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Court dismisses Ekanem-led APC Exco in Akwa-Ibom

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Court dismisses Ekanem-led APC Exco in Akwa-Ibom

The Augustine Ekane-led Executive Committee Officers (Exco) of the Akwa Ibom State All Progressives Congress (APC) have been sacked by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court’s Abuja division, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been ordered to withdraw the certificate of return issued to them.

Meanwhile, Justice Taiwo ordered INEC to issue Stephen Leo Ntukekpo a Certificate of Return as the APC’s Akwa Ibom State Chairman.

The judge ruled that the inauguration of the party’s state Exco, led by Augustine Ekanem, was illegal.

The court also ordered the electoral body to issue certificates of return to Uduakobong Udoh and Uko Ini, respectively, as State Secretary and Woman Leader of the APC’s state chapter.

Read also: ASUU Strike: The University of Ibadan (UI) closed indefinitely as management orders students to vacate the campus.

While delivering judgment in the suit filed against the party, members of the National Caretaker Committee, and INEC, Justice Taiwo Taiwo issued the declaratory orders.

The APC, Governor Mai Mala Buni (National Chairman Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the APC); Senator John James Akpanudoedehe (Secretary caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the APC); and the INEC were named in the FHC/ABJ/CS/635/2021 suit filed by Ntukepo, Udoh, and Ini.

In his ruling, Justice Taiwo declared the plaintiffs to be the party’s duly and democratically elected State Executive Committee Officers (EXCO) in Akwa Ibom state.

The court agreed with plaintiffs’ counsel, Umeh Kalu (SAN), who argued that under section 223(1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution, section 85 (3) of the Electoral Act 2010, Article 20 of the APC Constitution, and the guidelines for the conduct of the APC state congresses 2021, made pursuant to the party’s constitution, “the defendants cannot refuse to recognise the plaintiffs who were dully elected at the APC Akwa-Ibom congress which held in Uy

The defendants’ actions to replace the plaintiffs with unelected persons were found to be in violation of sections 223(1)(a) of the constitution, section 85 (3) of the Electoral Act 2010, Article 20 of the APC constitution, and the guidelines for the conduct of APC state Congresses, according to Justice Taiwo.

That the plaintiffs’ purported replacement as members of the APC’s Akwa-Ibom State Executive Committee with unelected persons chosen by the first to third defendants and who did not attend the party’s state congress on October 16, 2021, is unlawful and illegal.

“For our democracy to grow, our Constitution must serve as a red card to anyone who wants to derail it for personal gain,” Justice Taiwo said.

“A political party cannot be allowed to act or conduct itself in violation of its own Constitution,” he added.

ASUU Strike: The University of Ibadan (UI) closed indefinitely as management orders students to vacate the campus.

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ASUU Strike: The University of Ibadan (UI) closed indefinitely as management orders students to vacate the campus.

The University of Ibadan (UI) management shut down the institution on Thursday, ordering all students to leave the campus immediately.

Following the ongoing indefinite and total strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the institution’s management stated that it was necessary to take this action (ASUU).

“Management, at its meeting on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, deliberated on the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which had now been extended by eight weeks,” according to a statement issued and signed by the institution’s Registrar, Olubunmi Faluyi.

Read also: BREAKING NEWS: EX-Governor Obiano and his wife have been released by the EFCC.

As a result, the University’s academic activities have come to a halt.

As a result, the Vice-Chancellor, acting on behalf of the Senate, has ordered the university to close until further notice, and all students have been ordered to vacate the residence halls with immediate effect.

“This vacation notice does not apply to postgraduate students who have paid their school fees or undergraduate students who are on industrial attachment or practical training.”

Such students should go to the Dean of Students’ Office to make arrangements for housing.

“A new resumption date will be announced as soon as possible.”

Our administration wishes our students safe travels to their various destinations.”

BREAKING NEWS: EX-Governor Obiano and his wife have been released by the EFCC.

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BREAKING NEWS: EX-Governor Obiano and his wife have been released by the EFCC.

