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Tag: ONDO

  • Man arrested for ‘bestiality’in Ondo

    A middle-aged man, Mr. Afolabi Bamidele was, at the weekend, allegedly caught having sex with a goat at Irun-Akoko, Akoko North West Local Government of Ondo State.

    It was learnt the goat died in the process.

    The victim was arrested by the police after one of his neighbours, who saw him in the bush, reported the matter.

    A resident, Badmus Akinoye, said Bamidele was caught by somebody who went into the bush to defecate.

    Akinoye said: “He picked the goat from a neighbour’s house and took it into the bush. He took his clothes off and started having sex with it.

    “When he finished, he brought out a handkerchief to clean up when he was caught by somebody who called on neighbours.”

    He said the suspect was about to be mobbed but was rescued by the police.

    Police spokesman Femi Joseph said: “The divisional police officer in Ikare Akoko has not briefed me about the incident, I will let you know when I’m briefed.”

  • Ondo: Recession won’t affect APC victory, says group

    Ondo: Recession won’t affect APC victory, says group

    A group, Aketi Support Organisation (ASO), yesterday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, said the current economy recession ravaging the country will not affect the chances of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 26, governorship election in the state. The group stated this through a statement issued and signed by their Chairman, Hon. Kehinde Bello, shortly after their meeting in Akure.

    The group said it is very optimistic that the electorate in the state would also vote for APC the way their counterparts in Edo State voted for the party and the Governor elect, Godwin Obaseki, during the just concluded gubernatorial election in the south-south state. It noted that Nigerians are aware that the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is not the architect of the economy crisis ravaging the country.

    The group said it believes that Buhari is doing his best in clearing the mess left behind by the many years of misrule by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It however urged all electorates in the state to vote for APC governorship candidate, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, (SAN).

    ASO reiterated the need for concerted and collective efforts to liberate the state from what it described as the oppressive, deceitful and clueless government of the day. It stressed further that Akeredolu is the most credible candidate among those contesting for the governorship seat.

     

  • ‘Civil society should wade into Ondo PDP crisis’

    ‘Civil society should wade into Ondo PDP crisis’

    The Coalition for Stable Democracy (CSD) has expressed concern over what it called the “suspicious silence” of the pro-democracy movement and right groups on the controversial reversal of the candidature of Mr. Eyitayo Jegede as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer in the Ondo State governorship elections.

    The group said it has become necessary for all lovers of democracy to speak out against the injustice melted out by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Mr. Jegede by replacing his name with that of Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim in a questionable circumstance.

    In a statement by its National Secretary, Abdulahi Sanni, in Kaduna, the group said all men of good conscience must speak in condemnation of the act, especially considering the allegations that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) was behind the Ondo PDP crisis.

    “It is indeed condemnable, given the insinuations that some people close to President Muhammadu Buhari are allegedly the ones manipulating the INEC, at a time when all hands ought to be on deck to ensure that the electoral body regain its loss glory since the exit of Professor Attahiru Jega.

    “Already, we have been expressing our worries about the lack of capacity of the INEC to deliver another free and fair elections under the current leadership of the country,” it stated adding that, “these concerns and worries are predicated on the failures of the commission in Rivers, Bayelsa, Kogi and the Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja where its conducts cast a dark shadow on gains bequeathed by the immediate past government.

    “The Buhari government is a beneficiary of a free and fair election. To contemplate interfering with electoral process in any poll in any part of the country is to burn the bridge that provided the route for his ascendancy to power. And this is sure to have grave consequence for our democracy,” the group further stated.

    The group added: “This is therefore not the time for any well-meaning right activist and advocates of good-governance to keep quiet. And to quote the noble Laurel, Professor Wole Soyinka, the man die in he who keep quiet in the face of oppression.

    “Today, it is Ondo State. No one is sure of where next it would happen. How can a judge allow the same law firm who stood in for a plaintiff to turn around to represent defendant in the same case on the same matter, without consideration for legal ethics? And that ruling is being purported as the basis for INEC decision, even against the legal opinion of its Senior Advocates?

    “We reckon that this is a travesty that must be condemned.”

