POLITICS
Atiku Is Eligible To Vie For Presidency, Adamawa Govt. Tells Court
The Adamawa government, on Tuesday told a Federal High Court, Abuja, that former Vice President Atiku Abukakar was eligible to vie for the office of the president. The Attorney-General (AG) of Adamawa, Afraimu Jingi, told Justice Inyang Ekwo while moving a motion on notice, seeking to be joined in the suit filed by a group against Atiku and three others.
The group, an Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA), in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2019 had sued Atiku, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) as 1st to 4th respondents respectively. EMA is challenging Atiku’s eligibility to contest for presidency on the grounds that he was not a Nigerian citizen by birth. The group asked the court to hold among others, that considering the provisions of Sections 25(1) &(2) and 131(a) of the constitution and the circumstances surrounding the former vice president’s birth, he cannot contest for the top office. But Jingi, through his lawyer, Chief L.D. Nzadon, in the motion dated April 26 and filed June 24, sought an order of the court to be joined in the matter. Moving the motion, Nzadon based his argument on 21 grounds. The lawyer described the matter as “a public interest suit to ensure that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) is complied with in the election of the President of Nigeria.” He said the Adamawa AG is a chief law officer of the state who must be brought in as a party.“The Attorney-General is traditionally the guardian of the public interest in any public interest litigation,” he added.
According to him, this matter can not be effectively and conclusively determined unless the Attorney General of Adamawa is joined as a party.
Nzadon said Atiku, against whom the suit was primarily directed, is a citizen of Nigeria from Adamawa who had been elected as a Governor of the state in 1999 and served as the vice president of the country between 1999 to 2007.
He said the suit threatens the right of not just the ex-vice president to contest the office of president “but that of the citizens of Nigeria of Adamawa State origin covering 12 out of the 21 Local Government Areas in the state.”
The lawyer listed the local government areas to include Ganye, Jada, Toungo, part of Mayo-Belwa, part of Fufore, part of Song, part of Hong, Maiha, Mubi-North, Mubi-South, Michika and Madagali.
He said the total population of the citizens of Nigeria from Adamawa who would be affected by the outcome of the suit was about 2 million people going by the 2006 National Population Census.
“Every citizen of Nigeria whatever his ethnic, religious or cultural background or persuasion should have the same right to vie for any political position under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as any other citizen.
“To disenfranchise the citizens of the 12 local government areas of Adamawa State in relation to the office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is to discriminate against them contrary to Section 42(1)(a), (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),” Nzadon told the court.
According to him, Adamawa has the highest number of Nigerian citizens from the former Trust Territories of Northern Cameroon of the three states that have such citizens, to wit: Adamawa, Taraba and Borno States.
The lawyer said it would be extremely difficult to get each one of these Nigerian citizens to defend this action in court.
“This is a public interest Suit and can best be defended by the Adamawa State Government through its Chief Law Officer, the Attorney General of Adamawa State.
“This cause will be defeated by the non-joinder of the citizens whose civil rights and obligations will be affected in violation of Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” he said.
“The citizens of Adamawa in the 12 local government areas ought to have been joined as necessary parties to this suit but were not.
“The presence of the said citizens is necessary to enable the court to effectually and conclusively adjudicate upon and settle the questions involved in the action.
“The government and people of Adamawa State have a greater interest in this suit than the 4th respondent (AGF).
“It is the constitutional responsibility of the Adamawa Government to advance and protect the political, social and economic interests of the citizens of Nigeria from Adamawa State.
“The applicant is a necessary party to this suit without whose joinder the citizenship issues affecting the indigenes of Adamawa State from the 12 of the 21 local government areas in the state can not be determined with finality,” the lawyer said.
Since counsel to other parties in the suit did not oppose the motion, Justice Ekwo granted the prayer.
The judge, who gave the applicant seven days to file and serve all their processes, adjourned the matter until Sept. 27 for hearing of the substantive suit.
Atiku and the PDP had since asked the court to dismiss the suit which they said was grossly lacking in merit.
In a preliminary objection be jointly filed with the PDP, Atiku, maintained that he is “a bonafide citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
He told the court that aside serving as Vice President from 1999 to 2007, he held many public/private offices in Nigeria, including serving as Governor of Adamawa State and as a Commissioned Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He said both his parents, grandparents and great grandparents were born in Nigeria and they lived, died as Nigerians and were buried in Nigeria.
Atiku told the court that he is qualified and eligible to be elected into the office of the President of Nigeria, adding that the Plaintiff filed the suit malafide.
“I know as a fact that this suit as filed by the Trustees of the Plaintiff is aimed at maligning the person and integrity of the 1st Defendant”.
He further queried the locus standi of the group to challenge his nationality, saying it failed to show before the court, the interest it has above other citizens of Nigeria to be entitled to the requisite jurisdiction to institute the action.
He therefore urged the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety. (NAN).
By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja
The Senate yesterday charged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja to urgently increase police and military presence in Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu State, with a view to forestalling the recurring clashes between suspected marauding fulani herdsmen and indigenous people, which has oftentimes resulted in loss of lives and property.
The Senate resolution followed the adoption of a motion on the need for the IGP and COAS to urgently curb the “senseless killings and maiming” of innocent indigenous peoples of Nimbo, Adani in Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu state by bandits, which was sponsored by Senator Okechukwu Ezea (LP, Enugu) and co- sponsored by Senator Chukwu Kelvin (LP, Enugu) and Senator Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West).
In the motion, Senator Ezea said that on April 7, 2024, five innocent farmers in Adani; a popular rice production community in Uzo-Uwani, were callously murdered by some bandits who invaded the community in the wee hours of the morning to commit the dastardly act.