Willie Obiano, the former governor of Anambra State, and his wife, Ebelechukwu, have been released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to our source, Obiano was apprehended by the EFCC at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos around 8.30 p.m. on Thursday as he was about to board a flight to Houston, Texas in the United States.

This was after he handed over the governorship of Anambra State to Prof. Charles Soludo.

Read also: Willie Obiano is picked up by the EFCC at Lagos Airport.

Obiano was reportedly on the anti-graft agency’s watchlist over allegations of fraud and embezzlement of public funds, though details about his arrest are still sketchy.

Due to oil theft, 80 Percent of oil production does not make it to the terminals…

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Due to oil theft, 80 Percent of oil production does not make it to the terminals…
The founding MD/CEO of Seplat Energy and Executive Chairman of AA Holdings, Austin Avuru, has warned that Nigeria’s oil production has reached an emergency critical level.
Due to oil theft, he claims that some oil production wells don’t see 80 percent of their output make it to the terminals.

 

This was revealed by Avuru in a report titled “Reining in the Collapse of the Nigerian Oil Industry,” which was published on Thursday by the Africa Oil + Gas Report.

Read also: ASUU Strike: University of Ibadan shuts down, tells students to vacate hostels

He urged the NNPC and regulators to establish a “war room” strategy to address Nigeria’s growing problem of oil theft.

What Mr. Avuru has to say
He claimed that the term “crude theft,” which first appeared in the industry around 2010, has taken on new meaning with the surrender of entire export pipeline networks to vandals and illegal bunkerers.

 

He claims that 80 percent of the production injected into some pipeline systems (particularly in the East) does not make it to the terminal.
He revealed that nearly every producer is now devising “alternative evacuation” schemes that cost four to five times as much as pipeline export.

 

“The harsh reality today is that the IOCs are leaving; their decision is beyond our control as a nation; in fact, Shell and Chevron have divested from a total of 21 blocks in the last twelve years.”
Shell and ExxonMobil have announced that they are leaving the onshore/shallow water business entirely.

 

“In fact, I believe that by Christmas 2025, TOTAL will be the only IOC in a joint venture with NNPC.”

 

“The situation is the same with domestic gas delivery,” he said. “Even though we weave all the right slogans about the future of gas in Nigeria, I can only point to a couple of Nigerian independents who are investing in gas development and processing for the domestic market in the last 5 years,” he said.

 

He went on to say that the state of the Nigerian petroleum industry is a national emergency, with oil production down to about 1.4 million BPD and falling, including 600K BPD from deep-water drilling.
Domestic production has remained stable at around 1.2 billion cubic feet per day over the last five years, despite projections of 3.5 billion cubic feet per day.

 

“Of course, the collateral impact is the low level of power generation, which has remained stable at around 4,000 MW per say since 2015,” he explained.

 

Nigeria’s current oil production level, according to Avuru, can only be imagined when oil prices return to $60 per barrel, stressing that the situation must be treated as a national emergency.

 

What can be done: The NNPC and upstream regulators must establish a war room, or some other form of effective task force, to develop a blueprint.

 

It will be necessary to implant a well-organized transition of the IOCs, guided by a clear policy direction, from the retreating IOCs to a crop of efficient independents with the necessary resources.
He went on to say that NNPC’s solution of standing back and intervening through preemptive acquisitions is not a long-term solution.

Read also: Court sets date for hearing on arrest of Kano’s suspended anti-corruption chief

He also called for a deliberate policy-driven return to Nigeria’s traditional onshore/shallow water terrains, citing the fact that this belt still holds 80 percent of the country’s remaining reserves.

 

“Nigeria must address the twin challenges of pipeline reliability and community unrest.
These issues have become more acute, not because there is no solution, but because we have paid no attention to them for the past 15 years.
“To drive investments in domestic gas supply, Nigeria needs to match its gas slogan with effective, measurable policy actions,” he added.

If you missed it, here’s a reminder:
According to information obtained by our reporter yesterday, Tony Elumelu, Chairman of UBA Banking Group and Heirs Holdings, stated that theft is the reason Nigeria is unable to meet its crude oil production quota and benefit from high oil prices.

