The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Looters list

  • Looters’ list: Court refuses to jail Lai Mohammed

    The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday dismissed an application by a former Finance Minister (state), Mrs Nenadi Usman, seeking to summon Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, for publishing her name as an alleged looter.

    Mrs Usman, who is on trial for alleged money laundering before Justice Rilwan Aikawa, initiated contempt proceedings before the same judge against Mohammed after he released her name as one of the looters of the treasury.

    Dismissing the application, Justice Aikawa held that the contempt proceedings were a distraction capable of interfering with the trial.

    In a motion on notice filed through her lawyer, Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), Mrs Usman argued that the inclusion of her name on the looters’ list while her case was pending in court was contemptuous.

    According to her, the Minister of Information was aware of the charge against her, yet he caused to be published a list of looters in several media platforms on April 1 where her name featured prominently as having looted N1.5billion.

    Moving the application, Orbih urged the court to grant his client leave for Mohammed to appear to show cause as to why he should not be committed to prison for contempt.

    The SAN said Mohammed’s publication of Usman’s name as a looter undermined the court’s authority, adding that should the court fail to punish Mohammed, its integrity would be questioned by the public.

    But, the EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, said the application was “parasitic” and a ploy to delay the former minister’s trial.

    He argued that Mrs Usman ought to have filed a separate civil suit for libel against Mohammed rather initiating contempt proceedings before the judge she is undergoing trial.

    Oyedepo argued that the newspaper publications cited by Orbih did not expressly declare Mrs Usman a looter.

    He said the reports used the expression “alleged looter”, which he said was in conformity with the charge against Usman.

    Oyedepo said anyone who claims that his or her reputation was maligned should seek remedy in court, adding that the Minister of Information was not a party to the criminal proceedings against Mrs Usman.

    Ruling, Justice Aikawa agreed with Oyedepo’s submissions that the right parties to the contempt proceedings were not before him.

    According to him, Lai Mohammed did not directly publish the list of looters, so the right parties to be joined in the application were the media houses.

    The judge also held that a mere publication which did not go to the substance of the case or directly affect the criminal proceedings before the court could not be said to have interfered or influenced the judge’s mind.

    Justice Aikawa further stated that the publications were not an advertorial from the Minister of Information, so he could not be held responsible for what was published by the media houses.

    The judge held that the publication was not prejudicial to the applicant’s case and therefore dismissed it for lacking in merit.

  • Looters list: Court dismisses Dokpesi’s right suit for lack of merit

    JUSTICE Olukayode Adeniyi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Apo yesterday dismissed a suit filed by owner of African Independent Television Chief Raymond Dokpesi against Minister of Information Lai Mohammed and Attorney General of Federation Abubakar Malami for lacking in merit.

    The plaintiff had alleged that the Information Minister and Attorney General defamed his character by inclusion of his name on the treasury looters’ list.

    Dokpesi had sued Mohammed for breaching his presumption of innocent right.

    The statement made by Mohammed, he said, would prejudice his trial in the N2.1 billion criminal charge against him by the Federal Government.

    In the same vein, the plaintiff told the court that the Information Minister on March 30, during a news conference, portrayed him as corrupt and crooked person, a dishonest man and a thief.

    The plaintiff further said he had suffered considerable distress, odium, obloquy and ridicule in political analyses in the media.

    He asked the court to order the defendant to tender an unreserved apology to him in major electronic and print media outlet in the country.

    The media owner urged the court to grant a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their servant, agents, partners, representatives from further writing and publishing defamatory words about the plaintiff.

    Delivering his judgment, Justice Adeniyi disagreed with Dokpesi on the grounds that the Minister of Information was not the prosecutor at the Federal High Court Abuja in the N2.1 billion trial and he was not the judge.

    “There is no way the statement made by Lai Mohammed can prejudice the plaintiff’s trial. The statement made by Lai Mohammed has no force of law.

    “So, the plaintiff’s application is hereby dismissed for lack of merit.”

    The court adjourned the libel suit initiated by Dokpesi against the minister till November 9.

  • Looters list: EFCC opposes bid to jail Lai Mohammed

    THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday urged the Federal High Court in Lagos to dismiss an application by a former Finance Minister (State) Mrs. Nenadi Usman seeking to summon Minister of Information Lai Mohammed for publishing her name as an alleged looter.

    Mrs. Usman, who is on trial for alleged money laundering before Justice Rilwan Aikawa, initiated contempt proceedings before the same judge against Mohammed after he released her name as one of the treasury looters.

    But, EFCC lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo said the application was “parasitic” and a ploy to delay the former minister’s trial.

    He argued that Mrs. Usman ought to have filed a separate civil suit for libel against Mohammed rather initiating contempt proceedings before the judge she is undergoing trial.

    In a motion on notice filed through her lawyer Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), Mrs. Usman argued that the inclusion of her name on the looters’ list while her case was pending in court was contemptuous.

    According to her, the Minister of Information was aware of the charge against her, yet he caused to be published a list of looters in several media platforms on April 1, where her name featured prominently as having looted N1.5 billion.

    Orbih urged the court to grant his client leave for Mohammed to appear to show cause as to why he should not be committed to prison for contempt.

    The SAN said Mohammed’s publication of Usman’s name as a looter undermined the court’s authority, adding that should the court fail to punish Mohammed, its integrity would be questioned by the public.

    But, Oyedepo argued that the newspaper publications cited by Orbih did not expressly declare Usman as a looter.

    He said the reports used the expression “alleged looter”, which he said was in conformity with the charge against Usman.

    “There is nowhere in Exhibit A (newspaper report), where the defendant is described as a looter of public treasury. What was published is an allegation which is yet to be proven,” he said.

    Oyedepo also disagreed with Orbih that the contempt issue must be determined before trial can proceed, adding that Usman’s application “is naked”.

    Orbih had argued that contempt proceedings were criminal in nature and must be dispensed with as a matter of priority before the substantive trial can continue.