  • Ondo: PDP crisis deepens as court panel withdraws

    Ondo: PDP crisis deepens as court panel withdraws

    Justices return case file to Appeal Court President

    Faction laments ‘judicial ambush’

    The  fate of factional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Ondo State election Eyitayo Jegede was hanging in the balance yesterday.

    A three-man panel set up by Court of Appeal President Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa to determine all appeals relating to the dispute over the governorship candidate of the PDP  withdrew from the case.

    The Justice Jumai Sankey-led panel announced its withdrawal mid-way into proceedings, citing a petition written against it by the factional chairman of the PDP in Ondo State, Prince Biyi Poroye.

    Copies of the petition were sent to President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) Lawan Daura and National Security Adviser (NSA) Gen. Babagana Monguno.

    Senior members of the two factions of the PDP were in court.

    Some of those in court were Ali Modu Sheriff, Ahmed Makarfi, Cairo Ojougboh, Ben Obi, Abdul Ningi, Jimoh Ibrahim, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye, former Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, Senator Annie Okonkwo, former Sports Minister Damishi Sango and former Minister of Solid Minerals Odion Ugbesia.

    Although they are from different camps of the party, they did not betray the enmity between them.

    On arriving the courtroom, and noting that Makarfi, Obi, Adeyeye, Babangida and Lamido were seated in a corner within the courtroom, Sheriff went straight to them and greeted them loudly. He shook hands with and hugged each of them.

    Ibrahim, the candidate of the Sheriff faction, who arrived the court earlier, also went to where Makarfi and others sat and shook hands with each of them.

    He spoke with Lamido and Makarfi briefly. Lamido was overhead telling Ibrahim that they should all work for the survival of the party.

    A mild drama ensued later when the first case for the day was called and Sheriff and Makarfi stood up to announce their presence in court.

    Sheriff was first to stand up and announce himself as “National Chairman of the PDP”. When it was Makarfi’s turn, he announced himself as “Makarfi of the PDP”, a position his supporters objected to by shouting National Chairman.

    Sensing that those with him, including Obi, Babangida, Lamido and Adeyeye were not comfortable, Makarfi stood up again and re-introduced himself as “Ahmed Makarfi, Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the PDP.”

    On hearing how Makarfi later introduced himself, Sheriff, who sat on the other side of the courtroom, shook his head in approval, saying “yes, he is the Chairman of Caretaker, I am the National Chairman of the PDP”.

    Shortly after, parties and lawyers in the case, who had expected the opening of proceedings, were surprised when Justice Sankey spoke of Poroye’s petition.

    The appeal that was called was the one filed by former Attorney General of Ondo State and a PDP candidate, who was recently replaced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with Ibrahim (following the October 14 order of the Federal High Court, Abuja.), Eyitayo Jegede.

    Justice Sankey disclosed that a petition had been written against the panel, containing many allegations, including claim that members of the panel were induced to act in favour of the appellant.

    “The petitioner is not only complaining about the speed with which the panel is going about the case, he also said that the setting up of the panel is unnecessary because the case did not require any urgency.

    “The petitioner accused me of being very poor. He said because I was ill some years ago, I have become so poor that I am open to corruption. He is using my illness of about five years ago to say I am so poor that I am now open to corruption.

    “I carry my poverty with pride. I will not steal anybody’s money,” Justice Sankey said.

    Another member of the panel, Justice Emmanuel Agim, wondered why the petitioner failed to explore the legitimate process of asking a judge to withdraw from a case rather than resorting to casting aspersions on innocent judges via a petition containing unsubstantiated allegations.

    “One of the allegations in the petition is that the reason we are doing this case is that we have been paid money,” Justice Agim said.

    At a point, the Justices in the panel, including Justice Oluwayemisi Williams-Dawudu, asked the petitioner to step out in the open court.

    Justice Williams-Dawudu said “if the petitioner was confident enough to raise allegations against them, he should be bold enough to come out in the open and defend his allegations”.

    Poroye, it was learnt, left the court moment before the issue was raised.

    When the panel sought the views of Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who represented Jegede, the lawyer said he was embarrassed by the petition. He condemned it and asked that the panel should proceed to hear the case in view of the fact that time was of the essence.

