The Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court has ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) to commence deduction of over N40billion from the Federation Allocation Account for Ebonyi State Government and remittance of same to a consulting firm.

In its Order Absolute, the Court also ruled the Ebonyi State Government should pay the firm, ANDREW BISHOPTON NIG LIMITED and its partners, Mauritz Walton Nig Limited, N118,787,380.00) and other sums for failing to keep to the terms of the contract agreement, it entered with the latter.

The court also ordered the CBN to withdraw US29,854,856.9 and another N30,100,000,000.00 from the state’s accounts and remit to the company.

Ebonyi State Government contracted ANDREW BISHOPTON NIG LIMITED in 2016 to pursue and recover monies illegally deducted on its foreign and local loans and facilities especially the Paris club refund.

The firm, it was gathered, approached the Court following the State Government’s alleged reluctance to keep to the agreed contract terms, a development that led to the arrest and detention of a senior staff of the consultancy organisation, Mrs Jackie Ikeotuonye, by the former.

The Court, presided over by Justice S. Dalyop Pam, in its Order Absolute, ruled that one of the Applicants or Judgment Creditors, ANDREW BISHOPTON NIG LIMITED, were treated unfairly by the Government.

A copy of the Ruling, dated November 2, 2022, which was obtained by our Correspondent, on Monday, read, “Upon this Garnishee Proceedings dated and filed on the 18th of July, 2022, and coming up for Ruling today, the 2nd day of November, 2022.

“Whereas all the parties are absent.

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“M.N. Mohammed, SAN with K. Nkwocha, Esq. and R. Asher, Esq. of Counsel for the Judgment Creditors.

“P.N. Zephaniah, Esq. of Counsel for the 1st Garnishee Respondent.

“And the Honourable Court having delivered its Ruling in the open court today, the 2nd day of November, 2022.

“It is hereby ordered as follows:

“An Order Absolute of this Honourable Court is hereby made DIRECTING the 2nd Garnishee (United Bank for Africa Plc) to, within 24 hours, pay the sum of One Hundred and Eighteen Million, Seven and Eighty-Seven Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighty Naira) (N118,787,380.00) Only, attached from the account maintained by the Judgment Debtor, Government of Ebonyi State known as Ebonyi State Government Treasury Single Account with Account No: 1001158077 maintained with the 2nd Garnishee Bank, United Bank for Africa Plc into the designated Account Name: Mauritz Walton Nig Limited, Bank Name: Wema Bank Plc, Account No: 0122765584, to liquidate the judgment in this suit.

“An Order Absolute of this Honourable Court is hereby made DIRECTING the 1st Garnishee Bank (the Central Bank of Nigeria) to deduct at source, the sum of US29,854,856.9 (Twenty Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty Four Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Six Dollars, Nine Cents) Only and the sum of N30,100,000,000.00 (Thirty Billion, One Hundred Million Naira) Only , respectively from the monthly Federation Allocation Account of the Judgment Debtor, Ebonyi State Government and credit same into the designated Account of the 2nd Judgment Creditor, Mauritz Walton Nig Limited, Bank Name: Wema Bank, Bank Account: 0122765584, to liquidate the judgment sum in this suit.

“Issued at Port Harcourt, under the seal of the Court and the Hand of the Presiding Judge, this 2nd day of November, 2022.

Benue Governor Samuel Ortom has made good his threat not to support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Abubakar Atiku with the branding of over 30 vehicles without his image.

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The vehicles were unveiled and distributed to PDP campaign coordinators across the 23 Local Government Areas of Benue state .

The Federal High Court in Abuja has voided the nomination of two House of Representatives candidates in Jigawa and Zamfara States.

The court, in two judgments, sacked Aminu Kanta as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Babura/Garki Federal Constituency of Jigawa State and Sani Umar Dan Galadima as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for Kaura Namoda Bimin Magaji Federal Constituency of Zamfara State.

While the court ordered that Alhaji Isa Dogonyaro be declared the APC lawful candidate for Babura/Garki Federal Constituency of Jigawa State, it ordered that the PDP conducts a fresh primary to elect its candidate for the for Kaura Namoda Bimin Magaji Federal Constituency of Zamfara State.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, while sacking Galadima, in a judgment on Monday, held that the serving House of Reps member was not a member of the APC as at when he participated in the primary election held by the PDP.

