The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Audu

  • Between Audu and Zeluwa Maikori

    Between Audu and Zeluwa Maikori

    Audu Maikori, lawyer, entrepreneur and founder cum CEO of Chocolate City Entertainment, is sure savouring marital bliss and waxing stronger in love with his better half. Zeluwa, who is a public health specialist and capacity development adviser out of her busy schedules still finds time to rock with her hubby at social functions.

    Anambra State-born Zeluwa is described as a wonderful person with a large heart.  While Maikori’s Chocolate City is a hip hop label in Africa, helping to guide the careers of several artists including Asa, Djinee, MI, Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince, Nosa, Brymo, among others.

  • Court denies withdrawing cases against Nyame, Dariye, Audu

    Court denies withdrawing cases against Nyame, Dariye, Audu

    •Judges, officials transferred

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has denied report that its Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Bukar has ordered the withdrawal of cases involving former governors from the judges handling them.

    The court claimed yesterday that it was impossible for such development to occur as cases are hardly withdrawn once assigned, except where either of the parties raise issue of bias.

    Former governors Jolly Nyame (Taraba) Joshua Dariye (Plateau) and Abubakar Audu (Kogi) are some of the ex-governors being tried in the court.

    The court’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Tabita Kangiwa said there was no iota of truth in the report.

    “I do not know where the on-line medium that published the false report got its information. That can never happen in this court,” she said.

    A senior official of the court, who pleaded not to be named, said it would be foolish for Justice Bukar to exhibit such crude bias, having just assumed office.

    He said the judge would be unwise not to learn from the mistake of his predecessor, who left office in a controversial circumstance.

    Justice Bukar’s predecessor, Justice Lawal Gummi left office suddenly before his retirement period, over allegation that he abused his office and influenced the outcome of a case in favour ot his state governor.

    Although Justice Gummi retired voluntarily, the National Judicial Council (NJC), who investigated the allegation against him, found him guilty of “gross misconduct.”

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Mukhtar alluded to this fact when, while swearing-in Justice Bukar on October 11 challenged him on integrity.

    The CJN reminded Justice Bukar that he was assuming the headship of the FCT High Court at a time when the court was experiencing its trouble time.

    The Nation, however, learnt that the Chief Judge has effected the transfer of some judges.

    Some administrative officials of the court have also been transferred.

    A notice to that effect was conspicuously placed on the court’s notice boards on all floors of the court’s fourth-floor headquarters building at Maitama.

    When The Nation visited some of the courts handling the cases involving the ex-governors yesterday, it was discovered that they have not been withdrawn.

    At the FCT High Court, Gudu, where the case involving Nyame and Dariye are pending, it was learnt that, that of Nyame has been adjourned to November 1 for ruling and continuation of hearing.

    The next date for the Dariye case was unknown. Progress has been made impossible in the case for sometime now owning to an appeal filed by the ex-governor, which is currently stucked at the Supreme Court, ditto the case before the FCT High Court, Maitama, involving Audu.

     

  • EFCC declares ex-Kogi governor Audu wanted

    EFCC declares ex-Kogi governor Audu wanted

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared former Kogi State governor, Abubakar Audu wanted in relation to offences bordering on conspiracy, stealing and misappropriation of public funds.

    EFCC said the decision to declare Audu wanted was due to his alleged refusal to honour its invitation.

    The commission also accused Audu of evading arrest when it sought to apprehend him on December 11.

    The EFCC urged those with useful information about Audu’s whereabouts to notify its offices in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Kano and Enugu or report at the nearest police station.

    EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said the commission had made attempt to arrest Audu at his 32, Sulaiman Barau Street, Asokoro, Abuja residence on December 11 this year.

    The ex-governor allegedly misappropriated over N4 billion while in office between 1999 and 2003.

    According to Uwujaren, the move to arrest Audu followed a Supreme Court ruling of November 23 which dismissed his quest to delay his corruption trial by the EFCC.

     

  • Supreme Court to rule on Audu’s trial November 23

    Supreme Court to rule on Audu’s trial November 23

    The Supreme Court on Thursday in Abuja fixed November 23 for ruling on Prince Audu Abubakar’s application to discontinue his criminal prosecution in a high court in Kogi State.

    Justice Walter Onnoghen, who led other four justices, gave the date after counsel to the parties had argued the application.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had in 2006, filed charges against Abubakar to account for his tenure as Governor of Kogi State.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the anti-graft agency had charged the ex-governor with embezzlement of state funds.

    Abubakar had, through his counsel, Chief Mike Ezokhome (SAN), appealed against the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which upheld his trial in a Kogi High Court.

    Ezokhome said the state high court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain a matter brought to it by the Attorney General of the Federation.

    He had argued that the lower court erred by transferring a case with federal jurisdiction to a state to be tried.

    “This process is entirely strange in law and we are urging the apex court to reverse the decision of the lower court,’’ he said.

    He said the purpose of the appeal before the Supreme Court was to confirm whether the high court had the jurisdiction to arraign the accused.

    “Until that application is decided, the accused cannot stand trial.

    “The court is not the court duly designated to hear criminal matters initiated at the instance of the EFCC and as such, lacks the competency to try same.

    “The charge is incurably bad and defective, having been brought by the Attorney-General of the Federation under both the federal and state legislation in a state high court,’’ he said.

    Counsel to EFCC, Chief Godwin Obla, had urged the court to discountenance the issues canvassed by the applicant’s counsel, adding that “the Court of Appeal was right to reject the reference drawn by the applicant.’’

     

  • Supreme Court dismisses Audu’s petition against Wada

    The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed an appeal by Prince Abubakar Audu challenging the victory of Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State in last year’s governorship election.

    It also struck out a separate appeal by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    The court arrived at the decision after dismissing the application for the extension of time within which to file the notice of appeal.

    The appellants claimed they received a copy of the Court of Appeal’s judgment two days to the expiration of the time, thereby causing delay in filing the appeal.

    In a lead ruling by Justice Mahmud Mohammed, the apex court held that it lacked the jurisdiction to grant the application because the appellants failed to file the notice of appeal within 14 days.

    The judge held that the notice of appeal filed outside the time is incompetent, adding that granting the extension would contravene the practice direction. “I therefore hold that this court has no jurisdiction to grant the application sought.”

    The Supreme Court held that the failure to obtain the judgment of the Court of Appeal in time was not a reasonable ground to grant extension.It dismissed the application by Audu and struck out that of the ACN after it was withdrawn by its counsel, Muiz Banire.
    The Court of Appeal, Abuja, had held that it had no reason to interfere in the decision of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that affirmed the election of Wada as the Governor of Kogi State.

    In the three-hour judgment, the court held that 74 of the 88 witnesses called by the appellants gave hearsay evidence, which no court would rely on.

    The Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal Chairman, Justice Suleiman Anbursa, had declared that the petitioners failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

     

    He said the onus is on the petitioners to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, adding that the allegations cannot be substantiated.

    Justice Anbursa said the allegations of multiple voting, electoral violence, rigging and inducement of voters by the petitioners were neither here nor there, as the testimonies of the witnesses were contradictory.

    He added that whether by oral or documentary, the petitioners have failed to prove their allegations. He gave judgment in favour of the respondents.According to him, the petitioners could not also tender another result to show that they won the poll, by bringing forward another result to reverse the one declared by the electoral umpire.

    The tribunal chairman said based on the facts before them, they had no choice but to agree that the last governorship election complied with the electoral guidelines.