    Olanipekun urged the Justices not to succumb to an attempt to intimidate them. He suggested that the petitioner should be handed over to security agents for interrogation and that the outcome of the investigation should be made public.

    Lawyer to Pororye and eight other members of his executive in Ondo PDP, Alex Iziyon (SAN), distanced himself from the petition. He said he was not informed by one of his clients that a petition was being authored.

    Iziyon said the Justices should not be bothered by the antics of politicians, who have chosen to turn the court into a football that they could play around as it pleases them.

    He told the court that a similar petition was written “by the other party against the trial judge at the lower court. They cannot now complain because they are now at the receiving end.

    When asked by Justice Agim if he would continue to risk his good name by continuing to represent Poroye, Iziyon said he would take a decision on whether or not to withdraw his representation after he must have had audience with Poroye.

    After listening to lawyers in the case, the panel rose briefly, only to return about 30 minutes later to announce its withdrawal.

    “Ordinarily, since no facts have been placed before this court formally, to show a likelihood of bias on the part of the panel, and since learned Senior Advocate for the petitioner and first respondent has disassociated himself from the petition, we would have been minded to continue with the hearing of these appeals.

    “Even though this petition has fallen short of showing any likelihood of bias, nonetheless, we consider it more desirable to recuse ourselves at this stage in respect of all appeals and applications connected to the Ondo State governorship election.

    “All the files in this regard are now sent back to the Honourable President of the Court of Appeal for re-assignment,” Justice Sankey said in a short ruling.

     

  • Ondo: Special Court of Appeal panel withdraws from PDP appeals

    Ondo: Special Court of Appeal panel withdraws from PDP appeals

    The Special Court of Appeal panel led by Justice Hannatu Sankey constituted to determine all appeals arising from the Ondo State PDP governorship primary on Tuesday in Abuja withdrew following accusation of fraud.

    The two other members were Justices E. Agim and O.E William-Dawudu.

    Sankey, in her ruling, ordered that the files of all the five pending appeals relating to the PDP governorship ticket in Ondo State be returned to the President of the Court of Appeal for re-assignment.

    Sankey said the development was necessitated by a petition written against the panel by the Ondo State Chairman of the PDP, Biyi Poroye.

    “The petitioner in the most unholy description of my personality being a Justice who has just recovered from a protracted illness was open to corruption.

    “He in similar vein alleged that the panel has been paid huge sums of money by interested party to be able to sit on the Special Panel.

    “Ordinarily, since no fact has been placed on the court showing bias we would not have minded but in the circumstance we are compelled to withdraw in the interest of our integrity and justice,” she said.

    Poroye had also alleged that the panel was constituted to urgently hear and determine the cases because the President of the Court of Appeal was compromised.

    According to him, the members of the panel are briefed to deliver judgment in favour one of the governorship contenders Eyitayo Jegede.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the petitioner had obtained the orders of the Federal High Court in Abuja recognising Jimoh Ibrahim as the governorship candidate of the party.

    Acting on the order made by Justice Okon Abang, INEC dropped Jegede, a product of the Ahmed Makarfi-faction of the PDP.

    NAN further reports that Jegede’s substitution had further confirmed Ali Modu Sheriff as the National Chairman of the party, a development, the Ahmed Makarfi faction had challenged.

    Earlier, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), a counsel to Jegede expressed displeasure on the development, adding that the petition was baseless.

    “My Lords, the petitioner should be used as an example to ward off this type of frivolous accusations of our Judges.

    “I am suggesting that the petition be forwarded to the police for thorough investigation and the petitioner be placed in custody,” he said.

    On his part, Chief Alex Izinyon (SAN), counsel to Poroye, denied knowledge of the petition as according to him, politicians are capable of over reaching themselves in political matters.

    “I am totally not aware of this petition, he did not tell me about it and I therefore stand to denounce it, but I shall be craving the indulgence of the court to allow me some allowances to interface with him.

    “My Lords, it is not a new thing, the Ahmed Makarfi camp had done this to us at the trial court where a petition was filed against Justice Okon Abang to withdraw from presiding,” he said.