 

He claimed that oil thieves are stealing 95 percent of Nigeria’s oil production, citing the Bonny terminal oil theft, which should be receiving over 200k barrels of crude oil daily but only receives 3,000 barrels.

ASUU Strike: University of Ibadan shuts down, tells students to vacate hostels

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ASUU Strike: University of Ibadan shuts down, tells students to vacate hostels

The management of the University of Ibadan has decided to close the institution due to the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ extended strike (ASUU).

Mrs Olubunmi Faluyi, the institution’s Registrar, issued a special bulletin to students on Thursday outlining the management’s position.

Students have been asked to vacate their halls of residence immediately, according to the bulletin.

Read Also: Court sets date for hearing on arrest of Kano’s suspended anti-corruption chief

“Management discussed the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which had now been extended by eight (8) weeks, at its meeting on Wednesday, March 16, 2022.

“As a result, the University’s academic activities have come to a halt.”

“As a result, on behalf of the Senate, the Vice-Chancellor has directed that the University be closed until further notice,” it read.

This vacation notice does not apply to post-graduate students who have paid their school fees or undergraduate students who are on industrial attachment or practical training, according to Faluyi.

“Such students should go to the Dean of Student Affairs’ office to make arrangements for housing.”

“A new resumption date will be announced as soon as possible.”

The release continued, “Management wishes our students a safe journey to their various destinations.”

According to the Nigerian News Agency (NAN), ASUU has extended its strike for another eight weeks, citing the government’s inability to meet its demands.

Court sets date for hearing on arrest of Kano’s suspended anti-corruption chief

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Court sets date for hearing on arrest of Kano’s suspended anti-corruption chief

On Thursday, the Federal High Court in Kano, presided over by Justice Jane Iyang, set March 28, 2022, to hear the application of Barr Muhuyi Magaji, the embattled suspended Chairman of the Kano State Anti-Corruption Commission.

Magaji is asking the court to prevent the police from arresting or prosecuting him on the forgery charge that has been leveled against him.

On March 1, 2022, the court denied Magaji’s application to prevent the Inspector-General of Police from arresting him due to a lack of jurisdiction.

Justice Jane had previously ruled that the applicant’s alleged violation of fundamental rights was merely an ancillary claim that did not fall under the purview of fundamental rights.

Read Also: Ebonyi Assembly illegally sacked us — PDP lawmaker

Furthermore, she upheld that for a court to find a violation of fundamental rights, the applicant’s claim must have infringed on his fundamental rights.

She also claimed that her court lacks supervisory authority over the Kano State House of Assembly, claiming that Magaji should have approached the Kano State High Court rather than the Federal High Court, and that the case should have been dismissed for lack of competence.

When the Court reconvened on Thursday, Magaji’s counsel, Barrister R.O Zakariyya, filed an application requesting that the court order the parties in the suit to maintain the status quo following the court’s March 1, 2022 judgment, pending the hearing and determination of an appeal against the judgment.

Barr Wada Ahmad Wada, Principal State Counsel for the defendants, told the court that he had filed and served claim and counterclaim applications on the Applicant’s counsel.

Justice Iyang adjourned the hearing to March 28, 2022, at the end of the day.

Ebonyi Assembly illegally sacked us — PDP lawmaker

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Ebonyi Assembly illegally sacked us — PDP lawmaker

Franca Okpo, a member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly representing Abakaliki North, has described the state assembly’s sacking of Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers as illegal.

The house, she claims, lacked the authority to declare her and two other seats vacant.

She expressed concern that, despite Justice Inyang Ekwo’s decision to dismiss the 16 lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Congress, they continued to parade themselves as members of the House.

This was stated by Okpo in a statement she signed and made available to journalists on Thursday in Abakaliki.

“My attention has been drawn to an online publication by the sacked members of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, purporting that I, Hon. Mrs Franca Okpo, Hon. Victor Aleke, and Hon Okechukwu Ali resigned our positions, as a result of which our seats were declared vacant,” the statement read.