    But, Oyedepo said anyone who claims that his or her reputation was maligned should seek remedy in court.

    He said: “The minister of information is not a party to the criminal proceedings against the applicant.

    “There was nothing that connects the Ministry of Information to the motion, which was taken out to annoy the prosecution.

    “The motion is lacking in substance; it is an abuse of court’s process and should be dismissed.”

    The EFCC re-arraigned Usman and former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode for alleged N4.6 billion fraud, to which they pleaded not guilty.

    The former ministers were charged along with former Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and ex-Chairman of Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State Mr. Yusuf Danjuma and a company, Jointrust Dimentions Nigeria Limited.

    The four were also accused of indirectly retaining N300 million, N400 million and N800 million, all proceeds of corruption, according to EFCC. The prosecution said they allegedly committed the offence between January 8 and March 25, 2015, ahead of the general election.

    Justice Aikawa adjourned till October 16 and 19 for ruling.

  • Dokpesi’s U.S. visa revoked over looters list

    •PDP chief sues minister for N5b

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Raymond Dokpesi’s United States (U.S.)visa has ben revoked because his name is on the looters list released by the Federal Government, the media mogul has said.

    He has sued Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who announced the list, seeking payment of N5billion damages.

    No date has been fixed for hearing the suit filed on Monday before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

    He is seeking N5billion damages for alleged defamation of character.

    Dokpesi said the defendants allegedly sent his name as a looter to the United States Embassy, which in turn notified him on March 16 that his visa had been revoked.

    The US Embassy, he said, told him it was because his name was among a looters list submitted to it by the Federal Government.

    The plaintiff said the publication of his name as a looter was malicious since he has not been convicted by any court of competent jurisdiction.

    Dokpesi prayed that the retraction and apology to him be published both in the social media and in newspaper and televisions stations.

    He is also praying for an order compelling the defendants, including Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami (SAN), to publish a full retraction of the defamatory publications and to apologise to him.

    In the suit by his lawyer Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Dokpesi is also praying for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants or their agents from further making any defamatory publications against him, and N50million as cost of the action.

    The publications, he said, have prejudiced his constitutionally guaranteed rights to presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and that his right to fair hearing as enshrined in the Constitution has been blatantly violated.

    “The defendants’ defamatory publications are malicious and calculated to overreach and prejudice my fair trial and for purposes of stampeding and cowing the court to convict me at all cost by agreeing with the defendants’ skewed position,” the plaintiff said.

    Dokpesi said on March 30, the defendants allegedly defamed him by publishing his name as treasury looter in a news conference on the basis that he is on trial for allegedly receiving N2.2billion from the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

  • Looters’ list: Court restrains Fed Govt from further mention of Secondus

    A RIVERS State High Court in Port Harcourt has restrained the Federal Government from further mentioning the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, in the looters’ list published by the government.

    The Chief Judge of Rivers, Justice Adama Iyayi-Lamikanra, who gave the order on Monday, also ordered that the hearing notice be served on the respondents by the plaintiff.

    The order followed a motion brought by Secondus seeking an interlocutory injunction against further publication of his name on the list.

    Secondus is suing the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Federal Government and Vintage Press for alleged libel.

    He is asking the court to award him N1.5 billion damages for the alleged libel.

    He said listing him as a looter, who collected N200 million on February 19, 2015, from the Office of the National Security Adviser was libellous.

    The PDP chairman’s counsel, Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN), said the judge could hear the suit because his client was defamed by the publication.

    The respondents were not present in court and the judge adjourned the matter until April 28.

  • Ex-Customs chief Dikko faults inclusion in looters’ list

    A former Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Inde Dikko, has faulted his inclusion in the list of alleged looters released by the Federal Government.

    Dikko denied his alleged involvement in the looting of N40billion as claimed by Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

    In a statement released on his behalf by a group – Committee of Concerned Customs Officers (CCCO) – Dikko said he served without blemish and retired voluntarily in 2015.

    The group is led by Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Jonah Amache.

    He said with the automation of the Customs revenue collection process, it was impossible for anyone to divert the Service revenue under any guise.

    The statement reads: “With the reforms Dikko introduced, the process of revenue collection is now water-tight and absolutely shielded from manipulation and unauthorised access by anybody, no matter how highly placed.

    “All import and excise duties are paid to commercial banks and it is compulsory that the money be remitted to the Federation Account at 6 o’ clock everyday of business and every morning.

    “All the money collected resides at the Central Bank of Nigeria. The Comptroller-General is never a signatory to any account. The money allocated to Customs was not without control.

    “All projects strictly followed due process. The Comptroller-General had his expenditure and approval limits, and reported to the Board of Customs and Excise and also the Federal Executive Council.

    “As a non-partisan professional, even in retirement, Dikko remains unflinching in his loyalty to Nigeria and the institutions of government.

    “He has never betrayed his family, the Customs, as an institution, and the government and people of Nigeria for the privilege given him to contribute his quota towards the development of critical agency as the NCS.”

  • Looters’ list and other matters

    Talk of the most effective way to advertise the impotence of our institutions. Imagine the frenzy over the so-called looters list released few days back. That’s supposed to be the federal government’s response to the challenge thrown to it by the opposition PDP.

    So what’s new, if I might ask, aside that routine advertisement of institutional impotence, the open confession of utter helplessness by an administration that rode into office on the chariot of anti-corruption, or citizen’s indifference if not plain cynicism as a result of which most citizens could not be seen to interrogate the list for all it’s worth?

    After three years of combing the books for corrupt elements, it must be discomfiting that we can’t seem to get pass the roadblock of securing simple evidence to get things moving. Clearly, if Looters 1.0 was a joke; the 2.0 was a farce. And we are supposed to be expecting Looters 3.0. The circus goes on and on; I mean the national orchestra of shame and the unending of finger-pointing.

    Can’t we get serious, for once? Surely, the APC federal government can, and must do better. For while I would agree that it has done fairly well to bring the issue of corruption on the front burner, the result, unfortunately does not seem to have matched the efforts.

