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Tag: Adamawa governor

  • Court rejects certificate forgery suit against Adamawa governor

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit in which Adamawa State Governor Mohammed Jibrilla was accused of parading forged certificates.

    The plaintiff, Mahmood Ahmed had, in the suit alleged, among others, that the governor supplied false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Form CF 001 he submitted for election.

    Ahmed said Jibrilla claimed to have sat for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in June, 1983 and possess General Certificate of Education (GCE)  issued by the examination body.

    The plaintiff accused the governor of falsely declaring his educational qualification and date of birth for the purpose of nomination and election into the office of governor for the 2019 general elections.

    He prayed the court to disqualify Jibrilla from participating in the 2019 Adamawa governorship election.

    In a judgment yesterday, Justice Inyang Ekwo held that the suit has become a mere academic exercise.

    Justice Ekwo upheld the argument in the governor’s objection, to the effect that election had taken place and that he lost.

    The judge held that by virtue of Section 285(13) of the 1999 Constitution, (4th Alteration Act 2017), the suit has become an academic exercise. He subsequently declined jurisdiction.

    Justice Ekwo noted that the governorship election in Adamawa State, “the subject-matter of the suit and which election the plaintiff sought to have the 1st defendant disqualified from contesting took place on March 2019”.

    “I make an order striking out this suit. The preliminary objection succeeds and I will not go into the substantive matter,” the judge said.

     

     

  • ‘Adamawa governor not pressured to drop deputy’

    Adamawa State Governor Muhammadu Bindow has denied being pressured to drop Deputy Governor Martins Babale for a Muslim candidate.

    Bindow, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ahmad Sajoh, described the report as “a blatant lie”.

    The statement blamed desperate politicians who had lost relevance of using ethnic and religious sentiments to discredit his administration ahead of the 2019 elections.

    It reads: “We know some politicians in Adamawa State who have totally lost political value and relevance and so resorted to using ethnicity and religion as political currencies in the run-up to the 2019 elections.

    “What is even worse is that these persons are willing to plunge this state into unending crisis if they are unable to achieve their political goals.

    “In their desperation, they are prepared to go any length to score cheap political points. But no level of blackmail, intimidation or ethnic chauvinism and religious bigotry, political jingoism or agbero-journalism will derail us.

    “Let those who believe they have what to tell the electorate in 2019 step forward and face us in election using issues and achievements as factors that determine our relative electoral fortunes.”

  • Adamawa governor ‘won’t follow Atiku’

    Adamawa governor ‘won’t follow Atiku’

    Adamawa State Governor Jubrilla Bindow  has no plan to quit the All Progressives Congress (APC), following former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s resignation from the ruling party.

    Bindwo told  State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja that he would remain in APC.

    Atiku is expected to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to seek the presidential ticket to contest in 2019.

    Bindow said Atiku’s movement would not affect the state’s electoral fortune.

    He also said Atiku is mature enough to take political decisions.

    “Let me talk about Atiku first before myself. The former vice president is more than mature enough to decide whatever he wants to decide for himself.

    “As far as I am concerned, I am one of the founding fathers of the APC.

    “When I was in the Senate, we were the ones, alongside the current Senate President that worked very hard to ensure that all members of the National Assembly that  agreed, moved to APC, so, I cannot see any reason why, today, that the House I built, that I will leave. So I am in APC for the rest of my life, period.”

    Asked to speak on his personal relationship with Atiku, Bindow said: “Not only Waziri, every elder in Adamawa State, as far as I am concerned, I regard them as my parents or elders. So, Waziri remains somebody I respect as a father, and the same with any other elder in the state.”

    On his support for Buhari’s candidature, he said: “Yes. I was fortunate enough, very rare opportunity to be the first governor to do that for our President. As far as we, the people of the Northeast are concerned, we will remain loyal to our President, who is highly committed to the fight against insurgency. We will remain loyal to our President.”

    Asked if he was saying that Atiku was on his own, the governor replied:  “I have told you, he is more than mature enough. He is an eminent personality, a former vice president and so will be able to decide what he wants to do.

    On if Atiku’s movement would have a political implication in the state, he said: “Well, APC is strong; we have 25 members in the State Assembly, 23. In fact, 24 now because one of them has moved to the APC. So, 24 out of 25 members in the House of Assembly are APC. The three senators from the state are APC. Even the House of Reps, including Adamu Kamale, who recently moved to the APC. So, we are strong and we will continue to be strong.”

    On his visit to the Villa, he said: “I came to brief Mr. President on the security situation in Adamawa State with regards to what happened a couple of days ago.”

  • I never signed N400bn payment vouchers for Nyako, others – Witness

    I never signed N400bn payment vouchers for Nyako, others – Witness

    Mr Ibrahim Emmanuel, a prosecution witness in the ongoing N40billion fraud trial of former Adamawa governor, Murtala Nyako, said he never signed payment voucher for any of the defendants in the case.

    Emmanuel, a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, made the declaration on Wednesday before a Federal High Court, Abuja, during cross-examination by one of the defence counsel, Mr Olumide Olujimi.

    He said that as the permanent secretary, he was the chief accounting officer and that whenever the accountant brought monies from the bank, the beneficiaries would collect and utilise it for various purposes.

    Emmanuel further added that at no time did Nyako, his son or any of the other seven defendants benefit from such monies.

    Earlier, while being led in evidence by Mr Rotimi Jacobs, the prosecuting counsel, Emmanuel said that as the chief accounting officer of the ministry, the accountant always brought the cash from the bank to him before disbursing to the various beneficiaries.

    Recall that Nyako and his son, Sen. Abdulaziz Murtala-Nyako, are standing trial for alleged N40 billion fraud.

    The former governor and his son, who is a serving senator, are facing a 37-count charge bordering on money laundering alongside two others, Zulkifik Abba and Abubakar Aliyu.

    They allegedly diverted the funds from the Adamawa treasury between January 2011 and December, 2014.

    The funds were allegedly diverted through five companies – Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms &amp, Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited.

    Justice Okon Abang adjourned the case until May 4 for the continuation of trial.

  • Ex-minister hails Adamawa governor on workers’ pay

    For paying three years’ arrears of workers’ Leave and Transport Grant (LTG), former Adamawa State Governor and immediate past Minister of Youth Development Mr. Boni Haruna has hailed Governor Muhammed Umar Jibrilla.

    Haruna, who spoke to reporters in Abuja, said, “Governance is not only about providing infrastructure, but also about taking care of the welfare of the people, including the workers who are key to implementing programmes and policies of government.”

    He noted that such a gesture was very critical to a state like Adamawa with little industries and with economy relying solely on civil servants.

    Haruna noted that the Jibrilla administration has taken off in the right direction so far through his performance in the required critical areas.

    The former minister decried the action of immediate past governments in the state, which, according to him, had more earnings from the Federation Account than the state’s present administration.

    The past governments, he lamented, could not pay the workers’ basic entitlements like the LTG for about three years.

    Haruna advised Jibrilla to pay more attention to workers’ yearly salary increment, implementation of promotion, upgrading and payment of gratuity to retired civil servants.

    He emphasised that as Adamawa State’s former governor, he understood the critical areas that required urgent attentions.

    “What is important now is not party politics, but how governments should focus on bringing about development and ensuring that the lives of the people are changed for the better,” he said.

    He also lauded the governor for flagging off massive road constructions across Jimeta and Yola.

    Haruna noted that since he left office as governor, no government sought to build on his legacies like the Jibrilla-led administration.

    He called on Adamawa people to support the present administration, stating that there “is a ray of hope for a greater future in the state with the way the state government is executing its policies”.