    NAN reports that with the seeming delay caused by this development, the Ondo people may have to wait a bit longer to be offered the authentic governorship candidate of the PDP for the Nov. 26 election. (NAN)

  • Irreconcilable differences in Ondo

    Irreconcilable differences in Ondo

    UNTIL a few weeks ago, the two leading parties expected to trade tackles in the November 26 Ondo State governorship election were the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But shortly after an unending stalemate sprouted from primaries marred by irreconcilable differences in the two parties, the otherwise two-horse race became a three-horse race. The third horse is of course Olusola Oke’s borrowed party, the Alliance for Democracy (AD), an old party in new wineskin, and an old flame of the Southwest’s political elite. With the publication of the final candidates’ list, Ondo appears poised to go to the poll to elect their new governor. The ruling party in Abuja, the APC, hopes to galvanise enough national clout and goodwill to get their candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu, a lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), elected. The state’s ruling PDP under the capricious Governor Olusegun Mimiko also hopes to muster enough muscle and familiarity with the local terrain to get their candidate elected.

    But there all signs of normality and common sense end. There is nothing close to normality in the APC after their hotly disputed primary produced a fractured party and bitterly divided aspirants. Alleging a rigged delegates’ list, three leading aspirants in the party challenged the victory of Mr Akeredolu in the primary. The embittered aspirants, Olusegun Abraham, Ajayi Boroffice and Olusola Oke announced that except the primary was redone, there would be no reconciliation. The primary was not redone, and will not be. Professor Boroffice has since retreated into glumness of the most severe kind; Mr Oke, a seasoned grassroots politician, has huffily migrated to the aforesaid AD, hoping to re-enact the magic that propelled the old party into renown; and Mr Abraham, a businessman, is perched on the horns of a dilemma unsure whether to embrace what he considers galling robbery or betray his own party in sweet revenge.

    Should both Professor Boroffice and Mr Abraham lend clout and support to Mr Oke, their erstwhile colleague in protest, Mr Akeredolu’s goose would be instantly cooked. There would be no stopping the AD. So far, however, there is nothing to suggest what schemes or treason the unhappy former aspirants are plotting. They will not stay undecided for long. In the next one or two weeks, they will decide one way or the other, obviously with telling effect. Ondo voters will also sympathise with the duo for the brutal dilemma they face: whether to overlook the robbery they alleged they suffered during the primary and thus give victory potentially to the APC, or punish the robbery and give victory to the AD, thus changing the face of party politics in Ondo for a long time to come.

    The situation is no less complicated in the PDP. In fact the ruling party in the state under the controversial leadership of Dr Mimiko is proceeding from a very disadvantageous position on account of the governor’s poor record and unstable political flirtations. To compound the disadvantage, the PDP is also fractured in two between the Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi national factions. Both men were governors and senators, and they wield enough charisma and clout to wreck multiple ambitions as they wish. The Senator Makarfi faction, allied with Dr Mimiko, conducted a primary in Akure under the watchful gaze of INEC and produced Eyitayo Jegede. The urbane Jegede, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) like Mr Akeredolu, would have caused a huge stir in the election had the APC itself not been divided. On the other hand, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally decided that it agreed with Justice Okon Abang’s Federal High Court, Abuja judgement to legitimise Jimoh Ibrahim’s candidature. The high-spirited Mr Ibrahim is a publisher and businessman. But the primary that produced him was held in Ibadan, making his legitimisation by INEC almost a stupefying conjuration. Ondo briefly seethed with protest and rage in some sections when news of his candidature broke.

    If no court can be found to overturn Mr Ibrahim’s candidature, and INEC still stands pat, the feisty publisher will face Messrs Akeredolu and Oke on November 26. But whether Mr Ibrahim is unhorsed or not, both the APC and the PDP look set to go into the poll divided and desperate. The AD’s Mr Oke will hope that neither of the two leading parties will be able to hammer out an agreement to close ranks and face the common enemy. Though there was a little misgiving in the AD when party apparatchiks rushed in the more electable Mr Oke to supplant their own dour initial pick, Akin Olowokere, the creases have since been ironed out and the party will go into the poll united and determined. The same cannot be said of the APC and PDP. If the unity in the AD holds and the divisions in the other two parties are sustained, the outcome of the election may not be as close or controversial as many fear.