“It is no longer news that the Federal High Court in Abuja on the 8th of March sacked 16 members of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, including the erstwhile Speaker, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, a judgment that the erstwhile Speaker and the other sacked members claimed to have accepted in good faith in a live broadcast, not that they had any other option.”

“You may recall that the former Speaker said they had applied for a stay of execution. No stay of execution has been granted by any competent court to date.

“It is thus surprising to learn that the duly sacked members of the House have declared the seats of genuine House members vacant.”

Read Also: NYSC seeks partnership with Naseni on entrepreneurial skills for corps members

“I urge you all to remain calm because any action allegedly taken by them is not only invalid from the start because neither of them has the authority to do so, but it also constitutes contempt of court and forgery, and will not be taken seriously.”

“Until a competent court of law states otherwise, the sacked members are no longer members of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly.”

NYSC seeks partnership with Naseni on entrepreneurial skills for corps members

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NYSC seeks partnership with Naseni on entrepreneurial skills for corps members

 

 

The National Youth Service Corps has expressed interest in accessing technical support of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) in the area of entrepreneurial skill up scaling for Corps members.

The Director-General, Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim, made this known on Thursday when he paid a courtesy visit to the agency.
Ibrahim, who commended the Management and Staff of NASENI for what he described as their wonderful job, noted that lots of opportunities would be available for Corps members from the Agency’s activities.
He averred that Nigerian youths were innovative adding that if provided with the enabling environment, their enormous potentials could be harnessed for accelerated development of the country.
The Director-General recalled the contributions of Corps members to the overall national efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic through the production and distribution of face masks, hand sanitizers, and liquid soap as well as fabrication of items and devices such as sanitizers, dispensers, disinfection chamber, and body temperature checker.
He said the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme was introduced to empower Corps members for self-employment and wealth creation, adding that many ex-trainees of the programme had established their own businesses and provided jobs for members of their host communities.
Ibrahim thanked the NASENI Management for the opportunities given to Corps members serving in the Agency and went on to propose a partnership under which more Corps members would be posted with the view of advancing their skills.
Earlier in a welcome address, the Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive of NASENI Professor Mohammed Sani Haruna said the agency’s mandate was in the area of capital goods research, production and reverse engineering, adding that it had made interventions in various sectors.
Haruna explained that the agency operates through several mono-mandate institutes located in different parts of the country.
The Executive Vice-Chairman listed various products made locally by the agency including solar panels, small hydro-power turbines, smart prepaid meter, power transformer, motorcycle, cargo tricycle, ultra-light helicopter, unmanned aerial vehicle and agricultural processing machines, amongst others.
He remarked that President Muhammadu Buhari had repositioned the organization for better service delivery.
During the visit, the Director-General was taken on a guided tour of facilities at the agency.

Malami: No confusion on Abba Kyari’s extradition, cocaine trafficking trial

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Malami: No confusion on Abba Kyari’s extradition, cocaine trafficking trial

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has stated that the extradition processes and cocaine-trafficking accusations filed against Abba Kyari, a suspended deputy commissioner of police, are free of any dispute or controversy.

Mr Malami made the remarks after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, which he addressed to State House media.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency filed cocaine-related charges against Mr Kyari before the Federal High Court in Abuja, raising fears that the drive to extradite him to the United States might be thwarted (NDLEA).

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Twitter handle of NDLEA]

Section 3 (6) of the Extradition Act, which prevents the extradition of a fugitive facing multiple criminal accusations in Nigeria, is at the root of the issues.
“(A) A fugitive criminal who has been charged with an offence under Nigerian law or any portion thereof, other than the offence for which his surrender is sought; or

“(B) Who is serving a term imposed by a Nigerian court in respect of any such offence shall not be surrendered until he has been freed, whether by acquittal, the completion of his sentence, or otherwise.”

However, Mr Malami characterised the concerns about the anticipated impact of the cocaine-trafficking charges on the extradition move as a misperception, without addressing the exact implications of the statutory requirements on the move to extradite Mr Kyari.

