territory (FCT) and Kano.
In an email sent to reporters, Iwehia said “intelligence available indicates that the terrorists were in the process of finalising the plans.”
He said in the early hours of the day, a team of the JTF stormed two residences at Hotoro Dan Mark as part of the ongoing search operations by the troops, and that they were confronted by the gunmen.
He said in the ensuing shootout, five of the suspected terrorists and two soldiers lost their lives, adding that the security forces also confiscated about 50 AK-47 rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Iwehia said security was being tightened in Kano, amid fears that insurgents were fleeing to the city from the three North-Eastern states currently under state of emergency.
Tension in Osun as communal clash erupts over land
In Osun, barely two weeks after communal hostilities broke out between Oba-Ile and Oba-Oke communities in Olorunda Local Government Area of the state, the people of Ede, on Saturday, engaged the Ido-Osun community in another bloody clash, resulting in critical injuries for many residents.Both Ede and Ido-Osun are within the precinct of Egbedore Local Government Area of the state.
The bloody clash which erupted between the two communities in the early hours of Saturday, Sunday Tribune reliably gathered, lasted for almost four hours before riot policemen could bring the situation under control.
Credible sources informed our correspondent that the development generated tension and chaos in the communities as many shut their doors, just as shop owners hurriedly closed their business premises while the violence lasted.
Investigation by Sunday Tribune indicated that trouble ensued when it was discovered that the people of Ede had erected a sign post bearing Ede community on the site of the airport project located in Ido-Osun.
The new airport project, being funded by the state government is located between Ido-Osun and Ede, but the two towns claimed ownership of the land.
Indication that the airport project may spark off violence emerged last week when the Olojudo of Ido-Osun, Oba Adedapo Aderemi Sapoyoro, had, during a public forum, tagged Gbangba Dekun, in Ede, told the gathering, including Governor Rauf Aregbesola, that Ido-Osun did not share boundary with Ede.
According to a source, “Unexpectedly, the people of Ido-Osun woke up yesterday and discovered that Ede community had erected a sign post with the inscription “This land belongs to Ede” on the site of the airport project.
As a result of the discovery, the people of Ido-Osun mobilised themselves to the site and uprooted all the sign posts erected by the people of Ede community.
An eye witness told Sunday Tribune on telephone that the people of Ede, who were mostly youths, attacked Ido-Osun residents and many of them were beaten to pulp before the police team arrived the scene of the incident.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Osun State Police Command, Mrs Folashade Odoro, confirmed the incident, disclosing that four persons had been arrested over the clash, while further investigation was ongoing.
She assured that normalcy had been restored in the warring communities.

More cash rewards for Eaglets - PUNCH

November 10, 2013 by Olalekan Adetayo 

 

U-17 WINNERS: Nigeria players celebrating after winning the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, in Abu Dhabi, Uae... on Friday
| credits: AFP

After getting increased match bonuses for winning the 2013 U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, the Golden Eaglets will further receive cash rewards from President Goodluck Jonathan when he hosts them in Abuja on Sunday (today).

The Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, and top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation are expected to lead the team to the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa for the grand reception.

Jonathan, who received the news of the Eaglets’ victory while on a two-day trip to Guinea-Bissau and Gambia, will lead other members of the Federal Executive Council to receive the players.

Our correspondent learnt on Saturday that apart from the traditional presidential handshakes and photo session with the President, each player will likely go home with N1m, while the coach is expected to get N2m.

Each player in the team had received N500,000 for finishing second in the African U-17 football tournament in May, while the coach got N1m for his efforts.

The President had said, “In recognition of your performance, we are giving you a token cash appreciation. It is a token because you are young people and we don’t want to spoil you.

The players were paid an increased bonus of $7,000 each for emerging victorious in the final, adding to the $4,000 they received for defeating Sweden in the semi-final.

Each member of the team had received $500 for the three group games, while $1,000 was handed out for the second round victory over Iran.

The players had also received $2,000 instead of the pre-arranged sum of $1,000 for beating Uruguay in the quarter-final.