    The PDP’s right to cry foul. The looters list is a disappointment. It goes against the grain of process. The accused is after all presumed innocent until the courts say so. For no matter our feigned outrage at what the ravaging gang of yesterday has done, the law demands that facts are properly assembled for lawyers on both sides to sift through. Part of the beauty of process is that weights are attached to evidence so gathered after which they are placed on the scale of law to enable our judges come to a verdict. That is what justice is all about – a task that continues to prove impossible here.

    But then, that position is only a refuge for the legalistic. Indeed, while it seems understandable that PDP’s sensory organs would be deadened to the engulfing putrefaction after 16 years of mindless looting of our patrimony; no so the latest cry of innocence in its ranks particularly in the situation that many of its members accused of filching the cookie jar have done little else than mount drama at trial venues which in the end, not only delays the process but end up frustrating same.

    So, do we pretend that Dasuki-gate never happened? Or that billions recovered from the thieving Generals are pure fiction? Or that the Goodluck Jonathan administration did not turn over the treasury to party hacks only because the judiciary has not so pronounced?  Of course, there is a world of difference between permissiveness and folly; Nigerians may tend to the former; certainly not the latter!

    No doubt, we have a problem. The executive branch is ineffectual. Terrible. The legislature is hopelessly indifferent. Tragedy. The judiciary has become a hollow shell of its once vibrant self. Disaster. Between them, a nation’s destiny is being tossed around like a piece of leather ball on a sprawling beach front.

    So, what is the place of name and shame? Shame – where? It has long taken flight from our shores. Does it work? Extremely doubtful. Let’s draw example from those who stole our banks dry. Today, they are walking free; never mind that a badly haemorrhaged nation had to cough out some six trillion naira to clear the mess they left behind. The same with the PDP folks; they may deem themselves innocent before the law; the nation is yet to fully repay the cost of their profligacy, and so the cloud will remain permanently hanging until they sought things out – one way or the other.

    To that extent, the looters’ list is not entirely useless. At least, it reminds us of who did what and when. While it may not equal the wage of conviction, it helps that things are kept in focus.

    Back to the judiciary. Today, the simple truth is that the nation wobbles because there is no consequence for impunity and crime. To the extent that no other institution is charged with pronouncing on crime, the judiciary must be seen as carrying the greater burden of institutional dereliction. Caught between a judiciary that is frustratingly irresponsive to the point of being outright irresponsible and a shameless cohort that insists on wearing criminality like a badge of honour, isn’t it a shame that the rest of the civil society is caught in the crosscurrent of smouldering emotions?  Never mind that lawyers in other climes see themselves as ministers in the temple of justice; it is often the case that our so-called learned fellows would rather to play the obstructionist game to defeat the course of justice. Instead of being seen to preserve the sanctity of the judicial institution, many have been known to defecate – figuratively speaking – in the communal pond for the filthy lucre, taking their institution, in the process, to the abyss.

    The result:  a castrated and impotent judiciary.

    It’s alright to blame the politicians for sundry crimes; for sure, they are the devils we love to hate.  As for the enablers who make criminal enterprise appear like a noble preoccupation, isn’t it about time we begin the process of stripping them of their pretensions to royalty?

  • Much ado about looters list

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called for it, but when the list came out, the party protested. Why is the looters list generating so much heat? When can a person from whom money and property were recovered be called a looter? ADEBISI ONANUGA asked lawyers

    WITHIN a week, the Federal Government released two looters lists, and almost set the country on fire. The People Democratic Party (PDP) and its top echelon protested, claiming that the lists were released to ridicule them. The first list, released on March 30, by Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed contains names of six persons who allegedly looted the treasury under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    On the list are top politicians, who allegedly collected various sums of money from the former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), and are on trial for corruption-related offences.

    Among them is PDP Chairman Uche Secondus, who was alleged to have, on February 19, 2015, taken N200 million; a former PDP Financial Secretary,  who on October 24, 2014, allegedly took N600 million; PDP’s former National Publicity Secretary  Olisa Metuh, on trial for allegedly collecting N1.4bilion; Chairman of DAAR Communications Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, on trial for allegedly taking N2.1 billion; former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Jonathan Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, on trial over alleged N830 million kept in accounts of four various companies and former President Jonathan’s cousin Robert Azibaola, who a Federal High Court on March 29, ruled that he has a case to answer for allegedly collecting $40 million.

    The barrage of attacks by some of the alleged treasury looters and the PDP had hardly settled when Mohammed, on April 1, released another 23 names. On this list are ex-ministers, ex-governors, senators, former party leaders and campaign chiefs.

    They include:

    • Dasuki: based on EFCC investigations and findings alone (this is beside the ongoing $2.1billion military equipment scandal), a total of N126 billion, over $1.5 billion and 5.5 million British Pounds was embezzled through his office and allegedly shared to persons and companies without any formal contract awards.
    • Former Petroleum Resources Minister Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke: who in just one of the cases the EFCC is investigating involving her, about N23 billion is alleged to have been embezzled. She is also alleged to be involved in the Strategic Alliance Contracts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), where the firms of Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko allegedly got oil blocks, but never paid government taxes and royalty involving about $3 billion. It was said that government is considering the duo’s trial.
    • Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah (rtd): N13.9 billion. N4.8 billion recovered by EFCC in cash and property
    • Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika: N4.5 billion. N29 million recovered by the EFCC so far.
    • Alex Badeh, former Chief of Defence Staff: N8 billion. EFCC has recovered almost N4 billion in cash and property.
    • Abdullahi Dikko Inde: former Comptroller-General of Nigerian Customs Service: N40 billion, and N1.1 billion recovered in cash and choice properties.
    • Air Marshal Adesola Amosun: N21.4 billion. N2.8 billion recovered in cash. 28 properties and three vehicles also recovered.
    • Senator Bala Mohammed, former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister: N5 billion. Interim forfeiture order on some property secured.
    • Senator Stella Oduah: N9.8 billion. Interim forfeiture order on some property secured.
    • Former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu: N1.6 billion.
    • Senator Jonah Jang, former Plateau State Governor: N12.5 billion.
    • Bashir Yuguda, former Minister of State for Finance: N1.5 billion. $829,800 recovered.