    Ondo State, like Kano State, plays implacable politics that makes it difficult for election manipulators to disenfranchise voters. As their 1983 reputation showed in the Second Republic, Ondo voters fearlessly defend their vote. Having been provoked by a dithering Dr Mimiko and a quarrelsome and abrasive APC, they may already be in too foul a mood to suffer electoral fools gladly. Whichever way they vote in November will be so clear to the world that it would be no use attempting to challenge it or, worse, undermine it.

  • Ondo protests: Call Mimiko to order, AD urges Buhari

    Ondo protests: Call Mimiko to order, AD urges Buhari

    The Alliance for Democracy(AD) in Ondo State has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari not to be cajoled by the antics of the Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko over the mayhem that occurred on Friday on the choice of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the State.

    According to a Press Statement by the State Secretary of the AD in the State, Dr Sola Agboola, on Saturday, instead, the Governor should be held accountable for the organised mayhem which he regretted, “has even continued since Saturday morning.

    The AD alleged that PDP thugs and street urchins hired to carry out the acts of brigandage have been blocking roads in Akure, the State capital to sustain the ” lies
    concocted by Mimiko to the President that the State was on fire owing
    to the list pasted by the Independent national Electoral Commission
    (INEC)”.

    The AD while describing the situation as an irony and a sad pointer that Olusegun Mimiko who got into office via the instrumentality of the court could surreptitiously resort to violence even while before an appellate court to redress the matter, said that it amounted to deceit to resort to violence to seek justice.

    While describing AD as a peaceful party committed to the peace and
    tranquillity in the State, the Secretary wondered why Dr Mimiko should attempt to impose the wish of a tiny members of his party over those of the majority who are contented with the court and INEC’s verdicts.

    “In order to make his subterfuge work, the embattled Governor threatened the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladelusi Aladetoyinbo with deposition if he fails to incite the market men and women and force close the Main market in order to make his ploy seem real.

    “At the same time, hired thugs from outside of the State in cahoots with the some members of the drivers’ union, whose State Chairman is the Governor’s kinsman from Ondo, caused mayhem in order to whip sentiments for his minion, who regrettably is a lawyer.

    “We are calling on the law enforcement agencies to call Governor Mimiko and his protégé, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to order and hold them responsible for any infraction and breakdown of law and order. They are the authors of this organised mayhem.

    “The AD as a peaceful party abhors violence and destruction of public properties and we view with seriousness this shameful act of brigandage to force the hands of the law to do your wish by fire by force as Mr Mimiko is doing. The present mayhem is an organised one being perpetrated by the Ondo State Government and not that of the reaction of the people. Besides, that it came a day after the said incident happened and far into the midmorning when workers, market men and women, school children have gone to their respective offices and schools speaks volumes,” Agboola stated.

  • Ondo polls: Mimiko faults INEC’s listing of Ibrahim’s as PDP candidate

    Ondo polls: Mimiko faults INEC’s listing of Ibrahim’s as PDP candidate

    The outgoing governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko on Friday faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the listing of Jimoh Ibrahim as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

    According to him, Eyitayo Jegede is the lawful candidate of the party.

    He also pointed out that the Justice Abang judgment INEC relied upon has nothing to do with Jimoh and Jegede.

    Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mimiko said: “I am shocked. In logic, in law, in politics, there is no basis for it whatsoever. The Jimoh Ibrahim factor in all of this is predicated on a court order given by Justice Abang. Incidentally that court order is about zonal and state executives of PDP. That order is about 2009 election.

    “Neither Jimoh Ibrahim nor Tayo Jegede were parties to the suit. So, when that judgment suddenly came because when the name of Ibrahim was sent to INEC after a primary election which was conducted in Ibadan without INEC monitoring it, without security agencies, SSS or police, when the name gets to INEC and this Abang judgment was attached, INEC took the right decision initially by making it clear that to start with, it is not state or zonal executive that is empowered by the electoral act to conduct election, number two, the Abang judgment on the basis of which they were putting pressure on INEC to accept Jimoh Ibrahim as a candidate was referring to 2009 election.