Nigeria now producing armoured vehicles - PUNCH

November 10, 2013 by Oyetunji Abioye 

 

AS interest in armoured luxury cars rises among the upper class, some Nigerian auto firms have intensified research work on the armouring technology.

Already, an indigenous automobile manufacturer, Proforce Limited, has commenced the production of Armoured Personnel Carriers.

Proforce said it had sealed a pact with Defence Industries Corporation and some para-military organisations for the production.

The Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, is currently facing criticism for allegedly forcing the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to buy two armoured cars for her.

Wealthy Nigerians and top public office holders import a number of armoured vehicles.

The Managing Director, Proforce, Mr. Ade Ogundeyin, said in a statement obtained on Friday that his firm was currently working with the Defence Industries on the APCs, just as he stressed it was equipped to armour other categories of vehicles.

He criticised the idea of importing armoured vehicles, saying it did not make economic sense for Nigerians to continue to import what was available locally.

“There is no need for government or anybody to import bulletproof or armoured vehicles. It is a waste of resources.

“Why import at very high cost when there is capacity to produce better vehicles at comparatively lower prices locally? This is an issue I hope the new auto policy will address.”

Ogundeyin said the armouring materials were resistant to AK-47 gunshots and assaults with improvised explosive devices, stressing that the vehicles would run on special flat tyres that could endure several kilometres of journey even when deflated.

The Proforce boss also expressed support for the recently developed auto plan, describing it as one of the best policies of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

He said if fully implemented, the document was capable of boosting industrial activities in the sector and contributing towards the achievement of government’s targets for the economy by 2020.

He aligned with the thrusts of the new auto policy, which were to encourage investment, enhance technological development and revive production activities in the industry.

Ogundeyin said, “This is a laudable plan which is capable of transforming the local industry. The impact will be felt in many ways, including the establishment of many small- and medium-scale support industries, job creation and increase in capacity utilisation.

“But a lot will depend on whether government has the will to fully implement the policy, especially the area that concerns their agencies or departments buying locally made vehicles. Another critical area that requires firm action on the side of government is the one that introduces stiffer tariff structure for fully built imported vehicles.”

Human rights commission lied against me — Chime’s wife (PUNCH)

November 10, 2013 by Leke Baiyewu 

 

Wife of the Enugu State Governor, Clara Chime

Wife of the Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, Clara, has faulted the report of the National Human Rights Commission on her incarceration by her husband. She said the report was set to damage her reputation.

This was contained in a letter of complaint she wrote to her lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, which was made available to SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday.

The NHRC had on Friday released a preliminary report on its investigations into Clara’s complaints of rights abuse.

Speaking on the report, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof. Bem Angwe, said the bone of contention between Chime and his wife was a disagreement over the procedure for the treatment of her occasional hallucinations and depression.

However, Clara, in the letter, said, “I am very disappointed to read what has been narrated by the National Human Rights Commission. Apart from the fact that the information was largely false, it showed lack of sensitivity in publishing sensitive medical detail.

“This has the effect of tarnishing and damaging my reputation. It is as though the commission set out to ridicule me. I made it clear to them that I had a nervous breakdown and found it inexplicable as to how hallucinations featured as part of my symptoms.

“It is important to make this clear, so that the public should be made aware of this and that the Commission should recognise part of her ethos in protecting human dignity. It has been suggested by some quarters that the Commission appears biased already because of the profile of the person whose reputation is at stake.

“I want to believe that the Commission would approach my case with open mind and in particular recognise me as a victim of crime. I hope that common sense would prevail and that the Commission should now retract the damaging publication and stop stigmatising me.”

The First Lady had in a petition written on her behalf by Falana accused the governor of illegal detention.

Following the petition, the NHRC had written Chime, demanding access to his wife.

Angwe, however, informed journalists on Friday that a five-man investigative panel from the commission had met with those most concerned with the issue and inspected the said apartment.

The NHRC scribe said the panel held private discussions with Chime, the complainant, Clara; the governor’s sibling, Dr. Jide Chime; the First Lady’s physician, Dr. Aham Agumoh; and her elder brother, Tony Igwe.

Another person was one Dr. A. Uzegu, a London-based consultant psychiatrist and forensic examiner, who is the doctor preferred by Clara, through teleconference.