    1• Senator Peter Nwaboshi: N1.5 billion.

    • .Aliyu Usman: Former NSA Dasuki’s aide: N512 million.
    • Ahmad Idris: Former NSA Dasuki’s PA: N1.5 billion.
    • Rasheed Ladoja: Former Oyo Governor: N500 million.
    • Tom Ikimi: N300 million
    • Femi Fani-Kayode: N866 million
    • . Hassan Tukur, former PPS to President Goodluck: $1.7 million
    • Nenadi Usman: N1.5 billion
    • Benedicta Iroha: N1.7 billion
    • Aliyu Usman Jawaz: Close ally of former NSA: N882 million
    • Godknows Igali: Over N7 billion

    Mohammed said the list earlier released was just “a tip of the iceberg” of how Nigeria was looted blind under the PDP’s watch”, adding that the Federal Government has a large number of alleged looters on its list.

    According to him, the list is based on verifiable facts, including the amount involved, the date the amount in question was collected and from where it was taken. He said many of the cases were in court and the records were available and that some of the people on the list were seeking plea bargain.

     

    Critics kick

    The list was received with outrage by some, while a few others approved of it.

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) urged the government to “immediately withdraw the clumsy, arbitrary and selective looters’ list’’, released last week, as the list seemed to serve a political objective or carry out political agenda.

    Its Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, said: “This kind of action can only diminish the government’s ability to fight corruption, frustrate its oft-expressed goal of a transparent governance, allow suspected perpetrators—whether from the All Progressives Congress (APC) or the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) – to escape justice, and ultimately, deny victims of corruption justice and effective remedies.

    “The authorities should withdraw the looters’list and come up with a comprehensive list as ordered by Justice Hadiza Shagari last year. Allowing the published looters’ list to stand will undermine the credibility of the government’s claim to fighting corruption, and signal to Nigerians that it is not serious to satisfactorily address the allegations of grand corruption under the former government of President Goodluck Jonathan and involving those close to this government.

    “If Buhari is truly interested in vindicating the rule of law and the proper administration of justice, his government will do well to genuinely obey Justice Shagari’s judgment ordering the authorities to ‘tell Nigerians the full names of all suspected looters of the public treasury past and present.’ Few things would go farther in fostering and nurturing our system of constitutionalism, democracy, and the rule of law.”

    A spokesperson for former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, criticised the government for failing to include names of members of the APC accused of or being tried for corruption.

    In a statement, he said: “The real looters list that Buhari and Lai Mohammed do not want you to know about.

    Omokri released names 10 members of the APC who he said were alleged to have collectively looted over $2 billion and should have been added to the government’s list.

    According to him, they include:

    “Rotimi Amaechi: Indicted by the Justice George Omeregi-led Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry for looting N97 billion along with co- indictees, including a former army general.

    “Saminu Turaki: Alleged to have looted N36 billion. First charged before Justice Sabi’u Yahuza of the Federal High Court in Dutse, Jigawa State. Currently facing trial before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba at the FCT High Court.

    “Timipre Sylva: A well-known financier and supporter of the APC administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Alleged to have looted N19.7 billion and was facing trial before Justice A. Y. Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja. However, two days after President Buhari was sworn in, the new APC government withdrew the charges preferred against Sylva on June 1, 2015 and on October 3, 2018, the EFCC returned to Sylva, 48 houses seized from him during former President Jonathan administration in 2013 to him.

    “Murtala Nyako: Alleged to have looted N29 billion. Currently facing trial before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja

    “Senator Danjuma Goje: Alleged to have looted N25 billion. On trial at the Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State.

    Senator Abdullahi Adamu: Alleged to have looted N15 billion with the help of 18 co-accused. Charged on March 3, 2010. The case is pending in court.

    “Orji Kalu: Alleged to have looted N3.2 billion. Facing trial before Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

    “Kayode Fayemi: Indicted by the Ekiti Judicial Commission of Inquiry headed by former Ekiti State Chief Judge and the Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti, Ademola Ajakaiye, of sundry financial malfeasance totaling over N2 billion.

    “Senator Joshua Dariye: Alleged to have looted N 1.2 billion. On trial before Justice Adebukola Banjoko at an FCT High Court.

    “Babachir Lawal: former Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Allegedly gave a N200 million contract to his own company from monies meant to look after Internally Displaced Persons. Has been sacked after protest by the opposition and civil society. Has still not been charged. Was allowed to be replaced by his own cousin”.

    He contended that by the omission of these names, the Federal Government has vindicated Transparency International (TI) corruption perception index that Nigeria is more corrupt under Buhari than at any other time since TI started keeping records.

    Also reacting to the disclosure by the Information Minister, the PDP dismissed the list as an extension of the Federal Government’s media trial. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, said the list issued by Mohammed showed that the APC and the Presidency had no proof of corruption against the PDP.

    “The Buhari-led Federal Government has manifested its frenzy by going after matters that are in court and in which none of the persons have been convicted, thus betraying their wickedness and desperation to mislead the public, the court and divert attention from the heavy looting involving their members.

    But former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu said in Minna that he did not loot the treasury during his eight-year tenure. He threatened to challenge the allegation in court.

    He also said nobody had confronted him with any document that he received N1.6 billion from Dasuki, describing the development as an orchestrated plot to tarnish his image.

    Secondus, reacting to the inclusion of his name in the list gave the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, 48 hours to withdraw his statement against him or face litigation.

    Secondus, who on Saturday spoke through his spokesperson, Mr. Ike Abonyi, made the demand in a letter to the minister by his lawyer, Mr.  Emeka Etiaba (SAN). The minister had alleged that the party chairman collected N200million from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2015.

