The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mamman Ali

  • Yobe APC mandates Gaidam to anoint his successor

    The Yobe State Chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has mandated Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam to anoint his successor for the 2019 election.

    Gov. Gaidam will be serving out his mandatory second term as governor having taken over from Late Mamman Ali and elected twice as governor.

    The decision was taken at an extended critical stakeholders meeting at the WAWA Hall of government House Damaturu.

    The meeting also endorsed Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam as candidate for the Yobe East Senatorial district for the coming election as well as President Mohamadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of the party.

    This decision has pinched Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam against former Gov. Bukar Abba Ibrahim who is currently occupying the seat from the same political party, the APC.

    Read Also: Niger approves N60m relief package for flood victims

    In the communiqué signed by the Chairman of the Meeting, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu who is also the Deputy Governor of the state and the Secretary Idi Barde Gubana resolved as follow:

    Ø Unanimously adopts President Muhamadu Buhari(GCFR) as our party candidate in the forthcoming 2019 Presidential Election in Nigeria

    Ø The meeting also resolve to adopt consensus and where necessary indirect mode of nominating candidates to all elective positions under our great party(APC) in Yobe State

    Ø The meeting further resolves that a discretion is given to HE Alh. (Dr.) Ibrahim Gaidam to present a competent and acceptable person as the Gubernatorial Flag bearer of our great party(APC) in the forthcoming 2019 general elections for our dear state

    Ø The stakeholders from Yobe East Senatorial District equally, unanimously resolves that H.E Alh. (Dr.) Ibrahim Gaidam be the senatorial Candidate for the 2019 senatorial election.

    The meeting was attended by members of Commissioners and other members of the state executive council, members of the National Assembly from the state including the senate leader, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, Hon. Goni Bukar, Hon. Abdu Gulani, Hon. Samaila Gadaka.

    The Minister of State foreign Affairs and wife of former governor and current senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Hon. Khadija Abba Ibrahim was also in attendance.

    Sen. Bukar Abba Ibrahim and Hon. Yakubu Sidi Karasuwa were however absent at the meeting.

  • Subsidy scam: EFCC re-arraigns Ahmadu Ali’s son, others

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday re-arraigned Mamman, son of former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmadu Ali and two others over their alleged involvement in N4.5 billion fuel subsidy fraud.

    Ali was re-arraigned alongside another oil marketer, Christian Taylor and his company, Nasaman Oil Services Limited before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of a Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.

    ‎They were initially arraigned before same judge on July 26, 2012.

    The co-defendant then, Oluwaseun Ogunnbambo jumped bail, a situation that made the commission to amend charges and re-arraigned the defendants.

    In the amended charge, the defendants are now facing a 49 -count charge as against the former nine- count charge.

    The charges border on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences, forgery and use of false documents to obtain money from the Federal Government through the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF).

    At the commencement of proceedings on Tuesday, counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Seidu Atteh, said the defendants had fraudulently obtained N4.5 billion from the federal government between January 2011 and April 2012.

    Atteh said the money was for subsidy payments from PSF for the purported importation of 30.5million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.

    The defendants allegedly forged a bill of lading and other documents which they used in facilitating the fraud.

    ‎He said the offences contravened Sections 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.

    He stated further that the offences also violated Sections 363(a) and 364 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

    The defendants again pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.

     

  • Court forces EFCC to close case against oil marketer

    A Lagos High Court, Ikeja, on Tuesday closed the case of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against an oil marketer, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, alleged to have fled the country.
    The court presided by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo however fixed July 14 for Mamman Ali and one other oil marketer and their company to open their defence.
    They were all arraigned over their alleged involvement in subsidy fraud.
    The trial of the three oil marketers and their company had been stalled in the last six months following reports that Ogunbambo had jumped bail and fled the country to escape justice.
    At the resumed hearing, the counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Seidu Atteh, informed the court that he had recently taken over the matter from his predecessor.
    Atteh said he was informed that one of the defendants, Ogunbambo has allegedly absconded.
    He said as a result, the EFCC has not been able to execute the bench warrant issued against him by the court.
    He, therefore, appealed to the court for a short adjournment to enable the commission produce Ogunbambo or file an amended charge against other defendants.
    But counsel to Ali, Mr. Toyin Pinheiro (SAN), objected to the request for adjournment on the basis of Ogunbambo’s absence.
    Pinheiro said, “This matter commenced on July 2012. The prosecution listed 15 witnesses in the proof of evidence and they have only called two witnesses so far.”