Justice Ekwo held that Galadima, having not resigned, defected or cross-carpeted from the APC to PDP within the time stipulated by law, was not a lawful member of PDP and cannot stand for any election on its platform.
The judge relied on Section 221 of the 1999 Constitution, section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 and Article 50 (4) of the PDP to nullify the primary election of the PDP that produced him.

Justice Ekwo held that from the point of law, Galadima ought to have relinquished his APC membership 30 days before the primary election of the PDP before he could qualify as a valid candidate of PDP.

The judgment by Justice Ekwo was on the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/832/2022 by two chieftains of PDP, Muzammil Mohammed Idris and Ibrahim Sani, with Galadima, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP and its Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu as defendants.

In an earlier judgment by Justice Emeka Nwite, the court voided Kanta’s nomination on the grounds that he submitted a false name.

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Justice Nwite, in the judgment delivered on November 10, could that Kanta, who had previously claimed his name was Ahmed Mohammed. contested the primary election under a false name.

The judge held that Aminu Kanta gave false information in relation to his name when he claimed that his name is Aminu Kanta and that Anmed Mohammed is his former name in the affidavit in support of personal particulars submitted to the 1st respondent (INEC) as the candidate of the 2nd respondent (APC) for the seat of a member of the House of Representatives.

Justice Nwite proceeded to issue an order disqualifying Kanta from contesting for the seat of Member of the House of Representatives, representing Babura/Gorki Federal Constituency in the 2023 general elections, as a candidate of the APC.

The judge subsequently declared the plaintiff (Dongoyaro) as the candidate of the APC for Babura/Garki Federal Constituency in next year’s election, having scored the second highest number of votes at the primary election conducted by the party for the seat of a member of the House of Representatives, representing Babura/Gorki Federal Constituency.

The judgment was on the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1052/2022 filed by Dongoyaro, with INEC, APC and Kanta as defendants.

Relief items worth N150 million have been donated to flood victims in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States by the Tompolo Foundation.

President and Chairman of the foundation, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo, said the gesture was part of efforts to assuage the plights of persons affected by the recent devastating flood.

The relief materials include 2,400 bags of rice, 100 bags of beans, 200 bags of garri, 5,000 tubers of yam, 200 kegs of palm oil, 600 kegs of groundnut oil and 2,000 cartons of noodles.

Handing over the relief items to representatives of the impacted areas in Warri, Delta State on Monday, executive secretary of the foundation, Dr. Paul Bebenimibo, noted that the foundation has been in the business of rendering assistance to the “less privileged” since the previous flood in 2012.

He said: “We have good tidings from the President and Chairman of Tompolo Foundation. It’s no longer news that our country was greeted with massive flood and the impact was overwhelming. People have been in serious disarray in Bayelsa State, Rivers State and Delta State.

“The Tompolo Foundation is established to cater for the less privileged. We have been in this mission for about ten years. Specifically, sometime in 2012, a similar flood came and the foundation organized to provide palliatives for the people. And this year, we have come again to do our bit.

“I want to inform you that the President and chairman of Tompolo foundation has approved palliative worth 150 million naira to distribute to the good people of Bayelsa State, Rivers State and Delta State.

“That’s why I had earlier recognized the people that are representing these states and we are here to handover the items to the beneficiaries so that they can move them to their destinations and distribute them to the affected people.”

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Bebenimibo listed the Local Government Areas (LGAs) to benefit from the palliatives to include Ahoada West and East LGAs in Rivers state; Burutu, Bomadi, Patani LGAs, as well as impacted communities across Isoko, Urhobo and Ndokwa nations in Delta state; and seven affected council areas in Bayelsa state.

He noted that Bayelsa, as one of the highly impacted States in the country, will get 600 bags of rice.

Representative of Bayelsa state and member representing constituency IV, Southern Ijaw LGA, Chief (Hon.) MacDonald Igbadiwei, thanked the foundation for coming to the aid of victims in his state.

He charged other well-meaning Nigerians to emulate the gesture.

Others who received the items on behalf of victims in Delta state are chairmen of Bomadi, Burutu and Patani council areas; 1st vice president of Isoko Development Union Worldwide, Crown Prince Desmond Ogbaudu (Isoko nation); Executive Director Social Services, DESOPADEC, Achudume Sunday (Ndokwa nation) and the Commissioner representing Urhobo Ethnic Nationality, DESOPADEC, Olorogun Vincent Oyibode.

In their respective speeches, the representatives applauded the ex-warlord for supporting the flood victims.