    In his letter reference number EESE&C/1/31/03/18 dated March 31, and addressed to the minister, Secondus demanded a retraction, apology as well as payment of N1.5bn as damages.

    The letter noted that if Mohammed failed to meet the demands within 48 hours, “we shall within 72 hours from today, proceed to a court of competent jurisdiction to ventilate our client’s right under the law and shall further seek the protection of the court against you.”

    Metuh also alleged that there was a plan by the Federal Government to convict him for corruption.

    Metuh, who is on trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged corruption, in a statement titled: ‘My reply to the media trial’ on Saturday, said, “By this publication, the Federal Government has breached our constitution by seeking to burden me with two criminal trials on the same charge, one before Justice Okon Abang and the other before the media.

    “The major crux of the prosecutions argument is that I ought to have known that the money was part of an alleged and yet-to-be proven unlawful activity of Col Sambo Dasuki(retd.), a former NSA to President Jonathan.

    “In view of the weakness of the case against me, the APC-led Federal Government resorted to all kinds of dirty tactics to dehumanise and intimidate me.’’

    Analysts, however, viewed the development as not healthy not just for the government, but also the country.  Some said it was simply contemptuous to name those who were still in court fighting to extricate themselves from the charges preferred against them by the various anti-corruption agencies. They said the lists were capable of prejudicing the trials in court. Others said the government did no wrong, particularly naming those from whom huge sums of money and properties have been recovered.

    But how can “naming and shaming” of looters, particularly those with iron-clad evidence, be done within the confines of the law? Is it fair to brand somebody a looter without waiting for the courts to say so? Does this amount to jungle justice and mob mentality? Could the receivers have known that the cash came from questionable sources?

     

    Lawyers react

    Some lawyers agreed while others disagreed with the government on the release of the lists.

    They include Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) Keyamo (SAN), Yusuf Ali (SAN), Sylva Ogwemoh (SAN), Sebastine Tar Hon (SAN), Babatunde Fashanu (SAN) and Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Vice President, Monday Ubani.”

    Sagay, in his reaction to the list said there was nothing wrong with it.

    He recalled that a court had ordered the government to publish the names of those who have looted the nation’s resources, emphasizing that the disclosure was in accordance with the court’s directive and to address the issue of public interest.

    Sagay said he would not be surprised if more names of alleged looters surfaced. He said: “there is a very large number of these people who presided over the looting of the assets of this country.”

    On those condemning the list, he said, “It’s a free society, the government has provided its own list. Those who are complaining must surely know the persons who are omitted from the list. So, let them bring out their own list and let them correct the list which is incomplete.”

    The PACAC chairman was however confident that the judges handling corruption cases cannot be influenced by the views of other people as they have the knowledge to make their own opinion on the facts of the case before them.

    He admitted however that government might not have mentioned the names of some individuals due to ‘strategic’ reasons, adding that such reasons would unravel themselves in the course of time.

    Keyamo said: “If you have the facts at your disposal that somebody is a thief, and you know your facts are unassailable, you can go ahead and name the person as a thief. The person does not need to be convicted before you, based on the facts, can name the person as a thief. But this is so long as you have your unassailable facts that you can present at the appropriate time to defend yourself if you are sued for defamation.”

    He said the government may also  charge those on the list who are not under trial.

    Nevertheless, Keyamo urged the aggrieved persons to sue, saying: “It is left to the person to go to court. Going to court is not a threat to anyone. It is a welcome development. A welcome development because it is even in court that the Federal Government will have the opportunity to lay bare the facts.

    According to Ali, the release of names, either by the government or by the opposition, amounts to media trial because the matters are before courts constituted in Nigeria.

    “It is as if the government has taken the law into their own hands. I don’t think it is right because the matter is already before the court. The average Nigerian does not understand that making an allegation is different from proving an allegation. To an average Nigerian, the government cannot be wrong. So the average Nigerian, their thinking is that once the government makes something public, even when one has not been found guilty by the courts, the tendency is to start thinking that, even if the matter is striked out by the court, and the person is not found guilty, the tendency is to start having insinuations that, ‘oh, the judiciary has been compromised’, that that is why they let him off. That is the danger of naming somebody who has not been convicted of an offence. That is why I called it media trial,” he said.

    Ali lamented that the whole thing is becoming a ridicule because the government mentioned some people who are in the opposition as looters, the other party also came out with a list of people in the ruling party also named as looters.

    “It is sad that a very serious matter is being trivialised this way because they are pronouncing people guilty even before they are tried by the court. Now they are also passing judgment when the court has not passed judgment. They have already been found guilty.

    “I don’t think it is right to call anybody a looter because these are allegations. It doesn’t matter what it is. If the court does not find you guilty of the names you have been called, then what happens? For me, it is like sabotaging the rule of law. All the things that happened showed clearly that I can’t support this kind of behavior by anybody. I am trained as a lawyer to respect other people’s right and nothing can justify calling somebody a looter when the person has not been found so by a court of competent jurisdiction,” he argued.

    Ogwemoh argued that under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999(as amended) there is a presumption of innocence until otherwise guilt is established.

    “It is, therefore, wrong in all ramifications to refer to defendants in pending criminal charges before the court as looters when their guilt has not been established in a court of law. Disclosing the names of the defendants in the news media and calling them looters, in my opinion, is wrong in law. Of course, if the cases have been fully tried in court and guilty verdict is entered against any defendant, the judgment becomes a public document and anyone is free to publicly discuss the judgment and not before.

    “When you use the phrase “stolen money and property”being recovered, it raises the presumption that guilt has already been established. Where money and property have been recovered and a charge is still pending in court, you cannot call the defendants to charge looters until guilt has been established because the charge has to be proved by evidence, which the law says must be beyond reasonable doubt. It is after the due process of trial has been followed and conviction secured that the “name and shame” can be done.”

