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Atiku, Tinubu, APC Trade Words over Alleged Intimidation of Judiciary
By Johnson Eyiangho & Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
Atiku Abubakar, the PDP Candidate in the February 2023 Presidential Election, has alleged that the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are intimidating and threatening the Judiciary in order to get favourable judgement from the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
Atiku, therefore, called on Nigerians and international community to be alert to frustrate what he called the “sinister plot to undermine Nigeria’s judiciary and democracy”.
In a statement at the weekend, the PDP candidate also appealed to the security agencies in the country to remain professional in the discharge of their duties and resist being used as an instrument of oppression and intimidation against the judiciary.
According to him, since the conclusion of the presidential election and the attendant controversies in its trail, there have been unfortunate developments that are saddening to many Nigerians.
He said that as proceedings on the controversial February 25 election continues at the court, there have been threats from the ruling party that aim to intimidate the judiciary from serving the duty of justice.
“It is regrettable that the APC and, indeed, agents of President Bola Tinubu have ceaselessly chosen to stand in the way of justice by making catastrophic threats to anarchy if justice is not served according to their whims.
“These and reports in the media about some heinous plots to harass justices sitting on the petition are ominous to peace and the security of our nation.
“Our democracy gives the people of Nigeria the powers to choose their leaders, and our laws demand that our judiciary must be allowed to act independently without harassment and intimidation by the government or powerful interests.
“To compromise the workings of our democracy and seeking to compromise the workings of our judiciary is an open call for anarchy,” he said.
Atiku said that as a party in the litigation that is currently reviewing the outcome of the last presidential election, he would “do all that is within the law in resisting any attempt to undermine our fragile democracy.
“Indeed, we are using this channel to call on the international community to be alerted.
“Nigeria’s democracy should not be undermined by using the judiciary to serve the interest of the ruling party.
“Sadly, this has become the stock in trade of the All Progressives Congress to intimidate the judiciary,” Atiku said.
He recalled that in 2019, the APC-led Federal Government similarly removed the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, when it was obvious that he would not bend to their will.
“The Department of State Services similarly stormed the homes of judges in 2016 and 2017, all in a bid to beat the judiciary into submission.
“The plot of the APC is simple: intimidate the judiciary, threaten judges with arrest so that they will bow to their will. This is a playbook from 2019 when they removed the CJN and then replaced him with Tanko Muhammad, who himself was later accused of corruption by his colleagues at the Supreme Court and resigned shamefully.
“However, the APC government never went after Tanko Muhammad as they did in Onnoghen’s case because it was never about corruption but election. The APC has, over the years, built a reputation of judiciary intimidation. They accused about 10 judges of corruption, stormed their homes, and got them suspended and yet could not convict a single one of them. Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court could not recover from the embarrassment that he ended up dying in office.
“Now, they have initiated a new plot. This time around, they want to intimidate the judges into delivering favourable judgments for them at the election tribunal. We draw the attention of the international community and, indeed, Nigerians to this fresh plot to steal the mandate of over 200 million people.”
Presidency Faults Atiku for ‘Blackmailing Judiciary’
Presidency has criticized the former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 2023 elections for blackmailing the judicial system, saying, “this desperation must stop.”
The presidency advised Abubakar should be honourable enough as a statesman to allow the Judiciary to perform its sacred duty without harassment and this resort to self-help.
Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake in a statement at the weekend, insisted that Tinubu won a free, fair, and credible election, adding that the February 25, 2023 Presidential election that produced him “is the most transparent election ever conducted in Nigeria since 1999.”
According to the presidential spokesman, attempting to discredit an important institution of State for selfish political ends is disingenuous, shameful, and unbecoming of a former Vice President of Nigeria.
Lagos State under the leadership of the then Governor Tinubu won over 13 cases up to the Supreme Court against the “hydra-headed PDP administration” at the centre, Alake stated.
“No leader with such a sterling and enviable credential as a champion of the rule of law, and independence of the judiciary like President Tinubu will ever contemplate undermining the Judiciary as alleged by Alhaji Atiku.
“The President and the APC absolutely have no reason to undermine the judiciary in the hope of any favorable judgement.
