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Tag: Ngilari

  • Appeal Court frees Ngilari of corruption

    The Yola Division of the Court of Appeal yesterday overturned the conviction of former Adamawa State Governor Bala Ngilari. It discharged and acquitted him of corruption charges.

    Justice Olayomi Folashade quashed all charges against Ngilari for lack of merit and sufficient proof of allegations against him.

    On March 6, a Yola High Court sentenced Ngilari to five years in prison without the option of fine on charges of financial fraud.

    He was jailed for not following the due process in the purchase of 25 vehicles at N169 million.

    Ngilari was charged with the Secretary to the State Government during his tenure Mr Andrew Welye and, Commissioner for Finance Sunday Lamurde.

    The High Court presided over by Justice Nathan Musa acquitted the two aides for lack of sufficient proof.

    Justice Musa said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, adding that Ngilari violated the Public Procurement Act by awarding a contract for the procurement of 25 vehicles for his commissioners at N167 million, without following due process.

    “It is my hope that this conviction and sentence will serve as deterrent to serving governors,” he said

    Justice Musa said Ngilari’s action amounted to executive lawlessness, and that the five-year sentence was the least he could slam on Ngilari.

  • Ex-Adamawa governor Ngilari granted bail on health grounds

    Ex-Adamawa governor Ngilari granted bail on health grounds

    A HIGH Court in Yola, Adamawa State, has granted bail to former Governor Bala Ngilari on health grounds, after he appealed against his recent conviction.

    Ngilari was granted bail by Justice Nathan Musa in the sum of N100 million with two sureties.

    The sureties must deposit Certificates of Occupancy of landed property owned in Yola, a report by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) stated.

    The judge said the former governor would enjoy his bail pending the determination of his appeal.

    Justice Musa, on March 6, sentenced Ngilari to five years in prison, without an option of fine, for violating the Public Procurement Act in the award of contract for the procurement of 25 vehicles.

    The vehicles, which were for commissioners, were purchased at the cost of N167 million.

    Musa, in his judgement, had declared that due process was not followed in the transaction.

    Ngilari, having appealed the sentence, went back to the same court that convicted him and asked for bail pending the determination of his appeal.

    Justice Musa, after listening to arguments of counsel to Ngilari, Mr. Sam Olugunorisa (SAN) and that of EFCC, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu, in the motion for bail, granted Ngilari’s request.

    The bail plea was supported by a medical report on Ngilari, from Yola Prison, which indicated that the former governor had been under intensive medical management.

    The report, signed by Mr. John Bukar, a Deputy Comptroller in charge of Health, stated that Ngilari had diabetes, hypertension and insomnia.

    It said Ngilari, who had been referred to Canada Specialist Hospital in Dubai, for evaluation and management, had blood pressure that was rising between 180/110 MMHG to 190/120 MMHG.