    To Fashanu, the release of the list was not well-thought out.  He argued that except for people who looted and returned the looted funds, the government has no right to publish the names of people who are merely accused of looting public funds or are still under investigation or are being tried in courts, but are yet to be convicted because they are presumed innocent until and unless convicted by a court of law after due process as guaranteed as a fundamental right in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    He said: “Naming those being tried in courts as looters is highly prejudicial to the cases because the government, who is the accuser and prosecutor in those cases, is prejudging the outcome of the cases by concluding that the accused are already guilty. This actually amounts to contempt of court and can be punished by the  courts involved, but, on a much higher scale, it amounts to the executive arm of government interfering or usurping the function of the judiciary invested by the constitution with the duty and power to try and adjudge people for criminal offences such as looting of public funds”.

    According to Fashanu, the only thing the government can do is to publicise the ongoing cases just for that purpose only without any prejudicial bent because “the fact that someone is being tried for such criminal offences, to my mind, is no shaming because he can be found to be innocent of the crime at the end of the day.

    “This underscores my belief that the publication was merely to score political points, otherwise, why are all so-called looters not including any member of the ruling party, APC, or are there no looters there? Well, the counter looters list by the PDP persons says otherwise,” he said.

    Hon pointed out that by Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, an accused person is presumed innocent until proved guilty. This is the adversarial system of justice practised in all common law jurisdictions, as opposed to the inquisitorial system practised in some jurisdictions, where it is the accused that must prove his innocence. In this, the prosecutor is the same Federal Government that is yet to secure conviction of the so called ‘looters’! Some of the alleged looters have not even been arraigned in court, not to talk of their being convicted. The conclusion that they are looters, therefore, cannot be correct and is most likely done for political expediency.

    “This inglorious step defies legal logic and is, even for those of the named persons who are facing criminal charges, defamatory. The Minister of Information, a lawyer, ought to know better and should have held himself back on this, no matter the alluring and extenuating circumstances in this case,”, he stated.

    Ubani explained that whether the step taken by Mohammed is legal, the question is: whether the disclosure is in response to a legal requirement or whether it is to satisfy a political desire? To the best of my knowledge, it was not in response to any legal requirement, but it was obviously to satisfy a political requirement as a result of a challenge thrown to the ruling party by the opposition party to mention names of those they claimed had looted Nigeria’s treasury.

    “My opinion, therefore, will be that as long as the disclosure was not made in accordance within  any known law or made to satisfy a legal requirement, it is clearly illegal, especially as those mentioned are undergoing trial and have not been convicted by the courts in the land,” he said.

    Ubani enunciated that the position of the law is that “anybody accused of any crime at any point in  time is “presumed innocent” until he or she is convicted by the court. This position applies even to those who are caught committing the said crime at the crime scene, and it also applies to those are alleged to have “returned” money. Those who confess to crime are taken to court to be appropriately tried  and convicted before they can be called “convicts”.

    “Even if they desire to enter into a plea bargain, the process is through the judiciary where the terms are properly executed and admitted as exhibit and judgement entered thereafter for record purposes. This procedural process are necessary in the criminal justice sector because of the stigma that attaches to those who are convicted by the court and so due and lawful process are expedient to avoid stigmatizing an innocent fellow.

    “As stated earlier, every accused person in the eyes of the law is presumed innocent, therefore disclosing the names of those who are undergoing trial as if they have been convicted is prejudicial and not a right step in the right direction”.

    Ubani advised that the criminal process be expedited so that the status of the accused persons can be known quickly to avoid making them look as convicts when they are not yet convicted by the court. “The courts must not be placed in an unnecessary difficulty in some of the cases presently before them, reason being that when these persons who are branded “looters” are discharged and acquitted after a thorough court trial where the ingredients of offence are not proved, the judiciary will be called names by the members of the public who have been  misled to belief that these accused persons  are already guilty through the disclosures”.

    The NBA Vice President said one could only name and shame those whom you had convicted or those who had entered into a plea bargain with the authorities, adding: “What the law requires the state to do in cases where crime has been committed, is to investigate, charge and arraign the suspects before a court of competent jurisdiction. You do not name and shame someone whom you have not investigated let alone convicted.

    “Chief Secondus, chairman of the opposition party, is a case in point. We have never heard about any investigation concerning his matter. The next thing we heard is that his name is among the names of the alleged looters. Has he ever been investigated by this government, let alone tried and convicted? However, his action for civil defamation may fail, if Mohammed, the minister can provide evidence to justify the inclusion, in other words “truth” is absolute defence in a case of defamation,” he noted.

    He added: “The government has put the fight against corruption on the front burner and that is commendable. But they must try as much as possible to follow due process, observe the laws of the land and sustain the political will to prosecute any person irrespective of political affiliation, religion or ethnicity who have one way or the other bled the treasury of our great country. It is an enormous responsibility, which every Nigerian expects this government to execute successfully since one of the primary reasons Nigerians voted massively for them was their promise to tackle corruption headlong before corruption kills Nigeria. We watch and wish them success.”