     

  • Subsidy scam: Oil marketer loses bid to quash charges

    An oil marketer, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, has lost in his bid to quash the N4.4 million subsidy fraud charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on Tuesday declined to strike out an application filed by Ogunbambo, seeking to quash the fuel subsidy fraud charges preferred against him and three others by the commission.

    The judge dismissed the application for lacking in merit.

    Those charged by the EFCC alongside Ogunbambo are – Mamman Ali, son of Dr. Ahmadu Ali, a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Christian Taylor and their firm – Nassaman Oil Services Limited.

    Ogunbambo was however absent in court on Tuesday.

    In the application filed by his counsel, R.A Oluyede, the defendant had prayed the court to quash all the charges and information filed against him for lack of jurisdiction.

    The application brought pursuant to Sec 66(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and supported by a 26 paragraphs affidavit deposed to by one Kunle Shote, also urged the court to discharge him.

    Responding to the application on point of law, EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, asked the court to dismiss the application on the ground that it is premature at this stage when plea had been taken by the defendant and trial had commenced.

    Oyedepo said the issue of competency of the charge cannot be raise at the stage when the prosecution has not close its case and had only called three witnesses, adding that it cannot be said that the information filed against the defendant is an abuse of court process.

    Justice Onigbanjo in his short ruling dismissed the application for lacking in merit.

     

  • Yobe warming up for council poll

    Yobe warming up for council poll

    After he succeeded his predecessor, the late Senator Mamman Ali, in January 2008, Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam unfolded his vision for the state during the presentation of the Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly.

    He promised not to subvert the democratic structure at the local government level. The governor immediately directed the Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission to set up the machinery for the poll.

    The governor’s pronouncement a loud ovation. The legislators applauded the decision.

    Barely two months, the electoral body swung into action. It held consultations with the stakeholders, including political parties, security operatives, civil society organisations, and the media.

    The election was held on August 8, 2009.

    According to the Yobe State Local Government Amendment law, the tenure of office for elected council chairmen is two years. However, for six years now, caretaker committees have been administering the councils.

    The Mohammed Abdu-led commission could not organise the election, following the Boko Haram insurgence.

    Gaidam has shown commitment to the development of grassroots democracy. he has said that the election will hold, when the security situation improves. Many believe that he is still faithful to this agenda.

    The umpire, Abdu, told reporters in Damaturu, the state capital, that the stage is now set for the poll. He said it will hold on December 28.

    Abdu also disclosed that both the sensitive and the non-sensitive materials for the poll are ready.

    The electoral chief said that 10 political parties are participating in the exercise, adding that the chairmanship and councillorship candidates have been screened by the agency.

    But the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) has announced that it will boycott the election. The party said that the atmosphere is not conducive, since the state of emergency has not been lifted.

    But the chairman of the commission disagreed with the party, recalling that it had consented to the choice of December 28 as the poll day.

    The PDP Chairman, Lawan Gana Karasuwa, said: “We cannot run an election in a state where there is a state of emergency. Initially, we welcomed the decision to participate in the election, hoping that the state of emergency would expire as at the time the election would be conducted. But, with the recent extension of the emergency rule, we cannot go into that election as law abiding citizens. I think they are just wasting their time”.

    Abdu said the emergency rule declared in the state does not affect democratic structures. He said that, based on this, the election will hold.