Angwe confirmed that for the last two weeks, Clara had been confined to her apartment on medical advice for purposes of medical maintenance and security. He further disclosed that the panel learnt that the First Lady was allowed access to her son after his school and lesson hours.

While reacting through a statement on Saturday, the Chairman, NHRC, Mr. Chidi Odinkalu, said there was no basis for the claims widely circulated in the media.

He said the commission had not made any pronouncement on the state of health, physical or mental, of the complainant (Clara) or any other party in the case.

Odinkalu said, “The commission takes seriously its responsibility to fully respect the confidentiality of parties before it and to reach its decisions only on the basis of law and evidence.

“I should clarify that the team that the commission sent to Enugu did not include any medical personnel. It had neither a mandate nor the expertise to pronounce on such matters and has clearly not done so. This is evident on the face of the statement by the Executive Secretary.

“Allegations also that the commission may have been compromised in the conduct of the case are both factually inaccurate and manifestly unfounded.”

The NHRC boss said as a practice, cases and complaints received by the commission were processed in accordance with the National Human Rights Commission Act (as amended) and with the Standing Orders and Rules of Procedure of the Commission.

3 killed, many injured as Fulani herdsmen attack communities in Makurdi - TRIBUNE

• Written by  Johnson Babajide - Makurdi
• Saturday, 09 November 2013

THREE people were killed and over 6000 displaced  in a renewed clash between Fulani herdsmen and Agatu farmers.
According to  an eyewitness, the Fulani herdsmen invaded Ikpele and  Okpokolo communities of Agatu Local Government Area, set houses ablaze and shot sporadically into the air, which led to the killing of three people.
Confirming the report, the state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr John Ngbede, told newsmen that the Fulani herdsmen used a community in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State as entry point to attack the two communities.
Ngbede, who commended the chairman of Omala Local Government for the hospitality accorded the Agatu people in the earlier attack, however, appealed to him that he should ensure the beefing up of  security at the border between the two areas, stressing that the porous nature of the place now serves as entry point for  the invading Fulanis.
The commissioner further called on Federal Government to put a  military post in the communities that border the troubled area in Nasarawa and Kogi for more security.
Confirming the report, thePolice Public Relation Officers (PPRO), Deputy Supertindent Police Dan Ezeala, said that the Fulani herdsmen attacked and killed one person.

Why we invested N4.5bn in power firms —Delta - TRIBUNE

• Written by  Alphonsus Agborh - Asaba
• Saturday, 09 November 2013

DELTA State government said it acquired shares in three power companies estimated at N4.5 billion to protect the interest of its citizens, especially those in the rural areas.
The companies are Vigeo Power, for Benin distribution company; Euratric, for Sapele power plant and Transcorp for Ughelli power plant.
 According to the state Commissioner for Power and Energy, Mr Charles Emetulu, “ the new companies may not show concern for rural dwellers, where they will not likely to make profits, but the state  government will see to it that the people in such areas will benefit from the new power supply arrangement.”
 Mr Emetulu, who said this at a news conference in Asaba, while delivering his mid-term account of the power ministry, agreed that by way of social responsibility to the people,  the state government would ensure that electricity  supply is distributed, even to the remotest villages, while the companies collect the tariff.
  In addition to equity, the commissioner disclosed that the state government, in its bid to ensure adequate power supply in the state and to support the  development of infrastructure in the country, contributed N15.7 billion,towards the implementation of the Federal Government emergency power project under the present administration.
 He commended the pace of work at the step down of the national grid in Asaba, under the integrated power project being executed by the President Jonathan administration which, he said, would boost power  supply to several communities in Delta north that have experienced serious power outage. The project is expected to be completed in 2014.
The commissioner added that a total of 391 power projects had been implemented in the state since 2007, at a cost of N48.41 billion.
 On the generator-powered street lights in some major cities of the state, the commissioner told reporters that two contractors had been engaged to manage them, while expressing concern on the destruction of the facilities.
 He said over N3 billion was spent on 4,227 solar street lights across the state, some of which, he noted, were not performing optimally.