  • Looters List: plot to divert attention, says PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described  the looters  list released by the Federal Government as part of ploy by the government to divert  people attention  from public discourse.
    The Party made the observation  in a statement issued by  its Natural Publicity Secretary,  Mr Kola Ologbondiyan on Tuesday in Abuja.
    LIt said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) have failed in its ploy to use the looters lists to divert public discourse from the raging questions on their numerous scandals, manifest sleazes and overall failures in governance.
    The PDP, said the nation has now seen that the Federal Government has no case against the PDP.
    It noted that the lists only had individuals who were not indicted or convicted for corruption, adding that some of them were not even members of the PDP.
    “It is now a notorious fact that the whole essence of the flimsy and
    contemptible lists was to cause public misperception, ‘change the
    topic’, and divert international and national discourse from various
    serious issues.”
    These according to PDP include the “parlous state of the nation’s economy” for which Nigerians now resorting to vices, including slavery and suicide as options.
    It also listed  intensive global criticism of  APC-led government, particularly with the latest from  Bill Gates and  eminent statesmen.
    These according  to the party include former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Military
    President Ibrahim Babangida and former minister of defence and ex-Chief of Army staff, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma.
    “The international interest over speculations of conspiracy theorem on the alleged manipulation of security in the abduction and return of the Dapchi schoolgirls for which Amnesty International (AI) has called for an open inquest.
    “The international embarrassment over alleged procurement of the Martin Luther King Jr Award for President Buhari, which has now attracted global opprobrium to our dear nation and entire citizenry.”
    It also listed the N9 trillion  corrupt oil contracts at the NNPC, alleged stealing of N1.1 trillion worth of crude oil, looting of N18 billion Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) intervention fund and the alleged stealing of N10 billion National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as part of the iasues.
     “These are issues that cannot be swept under the carpet using any ploy whatsoever.
    “While we still challenge the APC to name any members of the repositioned and rebranded PDP convicted for corruption, we wish to remind them that our three-day ultimatum to explain the source of looted fund to finance President Buhari’s 2015 campaign still subsist.
     “No amount of blackmail or intimidation can stop Nigerians from holding the dysfunctional APC accountable,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the Federal Government through, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Informants and Culture, had released a list of persons who allegedly looted dry Nigeria’s economy under PDP watch, describing the list as just a tip of the iceberg.

    Among those listed were, the PDP Chairman Uche Secondus, saying he on the Feb. 19, 2015 took N200 million only from the office of then NSA

    “Then PDP Financial Secretary on the 24th of Oct. 2014, he took N600 million only from the office of then NSA.

    “Then National Publicity Secretary Olisah Metuh, who is on trial for collecting N1.4billion from the office of then NSA.

    “Dr Raymond Dokpesi, Chairman of DAAR Communications – On trial for taking N2.1 billion from the office of then NSA

    “ Former SSA to President Jonathan, Dudafa Waripamo-Owei – On trial over N830 million kept in accounts of four different companies

    “Former President Jonathan’s Cousin Robert Azibaol – on Thursday, a Federal High Court ruled that he has a case to answer for collecting $40 million from the office of then NSA,” Mohammed listed.(NAN)

  • Looters list: APC, PDP intensify attacks

    •Opposition party says Buhari lacks moral ground to fight corruption
    •Secondus demands N1.5bn from Lai Mohammed, retraction of allegation within 48 hours
    •Metuh says he’s a victim of media trial
    •Emulate Mantu, confess your sins, APC tells PDP

    The war of words between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the ‘looters list’ released on Friday by the federal government raged on yesterday with the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, giving Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed a 48 hour ultimatum to withdraw the allegation against him.

    Secondus is also demanding from the minister N1.5billion as damages.

    The immediate past national publicity secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh, whose name also features on the list alleged a plan by the government to jail him at all cost.

    He claimed to have been “reliably informed that the Federal Government has ordered a conviction at all cost to ensure that the PDP is tainted before the elections.”

    The PDP queried President Muhammadu Buhari’s moral rectitude to fight corruption.

    The APC, in a dig at the PDP, asked the leadership of the opposition party to take a cue from one of its top member, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu by publicly confessing their sins against Nigerians, seek their forgiveness, and turn a new leaf.

    Secondus, in a letter by his counsel, Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN) to Mohammed demanded that the allegation that he collected N200miliion from the office of the National Security Adviser be withdrawn within 48 hours.

    He called the allegation libellous and threatened that failure to withdraw it would lead to litigation.

    The PDP chair also demanded a public apology from the Minister.

    Secondus’ media aide,   Ike Abonyi, quoting from the letter with reference No. EESE&C/1/31/03/18 yesterday said Mohammed’s publication has “damaged the image of Prince Secondus as he has been “humiliated, castigated and vilified by many as a result of the falsehood published by the Minister.”

    He warned that Secondus  “shall within 72 hours from today, proceed to a court of competent jurisdiction to ventilate our client’s right under the law and shall further seek the protection of the court against you” should the minister fail to withdraw the allegation.

    The PDP national chairman had, in his first reaction to the allegation on Friday, challenged the minister to get ready to establish his allegations in court.

    He said that the Minister was out to damage his reputation and distract him from serving his party but that he has failed woefully.

    His spokesman, Abonyi said:”For the purposes of some gullible public Prince Secondus never collected any money from the NSA under any guise.

    “It’s on record that on April 6, 2016, a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice James Tsoho, awarded Secondus N10 million damages against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for illegal detention over the same matter. The court had declared Secondus’ arrest and detention illegal.”

     

    Metuh alleges media trial

    Metuh, in a separate reaction, accused the Information and Culture Minister of subjecting him to media trial.

    He accused the Federal Government of breaching the 1999 constitution by subjecting him to two criminal charges before the court and the media.

    Metuh, who is currently standing trial for allegedly collecting N400 million from a former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki in 2015, described the case against him as contrived.

    Giving a detailed narration of the case against him and his ongoing trial by the Federal Government, Metuh said, “Since my arrest on the 5th day of January 2016 and subsequent arraignment, I have refrained from publicly discussing my persecution and travails by the government because as a lawyer, trained in the finest traditions of the Bar, I know that it is wrong to discuss a matter that is subjudice.

    “However the present action of the government leaves me with no option than to defend my name and integrity. I have therefore decided to avail the public of the true state of the contrived case against me.

    “The charge against me is that I received the sum of N400 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser to carry out duties assigned to me as the then National Publicity Secretary of the PDP by then President.

    “The major crux of the prosecution argument is that I ought to have known that the money was a part of an alleged and yet to be proven unlawful activity of Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), former NSA to President Jonathan.

    “The charge was brought regardless of the fact that neither President Jonathan who gave me the assignment and directed the release of the funds nor Col Dasuki (rtd), who effected the release of the funds have ever been interrogated nor even interviewed in this regard.

    “As a matter of fact, officers of the office of the National Security Adviser have testified in court that the payment made to me followed all due process usually observed in the establishment.