    “If they (PDP) decide to back out of it, it is entirely their problem as the commission will not force any political party to participate in the election. We have all our democratic structures intact in the state of emergency. So, we are going ahead with our elections”, he maintained.

    The Coalition of Political Parties in Yobe State has thrown its weight behind he exercise. Its Chairman, Umar Kukuri, expressed confidence in the ability and neutrality of the commission.

    “While supporting all the programmes towards the success of this election, we also call on candidates and political parties to conduct themselves peacefully throughout the electioneering process. Similarly, we urge supporters of all political parties to turn out en masse and elect candidates of their choice”, Kukuri said.

    This is the second time the PDP is boycotting the local government election. In 2009, the party accused the ruling All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) of not providing a level playing ground for the election. The ruling party ANPP won all the chairmanship seats.

    As Yobe prepares for the poll, the argument for local government autonomy is also raging.

    Many have argued that the lack of autonomy has crippled the development of the local government system. Others have pointed out that corruption is rampant at the local government level. The joint state/council account has become their albatross.

  • Subsidy scam: Ahmadu Ali’s son used forged documents – Witness

    Subsidy scam: Ahmadu Ali’s son used forged documents – Witness

    A prosecution witness, Mr. Chidi Onyedikwe, on Wednesday told an Ikeja High Court that some documents used by an oil marketer, Mamman Ali, to collect N4.4 billion subsidy fund were forged.

    Onyedikwe was testifying at the resumed trial of Mamman, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a subsidy scam.

    He was charged alongside Christian Taylor, a Sierra Leonean; Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, an oil marketer, and Nassaman Oil Services.

    Onyedikwe, the Lagos branch manager of Inspectorate Marine Services Nigeria Limited, had, on February 21, testified that the defendants used fraudulent documents to obtain the money.

    Under cross-examination by counsel to the defendants, Mr. Kolade Obafemi, and Mr. Adebayo Adenipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the witness maintained that his company did not issue the documents.

    Onyedikwe listed the documents to include cargo transfer, certificate of quantity, certificate of quality and haulage, all bearing the logos, signatures and stamps of his company.

    He said: “As I said, we went through our operational records, our laboratory records and account records.

    “Those documents did not emanate from our company even though it was bearing our logos, stamps and signatures.”

    Onyedikwe said the haulage report showed that the defendants had imported the petroleum products and that his company had inspected the products.

    He said the company did not assign any of its inspectors to carry out the said transaction.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the EFCC had in its charges, claimed that the defendants presented the documents to the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to obtain the subsidy.

    The case, which is being heard by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, was adjourned to May 28.

     

  • Court to re-arraign Ahmadu Ali’s son, three others November 26

    Court to re-arraign Ahmadu Ali’s son, three others November 26

    A Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, on Monday picked November 26 for the re-arraignment of Mamman, son of former Peoples Democratic Party national chairman, Ahmadu Ali and three others.

    The quartet are standing trial for their alleged involvement inN4.4 billion fuel subsidy fraud.

    The defendants were expected to be re-arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo on Monday but the court failed to sit.

    No reason was given for the failure of the court to sit.

    Ali junior was initially arraigned on July 26 alongside Christian Taylor and Nasaman Oil Services, for an alleged N2.2 billion fuel subsidy fraud.

    At the last sitting of the court on October 30, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission informed the court of the prosecution’s intention to re-arraign the defendants on an amended charge.

    EFCC counsel, Mr. Francis Usani had said the amended charge would enable them to join another oil marketer, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, as a co-defendant in the matter.

    In the amended charge now before the court, the defendants would be facing a 13 count charge of fuel subsidy fraud.

    The EFCC, in the new charge, alleged that the defendants were involved in subsidy fraud amounting to about N4.4 billion.

    The commission alleged that the defendants had conspired to obtain the money from the Federal Government for the purported importation of 30.5million litres of Premium Motor Spirits (PMS).

    The EFCC said the alleged offences contravened Sections 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.