  • Ngilari’s unenviable record

    Ngilari’s unenviable record

    •The former governor goes to jail over executive recklessness

    FORMER Governor Bala James Ngilari of Adamawa State has set a record as the first former governor to be convicted after trial in the country. Ngilari, who was governor for only about eight months (October 1, 2014 and May 2015), was jailed five years over a N167.8million contract scam. Justice Nathan Musa of the Adamawa High Court found him guilty of 17 charges levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
    Specifically, the former governor was arraigned for unlawfully awarding a contract for the supply of 25 units of Toyota Camry 2.8 to El-Yadi Motors Limited, known to him alone, in contravention of the Adamawa State Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) law. The former governor claimed that the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) at the time, Andrew Welye, knew about the contract.
    The former SSG however said he became aware of the contract only when the governor told him to call the contractor because she supplied only 17 of the 25 cars. He said he told his boss that he did not have her telephone number.
    The court believed him.
    In the same vein, the attempt of the former governor’s counsel, Mr. Samuel Toni (SAN), to implicate the permanent secretary in the ministry of finance as the accounting officer who should be held responsible for the contract scam also failed as the court affirmed that both the SSG and permanent secretary knew nothing of it.
    Perhaps the most profound lesson from this case is that it was concluded within six months. The EFCC arraigned Ngilari on September 21, 2016, and by March 6, 2017, it was all over! Incredible? But it has happened, and in Nigeria! It is a record in the trial of our politically-exposed persons. What this tells us simply is that it is possible to deal with some of these cases expeditiously when lawyers and judges are not working in cahoots to unnecessarily prolong cases that are straightforward.
    Indeed, it is the expeditious trial that has made some people to comment, rather cynically, that it is because the money involved was so small that Ngilari could not hire a coterie of senior lawyers, or even have some of them elbowing one another in court to be part of his defence team. The commentators add, rather humorously, that if Ngilari wanted to eat a toad, he should have eaten a fat and juicy one!
    They appear right: Even if we add the other case of N450million poll bribery funds allegedly allocated to the state by ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke involving the former governor that is still with the EFCC, everything is still under one billion Naira. Nigerians in high places no longer steal such paltry amounts! It is only when they receive gifts that they get them in millions of foreign currencies! When they steal Naira, it is in billions.
    That is by the way. The fact before us in this matter is that Justice Musa has opened our eyes to the possibility of early conclusion of trials of prominent Nigerians on fraud charges. We commend him for this and hope other judges will borrow a leaf from the case. It is disgraceful that while cases of prominent Nigerians involved in fraud are still at the preliminary stages in our courts, such cases would have been expeditiously disposed off in other jurisdictions.
    Ngilari’s march to prison is also a lesson to our politically-exposed persons to be more careful when dealing with state matters, particularly funds, because of the Day of Judgment which came for Ngilari on March 6. While we await his appeal and the subsequent judgment on appeal, we welcome the former governor to Yola Prison (as he had no option of fine), pending when he makes up his mind on his prison of choice, courtesy of Justice Musa’s uncommon magnanimity.

  • Ex-Adamawa governor Ngilari granted bail

    Ex-Adamawa governor Ngilari granted bail

    AN Adamawa State High Court yesterday admitted to bail former Governor James Bala Ngilari, who is on trial for alleged award of N167 million contract without due process.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Ngilari for alleged violation of procurement laws in the award of contract of N167 million to El-Yadi Motors Limited, for the supply of 25 vehicles.

    The ex-governor is facing trial on a 19-count-charge, with the former Secretary to the State Government, Ibrahim Andrew Welye, and former Commissioner for Finance and Budget Sanda Jonathan Lamurde.

    They were accused of conspiracy, among others, in the procurement process.

    Although they pleaded not guilty, they were remanded in EFCC’s custody on Wednesday.

    But Justice Nathan Musa yesterday admitted the ex-governor to N1 million  bail

    A statement by EFCC’s Head, Media and Publicity Mr. Wilson Uwujaren said: “A former Governor of Adamawa State, Mr. James Bala Ngilari, was on Thursday  granted bail by Justice Nathan Musa of the Adamawa State High Court,  Yola,  in the sum of N1 million, and a surety with landed property in Yola who must provide a court affidavit of means to that effect.

    “Ngilari was remanded in EFCC custody on September 21 following his arraignment on a 19-count charge bordering on alleged rigging of procurement process in the award of contract worth N167 million.

    The court adjourned to  October 10 for trial.

     Ngilari is being tried with his former Secretary to the Government and his Commissioner for Finance and Budget, Messrs Ibrahim Andrew Welye and Sanda Jonathan Lamurde.

    EFCC yesterday asked financial institutions,  especially banks,  to refrain from unethical practices impinging on the image and status of Nigeria and its economy

    A statement by the anti-graft commission said the Southeast Zonal Head of EFCC, Mr. Johnson Ayodeji Babalola, made the appeal while addressing senior officials from banks across the Southeast states of Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Abia and Imo at a special stakeholders meeting at the Commission’s Office in Enugu.

    He said: “You should be careful that these so-called big men do not use you to effect their selfish agenda and, after everything,  they will dump you to face the repercussion .”

    Describing the relationship between financial institutions and the commission as that of partners, Babalola asked for the cooperation of the bankers, adding that the EFCC cannot effectively fulfill its mandate without the cooperation of banks.

     “Because our investigations often involve information on lodgment and movement of cash, your cooperation is needed to improve on intelligence required for progress in any case.”

    Later, some  EFCC workers and bankers expressed concerns on issues they felt were militating against the smooth relationship between them, such as Know Your Customer (KYC) regime, quality of reports from banks and document verification, among others.