    “There is nothing about 2016 election in that judgment. So, on the basis of this, a nitro, INEC refused and discountenanced the name of Jimoh Ibrahim as a candidate.

    “Then they went ahead and filed form 48 and from the blues, the same Justice Abang mandated INEC to replace the name of Eyitayo Jegede who emerged through a primary process that was supervised by INEC, security agencies on live television with all delegates that were supposed to participate, then Abang ordered that Jimoh Ibrahim should replace Eyigayo Jegede,” he said.

    “Ordinarily, we should have disregarded the order because like I said, Jegede was not a party to the suit, neither was Jimoh Ibrahim. But we were also advised that it was very important for us to appeal so that if anybody is up to a mischief, we would have taken the plank off the person.

    According to him, they immediately appealed.

    “When we had filed in our papers, submitted our briefs and gotten date, that should serve as a stay of execution. We don’t want to take chances because somebody in INEC told us that they obey the last order in the commission.

    “Some went to court and obtained two different orders mandating INEC not to substitute Eyigayo Jegede. We served one on INEC around 10 am yesterday, and we served INEC with the order one at the close of business around 3 pm. Only around 7 or 8 pm, we got to know that INEC for no justifiable reason had substituted the name of Jegede and replaced it with that of Ibrahim.

    “The question to ask is on whose order has INEC done that? Apart from the fact that we have two restraining orders on INEC, INEC knows fully well that Jimoh Ibrahim’s primaries was in Ibadan. There was no report by any security agencies that the security situation in Ondo state warranted the movement of the primaries to Ibadan or anywhere outside the state for that matter.” He said

    He also pointed out that the time for substitution of candidates has even elapsed under INEC’s guidelines.

    INEC’s action, he noted, can potentially cause a breach of peace in the state.

    He said that his administration in the last seven and half years has done everything possible to put good governance on the table.

    “We see this action as potentially dangerous. It can cause conflagration in the state and that is why as the chief security officer of the state, I have come to alert Mr President of the potential danger of this injustice so that we can nip it in the bud.” He added

    On the President’s response, Mimiko said: “Mr president has promised to look into it and that if there is any injustice, we should be rest assured that it will be rectified.”

    Speaking on protest in the state, he said: “The whole day from 5 a.m, I have been on phone with stakeholders to ensure they keep the peace in the state. The extent of the protest you have seen has been reduced by our intervention to ensure that there is no breach of peace.

    “I have assured them that this injustice will not stay. We will continue to explore all avenues to make INEC see reasons why this impunity must not stand.

    Asked whether he still has confidence in INEC conducting a credible election, he said: “If INEC finds it difficult to obey court order, a credible election starts with a process like this.”

  • ‘INEC must accept me as Ondo PDP candidate’

    ‘INEC must accept me as Ondo PDP candidate’

    In this interview with the Deputy Editor, Nation’s Capital, Yomi Odunuga, the factional candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Jimoh Ibrahim, argues that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is bound by law to accept him as the candidate for the November 26 poll. He also speaks about other issues. 

    With what the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said about the purported judgment obtained by you, would you say you are at a crossroads?

    Well, that should not be. INEC has no option than to obey the law of Nigeria. If they don’t obey the law of Nigeria, then we take them up on that to the highest court in the land and ensure the system is straightened in such a way that we can add value to our democracy. If you are given a court judgment and you sit as appeal in your wisdom over the majesty declaration, then you are taking the state towards anarchy. The trajectory is very clear. During Prof. Attahiru Jega’s tenure, INEC was known for obeying court orders. That was never compromised and that is why we could get democracy to where we are. In certain cases, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu obeyed the court order instantly. In the removal of two House of Assembly members, the order was obeyed instantly. But in Jimoh Ibrahim’s case where the order is specific; the first thing I heard was that once we have it, we would obey it. So, we made sure they got it and then the next thing we heard was that we have not been served, so we made sure they were served, and then the next thing we heard was we are studying it, now we have been served. Then the next thing we heard was, we are studying it but we give them till 27th of October to reconcile. Reconcile what? Are you an arbitrator? What are you reconciling? Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has warned that you don’t interfere in the internal affairs of political parties. Truthfully speaking, making that statement that they would give us up till 27th of October to reconcile smacks of nothing but corruption.