He said on April 28, 2024, at about 2 pm, another attack was carried out in the same area where four innocent people in the farming village of Nimbo were gruesomely mowed down by bandits in an unprovoked attack that was reminiscent of the April 2016 Nimbo killings.
He recalled that in February 2016, Abbi community was the first to be hit by the same assailants where two people were gruesomely killed while 19 others were declared missing.
The senator noted that there was a major massacre in Nimbo community in the early hours of April 25, 2016, which left over 46 people dead and 14 persons injured, with their houses and other property completely razed.
He expressed worry that the killings did not seem to be isolated as their persistence indicated a pattern, saying that even with the 2016 killings, the authorities both at the state and Federal levels had not taken robust steps to mitigate the menace.
Senator Ezea expressed worry that if nothing very urgent and sustainable was done to put an end to the recurrent menace, people would begin to resort to self-help to ward off the criminal elements, stressing that “this might eventually lead to a complete breakdown of law and order, especially given the already challenging security situation in the region”.
He said that with the strategic location of Uzo-Uwani as a net producer of food in the country, the killings would have a significant impact on the nation’s food security as more and more farmers were now becoming afraid to go to farms for fear of being killed.
He said residents were abandoning their communities and relocating to urban areas, thereby, exacerbating the rural-urban migration crises in the country.
Senator Kelvin Chukwu (LP, Enugu)who seconded the motion added that the killing of members of the community was unacceptable, pointing out that there was need to put an end to the killings.
He said considering the strategic nature of the affected communities in rice production, there was the need to protect the residents from attack.
However, in his contribution, Sen. Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West) said although he was a co -sponsor of the motion, he was disassociating himself from the fifth paragraph of the motion, which stated that the state and Federal governments had not taken robust steps to stop the killings.
Senator Ngwu said it was a misrepresentation of facts that the state and federal governments through the security agencies were not working hard to put an end to the attacks and killings and protect members of the communities.
According to Ngwu, the Enugu state Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah and the security agencies had visited the affected communities with relief materials, adding that the state and federal governments, together with the security agencies were doing everything possible to protect the people and end the attacks.
Meanwhile, the Senate in its resolution, urged the IGP, COAS and Director General of the Department of State Services to investigate, arrest and prosecute the criminal gangs to serve as a deterrent.
It also mandated its Committees on Legislative Compliance, Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence to ensure compliance and proffer lasting solutions.
It further urged the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to the victims to cushion effects of the unwarranted attacks.
POLITICS
Ebonyi LG Polls: EBSIEC Gives 3rd June Ultimatum for Political Parties to Conclude Primaries
By Godwin Okeh, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, EBSIEC, on Wednesday gave 3rd June 2024 ultimatum for all political parties in the state to conclude their chairmanship and councillorship primary elections.
The Commissioner in-charge of Public Affairs in the commission, Chief Nnanna Nweze-Offor stated this while answering questions on the commission’s timetable for the Local Government Election.
According to him: “Political parties participating in the forthcoming Saturday 20th July Local Government election in the state must conclude their Chairmanship and Councillorship primaries not later than third June, 2024.
He noted further that the list of nominated candidates for the Chairmanship and councillorship position must be submitted to EBSIEC before the end of Monday 3rd June 2024.
Chief Nweze-Offor pointed out that political parties conducting primaries must invite EBSIEC to observe the primaries as required by the law, noting that the commission was poised to conduct a free, fair and credible election without bias for anyone or political party.
He pointed out that soon the commission will advertise for recruitment of adhoc workers for the election, adding that various trainings will be conducted towards a successful Local Government polls in the state.
Chief Nweze-Offor noted that the commission was working round the clock to ensure a smooth election and called on all to join hands with EBSIEC in the bid to give the people the best Local Government election in the state.
Daily Asset reports that the Local Government election in Ebonyi State is slated to hold on Saturday, 20th July 2024 across the thirteen Local Government Areas of the state.
By David Torough, Abuja
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions, Amos Magaji has called for an urgent financial investment in the Federal Teaching Hospitals across the country in line with the renewed hope agenda of the current administration for the betterment of the citizenry.
Magaji who led members of his Committee on a visit to the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo said the need to allocate more funds in the health sector cannot be overemphasized considering the primary place of health institutions in the country.
He appreciated the Chief Medical Director and his management staff for showing interest in the growth judging by the tremendous achievements recorded within a period of one year.
He said that as head of the House Representatives Committee on Health Institutions, he will work with his members to ensure that more funds are made available to develop the needed infrastructure including the medical equipment to meet up with the expectations of the people.
“We are glad to be in Otukpo today to see things for ourselves. We don’t want to depend on second hand information on the true condition of the Federal University Teaching Hospital Otukpo.”
The Committee Chairman assured the management of full support of the Federal House of Representatives as appropriate incentives will be given through interface with other critical stakeholders in Abuja.
Magaji, who also observed that most of the Federal Teaching Hospitals were having almost the same challenges, advised the leadership team to accommodate all Nigerians irrespective of tribe including the host Community.
He however enjoined the Staff who he described as foundation staff to work as a team despite the working condition, “we have seen how the environment is looking and we will continue to monitor the progress. So as foundation staff, you all have the opportunity to write your name in gold”.
In his brief welcome address, the Chief Medical Director, Prof Silas Ochejele Commended the Federal Government for the establishment of the Teaching Hospital in Otukpo which has drastically changed the medical services narratives in the State.
Prof Ochejele also commended the Committee for undertaking pains to come down to Otukpo, ” the Hospital is very happy to have you here as we strongly believe that you’re coming to see things yourselves we go a long way in repositioning the Hospital for the betterment of the people’s health needs’
After the briefing, the House Committee inspected some of the ongoing projects and appreciated the efforts being made by the CMD particularly the level-playing ground provided to both staff and patients which earned them recommendation.
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