“His lawyers and that of APC have presented a very solid defence of the result of the election and we are sure the judiciary will impartially deliver its ruling based on points of law and evidence before it, not based on presumptuous speculations and unfounded accusations,” the presidency advised.
Claim Arrant Nonsense, Ruling Party Fires Back
The All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday said the allegation made by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar lacks substance.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, in a statement issued on Saturday, described Atiku’s allegations as arrant nonsense.
He said there was nothing in Atiku’s statement that was worth a reaction from the ruling party.
The spokesperson said Atiku’s statement alleged that the APC and its government are engaged in a plot to intimidate members of the judiciary towards unduly influencing the outcome of pending cases before the court.
Morka stressed Atiku and his minions offered no evidence to support their wild, hollow, and mischievous allegations.
The spokesperson stressed that President Bola Tinubu and the APC won the election convincingly, adding that the ruling party has faith and confidence in the courts to dispense electoral justice in accordance with the Constitution and all applicable laws.
“Quite frankly, there is nothing in Atiku Abubakar’s statement that is worth a reaction from the APC. It is just arrant nonsense, totally lacking in substance and cogency.
“It’s only imaginable purpose is a childish attempt to float an alibi to deflect the shame of a highly probable defeat in court, having miserably failed to make out a credible case to justify his bogus claim that he won the last Presidential Election,” he added.
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Former Governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello yesterday honoured the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
A statement from Bello’s Media Office signed by Michael Ohiare said that the decision was made after due consultations with his family, legal team and political allies.
The statement read, “The former governor, who has great respect for the rule of law and constituted authority, had all the while only sought the enforcement of his fundamental rights in order to ensure due process.
“The case has been before a competent court and Alhaji Yahaya Bello had been duly represented by his legal team at every hearing.
“It is important for the former governor to now honour the invitation of the EFCC to clear his name as he has nothing to hide and nothing to fear.
“The former governor believes firmly in the efforts of the administration of President Bola Tinubu to place Nigeria on the path of sustainable economic development and support the fight against corruption in the country.
“It is on record that he was the first Governor of Kogi State to put in place an anti-corruption mechanism to check graft and ensure that the resources of the state work for the people of the state.
“He was accompanied to the EFCC Headquarters by high profile Nigerians.
“It is our hope that the commission will be as professional as necessary and respect his fundamental rights as a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Details of his engagement with the operatives of the anti-graft agency will be disclosed later.”
However, EFCC denied that the former governor was in its custody.
The commission, in a statement by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale said that Bello remained wanted with a subsisting warrant of arrest.
He said, “Media reports today that a former Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello is in the holding facility of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is incorrect.
“The commission wishes to state that Bello is not in its custody.
“Bello, already declared wanted by the commission for alleged N80.2 billion money laundering charges, remains wanted with a subsisting warrant for his arrest.”
Bello was declared wanted after the incumbent governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo helped the embattled former governor to escape arrest in April.
Ododo’s arrival with heavy security at the residence of the ex-governor in Wuse, Abuja prevented the EFCC men from effecting his arrest.
Ododo’s entourage drove out with Bello in the governor’s car.
Since then, it was said have holed up in the Kogi State Government House, Lokoja.
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State yesterday handed over a truck of palliatives he recently confiscated in Makurdi to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) with a charge on them to conduct a thorough investigations bordering on alleged diversion.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), had on Sept.
11 through the office of the representative of House of Representatives for Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency, Terséer Ugbor deployed two trucks of palliatives to his constituency for onward distribution to IDPs and vulnerable households.However, one of the trucks containing several materials worth millions of naira was confiscated by the state governor.
Our correspondent had earlier reported that the seized truck was conveying assorted relief materials meant for IDPs in the Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency was caught offloading its contents at a private residence around Kilometre 2 in Makurdi.
Further checks revealed that the palliatives, which were loaded from a NEMA warehouse in Jos found their way to a private residence under the directives of Ugbor.
The governor explained that he gave a standing order that the truck be impounded and moved to Government House Makurdi so as to know why goods released from NEMA for distribution to IDPs in Kwande and Ushongo could be offloaded at a private residence in Makurdi.
Alia who spoke at NEMA headquarters upon his return from the United Kingdom expressed displeasure over the discovery of some hidden facts regarding the matter.