    Are you suspecting that the INEC is supporting the other group?

    I don’t care what INEC wants to do with its own life. What is important to me is that INEC must comply with the judgment making me the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Governorship election in Ondo State. It is not about Jimoh. It is about the system. What has brought our democracy to this level is the courage that Jega had to tell former President Goodluck Jonathan that he did not win the election and that the winner of this election was President Muhammadu Buhari and he gave him certificate of return. That was courageous. What took Jega to that level was running away from impunity, obeying court judgment and ensuring that there was a total compliance with court judgment till date. If he didn’t do that, Nigeria would not be enjoying democracy now, maybe we would have been at war.

    Does that mean we are progressing?

    Well, we cannot progress in one day. This is a less than 60-year-old country. This country gained independence in 1960. It is not even as old as University of Oxford whic was established in 1209 and that is about 800 years ago. Nigeria is just a baby; you cannot get it the same way the US is getting now. In other words, University of Oxford has been awarding degrees 750 years before Nigeria was discovered. We would get there, it is gradual. The key thing is to establish democracy and strengthen the institution. Institutional void is what prevented people from doing business in Nigeria. Part of it is my own case where, with a court order, INEC is still thinking whether to obey or not. Nobody would want to do business in that kind of country.

    You have threathen to go to court. Do you still have confidence on the judiciary?

    The government is strengthening the judiciary. Institutional void is one complaint that the World Bank would give to you about Nigeria. You go to IMF you want to borrow money, institutional void. You go to International Court of Justice; you talk about Nigeria, institutional void. Institutional void means unpredictable institutions that cannot stand on their own and do the right things at all time. You cannot be too sure they would do what the law asked them to do. So, the government is strengthening the judiciary, it is strengthening other systems, and departments of governments, state institutions. INEC should also be strengthened and purged of all the bad eggs. I am talking about one or two people in INEC that I had personal encounters with and you know, at my level, if I write the first petition in my life after 50 years, 26 years in the bar, you should know that I have evidence to say what I am doing. In fact, I have not said one-tenth of what Mrs. Babalola told me about INEC. If I say it, INEC would go on fire. So as a holder of the OFR National Honours, I keep that to myself until the DSS would investigate the matter. I can release that information to them but I just decide not to say it to the press. If I say it, you would lose credibility in the entire system because she said a lot of things to me and I do not work in INEC, all in a bid to persuade me to play the ball which I did not. Actually, she advised us about this court order. It is not for INEC to say they did not say so, when they do the investigation then they would know whether they say so or not. You can go and defend yourself there. I have said what I have said because that is what I was told and that was very clear.

    Why does your name often come in Ondo State governorship election?

    Mimiko, the incumbent governor, is afraid of my name and I do not know why. He is afraid that he has collected over 1 trillion naira in the last eight years and there is no development in the state. What we have is hopelessness, hunger, unpaid eight months’ salary, eight months of unpaid pension. I mean this is very bad in an oil producing state and what we are saying is that, this should not be so. They say there is recession, which recession? Buhari has sent to Ondo state more than180 billion naira since he came to office. Salaries from the period of two years even if you adjust the Buhari government to be two years old, the combined salaries of civil servants is less than 80 billion naira. You collected 180 billion; there is a hundred billion surplus. We are talking about recession and yet people have not collected salaries from the beginning of the year. They owe them eight months. That is completely rubbish.

    People would say it is easier said than done. What exactly do you hope to do differently?