    “It is of interest to note that the prosecution has not alleged any mens rea or collusion on my part other than the suggestion that I ‘ought to have known’ of an alleged unlawful activity. Also the alleged illegality of the funds has neither been established in law nor in fact.

    “I have NEVER held a government office and/or position and could not therefore have had any access to government funds.”

    He labelled the case against him as weak, and accused the Federal Government of employing dirty tactics to de-humanize and intimidate him.

    Continuing, he said: “They have done everything humanly possible to ensure complete persecution starting from bringing me to court in handcuffs (and parading the capture of Nigeria’s most wanted) to media trials and constant interference with my case.

    “I have been reliably informed that the Federal Government has ordered a conviction at all cost to ensure that the PDP is tainted before the elections.  The government’s determination to achieve this objective is clearly highlighted by the refusal to allow me attend to my deteriorating health notwithstanding several expert medical opinions on the matter.

    “By going to the media to name me a looter (without cross-checking the definition and dictionary meaning of the word), the Federal Government has not only given a body language but has issued a direct intimidation and threat to the judiciary to get a compulsory conviction.

    “It is now clear that the APC led government that thrives on impunity and intimidation of other arms of government will not allow justice to be done in my matter. It is incontrovertible that our country has descended into the worst form of draconian rule where the executive arm directly interferes and seeks to control and determine matters within the purview of the legislature and the judiciary.

    “In view of this unprecedented executive rascality and lawlessness, I have asked my lawyers to review the implications of this latest attack by the government and take appropriate steps for redress

    “In all, my faith is firm in God that this tyranny will not last forever and that no mortal is omnipotent in my matter.”

     

    Why Buhari has no moral ground to fight corruption, by PDP

    National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan in his second reaction within 24 hours on the ‘looters list’ said President Muhammadu Buhari has no moral rectitude to fight corruption.

    The President, who declared that he had no resources to run a presidential campaign in 2015, ought to have known, particularly as a leader, that the billions of naira deployed for his campaigns were proceeds of corrupt activities of known All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and leaders, he said.

    The opposition party challenged the President to make public the sources of funds available to his campaign in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 race as well as the names of the donors.

    He said: “If the Federal Government and the APC are serious about fighting corruption and not just out to persecute PDP members, they should have begun with the probe into the source of the billions of naira used for President Buhari’s 2015 presidential campaigns, particularly in the face of allegations that the fund was looted from treasuries of various APC states.

    “Can President Buhari in all honesty claim ignorance of reports in the open media that a South-south governor looted several billions from his state accounts and diverted the sums into Buhari’s 2015 campaigns?

    “Can the Presidency and the APC inform Nigerians what steps the Federal Government has taken to investigate this allegation, which has been in the public domain and to clarify their roles as beneficiaries of the alleged looted funds?

    “If they are not complicit, why are they not demanding the truth in the matter and the possible refund of the fund for the good of the people?

    “We challenge President Buhari to tell Nigerians what he has done regarding the leaked memo showing N9 trillion ($25billion dollars) corrupt oil contracts at the NNPC as well as the alleged stealing of N1.1 trillion worth of crude oil, all in a sector under his direct purview as minister of Petroleum.

    “The Presidency should tell Nigerians what has been done to recover the stolen N18 billion Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) intervention fund and the N10 billion National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) fund alleged to have been stolen from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by APC officials and Presidency cabal.

    “Furthermore, the Buhari Presidency must immediately explain why it has been providing cover for the cabinet minister reported to have bought a property worth N280 million in Abuja from corrupt enrichment.

    “How can a President who enjoys the company of perjurers, looters and is never aware of the activities of corrupt people around him, fight the menace of corruption?

     

    Emulate Mantu, confess your sins against Nigerians, APC tells PDP

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday asked  the leadership of the  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to emulate former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu  by  publicly confessing their sins against Nigerians, seek their forgiveness , and turn a new leaf.

    The APC said it is only on this condition that restitution could be considered for the PDP.

    The ruling party was reacting to Mantu’s confession on Channels Television on Friday that he helped his party win elections in the past.

    Mantu served as a Senator between 1999 and 2007.

    He represented Plateau Central and was elected on the platform of the PDP.

    His ‘confession’ came on the heels of the apology by the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus who said the party made mistakes when it was in power between 1999 and 2015.

    Reacting to the Mantu interview yesterday, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said  recent activities of the PDP have shown clearly  that the apology offered by Secondus was a mere lip service.

    He said the PDP is not ready to repent and turn a new leaf.

    Abdullahi said: “Apparently burdened by guilty conscience, the PDP National Chairman had last week apologized to the nation for the years of misrule that his party has brought to the country. “The APC noted this apology but asked the PDP to go a step further and confess to their sins before restitution could be considered.

    “Instead of taking this path to redemption, PDP has engaged in fruitless “you too” accusations and name calling. This is further evidence that PDP is not ready for repentance and only offered the apology with the hope that Nigerians will grant them amnesty and a short-cut back to power.

    “However, now that Senator Mantu has belled the cat, by confessing to how he has helped the PDP to rig elections in the past, we hope that PDP will follow the bold example of the former Senator and confess to their other sins against Nigeria.”

    Mantu in the television interview had said: “I don’t have to go and change election (results) but when you provide money, you give money to INEC boys that if they see any chance they should favour you, you provide money to the security (personnel).

    “I tell you it’s not necessarily when I am contesting election but when my party sponsors a candidate, I will like that candidate to win election.”

    Asked why he thought Secundus’ apology was in order, Mantu said: “there is the need for Nigerian politicians to apologize for all the sins we have committed against the people.

    “That is because we have short changed the people.”

    He recalled, how in the PDP, names of candidates who won elections were deleted and replaced with other names.

    “Winners names were crossed out and replaced with names of those who did not win. It is bad because we imposed those who did not win on the people,” he said.

    “It is true that we (PDP) ruled with impunity.”

    He asked other PDP members to also become “born again, remorseful and repentant.”