  • Crisis in Adamawa PDP over Ngilari

    Crisis in Adamawa PDP over Ngilari

    THE recent clearance of Governor James Ngilari to contest for the 2015 governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not going down well with major stakeholders of the party in the state. Sources disclosed that based on the agreement reached between the national leadership of the party and some governorship aspirants a few months ago, it was agreed that the ticket should be zoned to Adamawa Central Senatorial District. But the latest volte-face by the party to favour Ngilari is said to be threatening the relative peace of the party, with some members vowing to work against Ngilari if he picks the party’s ticket.

  • PDP clears Ngilari for Adamawa governorship race

    PDP clears Ngilari for Adamawa governorship race

    The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cleared Adamawa State Governor Bala Ngilari to join the 2015 governorship race.

    The party had insisted on zoning the ticket to Adamawa Central Senatorial District, ostensibly to pave the way for the zone’s preferred aspirants.

    Ngilari is from the Northern Senatorial District.

    Addressing reporters at the weekend, the governor said the clearance the party granted him to participate in the primaries was a sign of its confidence in his capacity to lead the PDP to victory in the election.

    Ngilari said the development would enable him to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

    According to him, the clearance is a victory for the party.

    The PDP, the governor said, would go into the primaries united and come out stronger, contrary to the rancour that his exclusion from the race would have caused.

    He said: “If the party had stopped me, there would have been a backlash that would have affected the fortunes of the party in the 2015 general elections. That’s what the party has averted by its mature handling of the issue.”

    The PDP, last week, sacked the state executive committee of the party in what many saw as a move to weaken Ngilari’s grip on the state chapter.

    But the decision was reversed a few days after.

    It was gathered that the leadership of the party was forced to retrace its steps, following pressure from PDP governors, Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman Tony Anenih and former Defence Minister Gen. Theophilus Danjuma and frontline traditional rulers.

    The governor, who is a Christian minority, was also quoted to have said that he enjoyed the goodwill among a segment of Adamawa residents, including religious leaders of both faiths.

    He said: “Many Muslims and Christians from within and outside the state took up my matter because they saw injustice about to be meted out to me. The only way I can repay everyone is to be fair and ensure justice for all.”

    Ngilari hinted of a draft bill seeking collaboration between the military and local vigilance group in the counter-insurgency campaign.

    The bill, he said, would be forwarded to the House of Assembly in the next few days.

    On the Federal Government’s counter-insurgency efforts, he said: “The state and the military, working together, have made substantial gains. I appeal to members of the National Assembly to approve the state of emergency extension as requested by President Goodluck Jonathan.”

  • Adamawa: Group protests exclusion of Ngilari from race

    Some communities and youth groups, under the aegis of the Adamawa Collective, have kicked against the exclusion of the Adamawa State Governor Bala Ngilari from the 2015 governorship race.

    The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), last week, announced the zoning of the governorship position to the Central Senatorial District, thereby excluding aspirants from the Northern and Southern districts.

    The pasrty’s decision was announced after Ngilari, who is from the Northern Senatorial District, obtained nomination form to contest the election.

    Describing the decision of the PDP leadership as undemocratic and unacceptable, the group accused the party of double standard and a plot to undermine the governor because he is from a minority group.

    At a media briefing yesterday in Abuja, the group’s Coordinator, Eli Gamaliel, and Secretary, Dr. Panny Boga, argued that Ngilari was not a party to the agreement the party reached with the eight aspirants from the Central zone to contest the poll.

    According to them, Ngilari was still pursuing his ouster in court at the time the PDP reached the agreement with the eight aspirants.

    They added that by virtue of the court’s verdict, which installed Ngilari as governor, the agreement should have been overtaken by events.

    Gamaniel said: “It is important to state that when the decision was taken to zone the governorship to the Central Senatorial District, Governor Ngilari was not in office, neither was he part of the meeting.

    “The doctrine of necessity, which brought President Goodluck Jonathan to office during the illness and later death of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua remains a good reference point for the PDP.

    “It was in that same spirit of the doctrine of necessity that the late Governor Patrick Yakowa continued in office and contested in 2011 and won. This zoning arrangement for Adamawa State is to say the list, unjust and uncalled for.”

    Secretary of the Adamawa Collective, Boga, accused PDP’s National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, and the Principal Secretary to the President, Alhaji Hassan Tukur, of allegedly plotting to impose a particular candidate on the state.