Nigerian in London convicted for killing 3-yr-old for bedwetting - TRIBUNE

• Written by 
• Saturday, 09 November 2013

Rate this itemA Nigerian has been found guilty in London of murdering his partner’s three-year-old nephew after the child wet the bed they were sharing.
Ben Igbinedion, 44, inflicted “catastrophic” injuries upon Daniel Evbuomwan that were so severe they were likened to those caused by a car crash.
Igbinedion, of Bromley, South London, had put Daniel back to sleep in a different bed but when family members tried to wake him in the morning, he did not respond.
The youngster suffered multiple injuries to his ribs and multiple fractures to his pelvis.
They were described by Professor Anthony Risdon, who carried out a post-mortem examination, as “among the most severe he had seen.”
Daniel had been living with his grandmother, Rosemary, since earlier this year and was in normal physical health, but all that dramatically changed when he went to stay with Igbinedion and his family in March, the court heard.
Daniel’s grandmother had wanted to go shopping and to church, so it was decided he should stay with his aunt, Sandra Okundaye, a nurse, and her partner, Igbinedion, jurors were told.
Ms Okundaye was away working that night and Igbinedion was left in charge of looking after Daniel and his three children, the trial heard.
At bedtime, Igbinedion stated that Daniel and his youngest son should sleep in his room, while the other children slept in their own room, it was claimed.
In the early hours of the morning on March 2, one of the children was woken by Igbinedion telling off Daniel for wetting the bed, the court heard.
Giving his own evidence, Igbinedion told the court that he treated the boy as if he was his own son.
Igbinedion claimed he woke Daniel up at 5:30 a.m to use the toilet before returning the boy to the children’s bedroom and turning the light off.
He accepted the youngster had been well during the day but could not explain what happened.
Daniel’s cousins had tried to wake the boy but after several attempts, he slumped from the bed to the floor.
He was taken to University Hospital in Lewisham, South East London, where he was pronounced dead at 11:25 a.m.
Igbinedion, who denied murder but was convicted at the Old Bailey, is due to be sentenced on November 27.

Chime’s wife is not well, says human rights commission - TRIBUNE

• Written by  Tunde Oyesina - Abuja
• Saturday, 09 November 2013

THE National Human Rights Commission has confirmed that the wife of the Enugu State governor, Clara Chime, is having medical challenges which had warranted her being confined to her apartment.
The commission had, on Thursday, visited Enugu State to see the governor, Sullivan Chime and his wife, having received a complaint from the latter of alleged incarceration and subjection to conditions that threatened her personal freedom and human rights.
The Executive Secretary of the commission, Professor Bem Angwe, who led four other members of the investigative team, told journalists in Abuja, on Friday, that they had a four-hour meeting with the governor and his wife, two members of their extended family and the complainant’s physicians.
“We have confirmed that for the past two weeks, Mrs Chime had been confined to her apartment on for the purposes of medical maintenance and security. But she confirmed being in possession of the keys to her apartment, which the team also inspected. We further confirmed that access to her by her son is not denied.
“Both parties have agreed that Mrs Chime had a medical condition. The complainant told the commission that she has lost confidence in the physician presently handling her condition and no longer wants him to treat her. She further requested to have medical opinion of other medical doctors acceptable to her.
“Both parties have agreed that the commission assemble a team of independent medical experts to review her medical condition and offer advice on further steps to be taken in respect of her treatment.
“We want to assure all parties and Nigerians that the commission will continue with the investigation of this matter and take appropriate decisions that will be in the interest of all parties. And the commission will not hesitate to invoke its further mandate between the parties with a view to reconciling them.”
Saturday Tribune recalls that the governor’s wife, through Femi Falana, had petitioned the commission over the alleged house arrest.
In the said petition, she called on human rights agencies to come to her aid.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Falana, had petitioned the Inspector General of Police on her behalf, asking that she be set free without delay.
In her letter to the NHRC, Mrs Chime described an abusive relationship which had led her into depression.
While they have been married for five years, she said the relationship had broken down irretrievably in the past couple of years. 