    For me, a lot of things would go into turning around the state. It is a state in comatose, it needs to be turned around. That’s the first thing. So, we are going to diagnose the place, and we are going to develop human capability. That is what Mimiko neglected. Mimiko just finished from central-central district and they want to bring a governor that would spend another eight years in central-central district. Is that possible? Assuming he is able to do it, how would the governor have support of the people to run Ondo State? Where would he derive his legitimacy from? The governor should either come from the north or the south. I am from the south, if I finish, I give it back to the north. That is why you must be able to build a structure, a strategy and a system, to drive economic growth. If you don’t have a synergy, if the synergy is return power to yourself and the structure is to take it to where you are coming from, central-central district then you know the system would collapse. Like I said, he is a black swan in Ondo State and I think he is just afraid for nothing. He needs to come to the reality of the plight of the people of Ondo State. Regrettably, he is on his way out, he has just few days to go.

    How would you react to the general assumption that you are not that popular in Ondo State?

    I do not need Mimiko’s support. What do I need Mimiko support for? Mimiko is a liability. If Mimiko take you to campaign at the podium, you are going to lose the election. Somebody who has not paid eight months’ salary, what support would he give me that would translate to reality. What do you mean by I am not popular in the state? In 2003, you were there when I ran for election in the state; Adefarati beat me with about 5,000 votes. That was an incumbent governor. I was 34 years old then and I was able to make that giant effort. What are talking about? That is to tell you that I was almost there. If the incumbent could have beaten me to about with 5,000 votes, what are we saying? In 2003 to now, is a lot of years, I have played a lot of roles in politics in Nigeria from ANPP to PDP. Mimiko has moved from AD to PDP, from PDP to Labour party, from Labour party to PDP, and there from there. I don’t know where he is going to tomorrow. Maybe PDM.

    Are you confident that this fight to get INEC to put your name on the voter’s list would be realisable before the election?

    There is nothing stopping INEC from putting my name because, like I told you, it is an order from the court. It is not something that INEC has an option. This is not a choice. When you go against the law, it has its consequences and that is exactly what we have said. We need to really be transparent in Nigeria. You can imagine Mimiko, the equipment donated to him from Ondo state doctors in diaspora, one of those doctors was from Irele, they met in America and then medical doctors decided to look for medical equipment and give it to Ondo state. Mimiko went there to collect the equipment in the ceremony, brought them to Ondo and said that he bought it for several millions of dollars. It is so terrible and those guys are very annoyed. They had to call me from America that what kind of nonsense is this; they used their name and reputation to go to the manufacturer of the equipment to collect the equipment which they donated to Ondo State. I mean 1 trillion is a lot of money, what did he use it for?

  • INEC to obey court order on Ondo State governorship candidate

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says it will obey court orders in  determining governorship  candidates  submitted by political parties for the Ondo State Nov. 26 governorship election.
    Mr Oluwole Osazie-Uzzi, INEC`s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, stated this at the “CSOs Roundtable on Emerging Issues of Nov. 26 Ondo State Governorship Election,“ held on Tuesday in Abuja.
    He said while political parties had already submitted the lists of their candidates for the election; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presented two candidates.
    Osazie-Uzzi said that although the commission was currently facing the challenge of conflicting different orders from competent courts of the same jurisdiction, INEC would base its decision on available court orders.
    “ It doesn’t matter whether a court order was right or wrong, as the commission has no power to question any of such order but to obey.
    “Just like the leadership crisis in PDP, very often we are faced with conflicting orders.

    “Court order A says do this, court order B says I restrain you from doing that.
    “ We are at a very dangerous position where litigants are being allowed to choose between what court order to obey and which to disregard, which is a very dangerous situation,’’ Osazie-Uzzi said.

    He said that it would have been easier for INEC to make its decision on which order to obey if the courts involved were of different levels in terms of their hierarchy.

    Osaze-Uzzi also said that the commission was doing its best to ensure that the votes of the people determine an election.
    “Election should not be determined elsewhere either in the offices of INEC or in the court room.

    “That is not desirable and not the way it was designed; that is an aberration.
    “It is only where the due process has not been followed that the court should come in,“ he said.
    On the Ondo State governorship election, Osaze-Uzzi said that arrangements were in top gear to ensure that the election was free, fair and successful.
    The director disclosed that the commission had recruited and trained more than 16, 700 ad-hoc personnel for the election. (NAN)