    Boga said: “It is on record that Mu’azu and Tukur have mounted tremendous pressure on Ngilari to drop his governorship ambition in 2015 for the Senate. This was on the excuse that it has been zoned and reserved for the Fulani, particularly Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

    “Yet, it is on record that impeached Governor Murtala Nyako, who spent almost eight years in office, is of the Fulani ethnic extraction.

    “We are not shocked by the stance of the hegemony because this was the same stance the likes of Prof Ango Abdullahi took when he insisted that President Jonathan should not contest in 2011 or the heavens would fall.

    “We, therefore, insist that since Ngilari was never a party to the agreement that zoned the governorship to Adamawa Central, it cannot be used against him in any material particular.”

  • 2015: Again, Ngilari troubles Adamawa PDP

    2015: Again, Ngilari troubles Adamawa PDP

    As Governor Bala Ngilari picks governorship form, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports on the ripple effects in the Adamawa State PDP

    FOLLOWING the dramatic entrance of Governor Bala Ngilari into the Adamawa governorship race last week, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state may have returned to trouble days as chieftains of the party battle one another over the governor’s aspiration.

    Last Tuesday, a coalition of Muslims, Christians and over 70 different non-governmental organisations announced that it has purchased a PDP governorship form for Ngilari to contest the 2015 election.

    Praising what they described as the governor’s exemplary style of leadership, the group said it is convinced that Ngilari is the man Adamawa needs at this crucial time. The announcement cleared the air on Ngilari’s next political step after weeks of speculations.

    Leader of the coalition, Lawrence Ngbale, said the decision of the coalition to buy the governorship form for Ngilari was due to their conviction about his desire to provide quality leadership to the people of the state.

    But The Nation learnt that some prominent chieftains of the party are insisting that the new governor should only complete the remaining term of office of Nyako and leave the Government House in 2015.To encourage him to toe their line of argument, those against his governorship ambition are urging him to contest the senatorial election in 2015.

    According to party sources, the camps of those pushing against Ngilari’s governorship ambition are led by former PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Principal Secretary to the President, Alhaji Hassan Tukur and Senator Jibril Aminu.

    Party source said the position of the anti-Ngilari chieftains is that the office of the governor in 2015 has been zoned to Adamawa Central Senatorial District, and as such, Ngilari’s aspiration is against the principle of zoning which the party is ready to abide with.

    “They are insisting that the party’s position that the governorship has been zoned to Adamawa Central Senatorial District, where the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, hails from, cannot be jettisoned.

    This is why they are urging the governor to respect the zoning arrangement and contest for senate. Of course, the governor is not pleased with this. He is not alone. Many party chieftains, especially those from his senatorial districts, are also backing him to run for the governorship in spite of the zoning issue,” a source said.

    However, there are allegations that the party leadership may be poised to stop Ngilari at all cost. The Nation gathered that apart from attempts to remove some members of the State Executive Committee of the party perceived to be sympathetic to the governor, there was also a spirited effort to prevent him from picking the nomination form.

    “As part of the plan to stop him, the office of the National Organising Secretary of the PDP was directed to deny the governor the governorship nomination form. We gathered that “he was prevailed upon to pick the senate form but he refused. This continued until a coalition moved in and threatened to cause problem for the party. That was when he was allowed to get the form,” a source said.

    Speaking on the opposition to Ngilari’s ambition, Ngbale said, “I want to inform you that Ngilari did not contribute one kobo to the money that we used to pay for this governorship form. It was the contribution of over 70 different groups that fused together that we, their representatives, used to pay for the form.

    “If Ngilari is good to be deputy governor for over seven years, what is the reason that he is not good to be governor? Those that think Ngilari is good as a senator, the people of Adamawa said he is better as governor.”

    Investigations by The Nation also revealed that some leading chieftains of the PDP, who are Christians, are determined to oppose the zoning arrangement in favour of Ngilari. Sources said these chieftains are angry with the leadership of the party, both at federal and state levels, over how Ngilari was treated during the process that led to the impeachment of former Governor Murtala Nyako.

    “There is a strong resentment to the party leadership by Christian chieftains, especially those from Ngilari’s geo-political zone. It was gathered that the plan to impeach the former governor, Murtala Nyako, was agreed to with the understanding that Ngilari would be spared and be allowed to become the governor after his boss must have been sacked.