He explained that preliminary investigations revealed that the goods were coming from NEMA and were meant to be sponsored by the state government and lifted by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
In a letter from NEMA headquarters addressed to the representative of the Kwande/Ushongo constituency, Ugbor, who lobbied for the materials, the agency specified that the state government should pay for the expenses of lifting the materials in Jos and that the materials be taken to the state by NEMA and handed over to SEMA.
Alia who discovered that some of the trucks conveying other materials such as mattresses were still missing, directed anti-graft agencies to liaise with a three-man committee from the state and conduct a thorough investigations to uncover more facts.
“It was also discovered that the materials were to be distributed directly to the affected persons by officials from the agency’s North Central Zonal Office in collaboration with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency team.
“I have directed that the Acting Executive Secretary of SEMA, James Iorpuu, officers of the EFCC, and a few others should monitor the situation and ensure that due process was followed and that the materials were distributed to the rightful people.
“I thank President Bola Tinubu for having Benue people at heart. I therefore use this opportunity to call on the National Assembly members to consider the conditions of vulnerable people in their states and ensure that they provide for their constituents whatever the federal government gives,” Alia stated.
The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Tersoo Kula in a statement in Makurdi, said the Director General of NEMA through a phone call, thanked the governor for being vigilant and also promised to continue to collaborate with the state government to ensure the fair distribution of materials coming from the Federal Government.
Similarly, last month, the governor uncovered the diversion of relief materials for an IDPs camp in Makurdi by SEMA officials.
The diverted food items include: 55 bags of rice, 24 bags of garri, Indomie noodles, beans among others.
The Executive Secretary of SEMA was perplexed, wondering how the governor got wind of the development.
Three staff of the agency were arrested in connection with the incident.The IDPs said diversion of relief materials by staff of SEMA was a common happening.
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reconstituted the board of directors of Keystone Bank.
In a statement by the bank on Wednesday, the move is part of the apex bank’s strategy to ensure sustained growth for the financial institution.
According to the statement, Ada Chukwudozie is the new board chairman alongside five other non-Executive Directors.
They are Abdul-Rahman Esene, Fola Akande, Akintola Ayodeji Olusoji, Obijiaku Samuel, and Senator Farouk Bello.
In addition, the CBN named two new Executive Directors, Ladi Oluwole and Abubakar Usman Bello.
Chukwudozie, a prominent figure in Nigeria’s corporate sector, brings nearly three decades of experience in business strategy, management, and administration.
Her expertise cuts across multiple industries, including De-Endy Industrial Company Limited, Dozzy Group, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, and Vogue Afrique Magazine.
Esene, with over 43 years of experience in banking, investment management, and corporate finance, has held leadership roles in major institutions including Fidelity Bank, Afrinvest, and Global Arbitrage International Inc.
Akande boasts over 25 years of experience in legal, compliance, and risk management, having worked with global brands like Cadbury, Stanbic Chartered Bank, and Shell.
Olusoji has a distinguished 30-year career in accounting, finance, and business development, having served at institutions such as Sterling Bank, Access Bank, and Intercontinental Bank.
Samuel with more than 35 years of experience in banking and treasury operations has left a significant mark on Nigeria’s financial sector, previously working with Zenith Bank and Fidelity Bank.
Senator Bello, a seasoned banker with over 20 years of experience, has led initiatives across both the public and private sectors, including the National Assembly and Guaranty Trust Bank.
The two new Executive Directors bring their vast expertise to the table. Oluwole, the new Executive Director of Risk Management comes with over two decades of experience in credit and enterprise risk management, including previous roles at Bank of America.
Bello, Executive Director for the Northern Directorate has extensive experience managing corporate, retail, and public sector clients.
Speaking on the appointments, Keystone Bank’s Managing Director and CEO, Hassan Imam expressed confidence in the new board members, adding that their wealth of experience would play a crucial role in the bank’s continued repositioning and growth.
“We are pleased to welcome the new chairman, non-executive directors, and executive directors to the board of Keystone Bank.
“We are confident that their extensive experience will be invaluable as we continue to reposition the bank to seize emerging economic opportunities while maintaining strong corporate governance and providing our customers with a secure and reliable banking experience,” Imam said.
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