Imo APC disowns Okorocha - SUN

Our Reporter November 7, 2013 

From VAL OKARA, Owerri
The leadership of the  Imo State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has disowned the state Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, saying he is not yet a registered member of the  party. In a communiqué jointly signed by the party’s interim Chairman and Secretary, Mazi Nati Iwuagwu and Chief Ahamefule Ibekwe respectively and made available to newsmen in Owerri yesterday, the party stated that under the provisions of the Electoral  Act on merger of political parties, only members of the merged parties are legal and automatic members of APC for now.
According to the APC, no fresh registration of new members had taken place in the party in the state since the merger of the three political parties on August 31, 2013.
The communiqué stated that every other member outside the three merged political parties was a ‘concessional member’ and therefore, must wait for regularization by formally registering with the party at his or her respective ward in the state.
It, therefore, frowned at the alleged plot by people it tagged: ‘APGA rebels’ to hijack the party in the state with impunity and warned those involved in the act to stop the arbitrary constitution of interim officers of the party in the state at all levels.
It stated: “That the attention of the national interim executive of our great party must be drawn to the events in the party in Imo State for urgent and necessary action as we no longer accept the existence of any APC sitting governor  in Imo State until he becomes a duly registered member of APC.
“That we have firmly resolved to protect our legacy right of membership of APC lawfully acquired under Section 84 (4) and (5) of the Electoral Act 2010 by every lawful means including  judicial option, if the issue of defining the authentic membership of the party in Imo State is not  addressed within reasonable time by the national interim executive.”

Appeal Court commences suit seeking to sack Chime - PUNCH

November 9, 2013 by Ihuoma Chiedozie 

 

Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime
| credits: File copy

The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on Friday commenced hearing in a suit seeking to remove Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State from office.

In the appeal, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Chief Alexander Obiechina, is challenging the refusal of an Abuja Federal High Court to nullify the nomination process that led to Chime’s emergence as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party on April 26, 2011.

Obiechina is asking the appellate court to determine whether there was a valid special congress or primary election held in Enugu State on January 12, 2011, in which Chime was nominated as the PDP candidate.

Insisting that the laid down conditions for the nomination of candidates for governorship positions, as enshrined in sections 85(1) and 87(1)(4)(b) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), were not fulfilled when Chime emerged, Obiechina is arguing that January 9, 2011, was the valid date set for the governorship primaries in Enugu State.

Obiechina has asked the appellate court to nullify the primary election and order Chime to vacate the office forthwith.

At the commencement of hearing in the matter on Friday, the panel of justices of the Court of Appeal granted an application in which Obiechina’s counsel, Oba Maduabuchi, asked it to proceed to determine the matter  even though one of the respondents, the Independent National Electoral Commission, was yet to file its brief and relevant processes.

Maduabuchi noted that INEC failed to file and serve any brief or application for extension of time in respect of the appeal.

INEC’s withdrawal from the suit was not surprising, as the Commission had frowned at Chime’s nomination while the suit was before the Abuja FHC.

Chime’s lawyer, Mrs O. J. Offia, and that of the PDP, O. K. Akuyibo, did not object to the appellant’s wish to leave out INEC in the appeal.

However, PDP lawyer, Akuyibo, vehemently opposed the court’s jurisdiction to hear the appeal.

“This is not a proper case where the court can invoke its powers under Section 15 of Court of Appeal rules for the simple reason that the trial had declined jurisdiction over the appellant’s suit,” he argued, adding that the subject matter of the appeal was to determine whether the Abuja FHC was right or not to decline jurisdiction in the case.

The Court of Appeal also granted another application in which the appellant’s lawyer sought to withdraw prayer one in his motion paper, which required the appellate court’s invocation of Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Rules to enable it assume jurisdiction over the matter as court of first instance.

But the court asked Maduabuchi to get prepared to address it on the interpretation and provision of Section 141 of the Electoral Act as amended, in the event that the court agrees with his submissions.

“Assuming we agree with you, can we after an election, going by a Supreme Court decision based on Section 141 of the Electoral Act, make you occupy the position of governor in an election you did not participate?,” the panel, which was led by Justice M. D. Dongban-Mensem, asked the appellant’s counsel.