    But a cabal of chieftains allegedly insisted on his removal alongside his ex-boss. This development forced Ngilari to resign his position after the probe panel set up by Acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, investigated allegation of misconduct against him and the former governor.

    So Ngilari’s supporters see the opportunity presented by his re-instatement by the Court as an avenue to despise the cabal that hounded him out by refusing to stick to earlier agreement that he be spared to complete Nyako’s term and leave by 2015,” our source said.

    The situation in the party is so tense that numerous schemes and plots are currently going on underground ahead of the 2015 governorship election. Already, there are talks that former Acting Governor of the state, Speaker Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, may not be allowed to serve as Speaker of the State House of Assembly for much longer.

    “He may be removed in a matter of days,” a party chieftain said on Thursday.

    Recently, indications emerged that some lawmakers may have begun moves to impeach Fintiri, who recently returned as Speaker of the Assembly. The ground for impeachment, as cited by a PDP chieftain who spoke anonymously, is the fact that Fintiri and Ngilari come from the same zone.

    Meanwhile, more chieftains continue to declare interest in the PDP governorship ticket for the 2015 governorship election amidst the current confusion pervading the party in the state.

    Among the aspirants are the former Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) boss, Nuhu Ribadu, former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Gulak; a former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong; a former Military Administrator of Lagos State, Brig. Gen. Bubar Marwa; the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Markus Gundiri and Anwal Tukur, son of the former National Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur.

    With Ngilari and the numerous other contenders vowing to fight relentlessly for the same ticket, pundits say the last may not have been heard of the many troubles that led the state chapter of the PDP to its current state in spite of the presence of notable politicians under its embattled umbrella.

  • PDP rules out Ngilari for 2015

    PDP rules out Ngilari for 2015

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national leadership yesterday said the governorship position remained zoned to Adamawa Central Senatorial District.

    This has ruled out Governor Bala Ngilari, who is from Adamawa North zone, from the 2015 contest. But the governor is reported to have obtained a nomination form for the election.

    The party entered into an agreement with the 14 aspirants, who wanted to contest the botched October 11 by-election, before a Federal High Court in Abuja halted the poll and installed Ngilari as governor.

    Announcing the party’s decision yesterday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh urged eight of the aspirants who entered into the agreement to come forward and update their documents.

    “It means they are entitled to run, since they are from the same senatorial zone. The party will fully implement that agreement,” Metuh said.

    The party announced the sack of PDP acting state chairmen in Delta, Enugu, Anambra and Abia states.

    They are to hand over to their deputies, who are expected to conduct elections within two weeks.

    Some of the chairmen resigned to contest elective positions.

  • Jonathan, PDP governors meet over primaries

    Jonathan, PDP governors meet over primaries

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday night met behind closed doors with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors at the Presidential Vila, Abuja, over forthcoming primaries of the party.

    This was disclosed by some of the state governors, who briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.

    They said the meeting also brainstormed on how to reposition the party to serve Nigerians better.

    Governor Theodore Orji of Abia said; “We discussed our party and the primaries that will soon come. We looked at how to fortify our party to avoid rancour or infighting to enable us do very well both in the primaries and general election in 2015.”

    He said that the reported clash between PDP governors and the party’s national leadership over endorsement of candidates at the state chapters did not come up for discussion.

    According to him, the party’s governorship candidates would emerge through free and transparent primaries contrary to reports of endorsements in the media.

    Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina said the meeting evaluated strategies for a successful conduct of the party’s forthcoming primaries.

    At the venue, Adamawa State Governor, Bala Ngilari, described the political atmosphere in the state as stable, stressing that the people were happy with the delivery of justice in his case.

    He said: “The political situation in Adamawa is very stable, I can assure you. The people are very happy. You know, the common man appreciates when justice is done at all times. They are very happy; you can do your independent verification.

    “All the reported noise in some quarters that heavens will fall because of my swearing in, nothing like that has happened. I thank the people of Adamawa for their massive support and we promise to keep faith with them,’’ he said

    According to him, the executive and legislative arms of the state government were not at loggerheads and are working cordially together.

    Among the governors at the meeting were – Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe) and Martin Elechi (Ebonyi).

    Others were – Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), and Umar Garba (Acting Governor of Taraba).

    Also present were – Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Jonah Many (Plateau) and the deputy governors of Kogi and Nasarawa States.