“There is no confusion,” he continued, “but there is a big misunderstanding or possibly malice on the side of people, perhaps journalists who have not taken the time to study a subject, grasp it, and respond appropriately.”

Read Also:  Socketing to centre is not a legal reason for defection – legal expert

Before the NDLEA charged him with cocaine-related offenses in February, the US government had requested Mr Kyari’s extradition for his parts in a $1.1 million fraud orchestrated by a former Nigerian Instagram celebrity, Ramon Abbas, alias Hushpuppi.
Despite the Extradition Act’s obvious provisions and the possibility that the defense would use the NDLEA case to dismiss extradition proceedings, the AGF insisted on Wednesday that there was no conflict between the two instances.

“What I’m saying is that there’s nothing quite like confusion, nothing quite like conflict, and there are two unique and separate circumstances,” he explained.

“So the decision whether a person should be extradited or not is a function, or perhaps a multilateral function, inclusive of the international community that makes a request, the Office of the Attorney General… request, and the judiciary to which the request is presented for review, analysis, and decision,” he continued.

“It’s being processed at the judicial level,” Mr replied when asked about the extradition proceedings.

The remark appears to be an attempt to blame the judiciary, given that the court may have to terminate the extradition proceedings if Mr Kyari’s legal team brings up the pending NDLEA cocaine case.

It also reinforces concerns about a conspiracy idea that the NDLEA case was launched in haste in order to halt extradition proceedings and keep Mr Kyari in Nigeria, where his trial may drag on for years.

Response that is non-committal
Mr Malami was evasive in his response to a query about the impact of the cocaine accusations on the extradition case.
“You can have hundreds of cases sitting in court relating to a single individual,” the AGF stated when asked about the legal implications of placing the illicit dealing in cocaine accusations above the extradition case.

“So that is the situation, and as you are aware, depending on the volume, dimensions, features, and idiosyncrasies of the case, you may have a criminal case pending before a state high court and another pending before a federal court.” “I’m hoping it’s clear.”

He went on to differentiate between the extradition case and the cocaine-related matter, but did not say if the extradition procedures would be halted.

“And then, while this (contact with the US) was going on and the request for extradition was being evaluated,” he continued, “another case involving the NDLEA came in, and this time it was a local case with no international dimension.”

“You have two completely separate and independent scenarios – one international in dimension and the other local,” he continued, “therefore your idea of conflict does not occur.”

He chastised journalists for the “misconception” created by the situation, accusing them of “publishing incidents out of context without caring to comprehend the genuine provisions, dimensions, and features of a case.”

“What I’m saying is that there’s nothing like confusion, nothing like conflict, and there’s two unique and separate circumstances,” he continued.

Further investigation into the alleged fraud
Mr Malami further stated that Mr Kyari’s suspected involvement in the Hushpuppi fraud case had yet to be cleared by his office.

Mr Malami was quoted as saying that his latest legal advice to the police was not intended to exonerate Mr Kyari.

He called the investigation a work in progress.

DCP Abba Kyari is a suspended and embattled police officer.
DCP Abba Kyari is a suspended and embattled police officer.
The investigation report was sent to Mr Malami’s office for evaluation “to assess whether there is a need for enhancement of inquiry as it relates to some critical parts of the charge,” he said.

“It is from this backdrop viewpoint that you must analyze what happened in the case of Abba Kyari in its whole. Allegations were made, investigations were undertaken, and then requests for more investigation enhancements were made by the Office of the Attorney General in order to cover all bases and make an educated conclusion one way or the other.

“As a result, while this dialogue between the Attorney General’s Office and the police is continuing, it is always a work in progress and never a conclusive position.” So that is what I can tell you with certainty: an impartial request for a probe was made.

“An interim investigation report was provided to the attorney general’s office, and the attorney general recommended that the investigation be further enhanced, highlighting some areas where further inquiry is required.”

Read Also:  Buhari apologizes to citizens for difficulty caused by petrol, electricity shortages

“As a result, any judgment that has been led in the direction of exoneration or otherwise of guilt or responsibility related thereto is indeed premature or maybe mischievous.”

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