The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Petition

  • Court remands ex-pension director in prison indefinitely over petition

    For accusing the trial judge in his case of bias, a former Director, Pension Accounts, in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Shaibu Teidi is to remain in Kuje prison, Abuja indefinitely.

    Teidi is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly defrauding the Head of Service pension accounts to the tune of N18.3million.

    He was arraigned alongside Udusegbe Eric Omoefe and their companies on a 22-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy to commit fraud and concealing the illicit origin of stolen pension funds.

    The court was to rule on their bail applications yesterday when Justice Adeniyi Ademola drew parties’ attention to a petition written by Teidi, accusing the judge of being bias in the way he was handling his case. The petition was addressed to the Chief Jugde of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta.

    When the judge confronted Teidi with the petition, he looked blank. His lawyer, Sunday Ameh (SAN) denied knowledge of the petition written by his client.

    Justice Ademola consequently deferred ruling on the bail applications until the issues raised in Teidi’s petition were fully resolved.

    “By law, when there is allegation of bias against a judicial officer, a matter can’t proceed, all proceedings has to be suspended until the allegations are cleared”, the judge held.

    He adjourned the case sine die, (indefinitely). The judge ordered that the accused be remanded in Kuje prison until the issues around Teidi’s petition were cleared.

    Also, Aliyu Bello, a former special assistant to the Director of Administration (Pension Accounts) in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and Abdullahi Omeiza, a Sokoto school teacher, standing trial for criminal conversion and obtaining over N1billion under false pretences in another pension fraud case have been admitted to bail.

    The accused were granted bail at N366, 000,000 each and a surety in the same amount.

    The case has been adjourned to October 14, for commencement of trial.

     

     

     

  • Ondo Election Petition Tribunal adjourns for judgment

    Ondo Election Petition Tribunal adjourns for judgment

    •Date to be communicated to parties

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and its governorship candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), yesterday adopted their final written addresses on their petitions at the Ondo State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Akure, the state capital.

    Counsel to ACN and Akeredolu, Akin Olujimi (SAN), said the petitioners have proved that the October 20, last year, election was marred by irregularities.

    He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could not defend any of the allegations against it, especially the illegal injection of names into the 2012 voters’ register, even though it admitted injecting over 100,000 names into it in its reply.

    The ACN’s counsel urged the tribunal to nullify the election because it was conducted with a compromised voters’ register.

    Olujimi said Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s witnesses confirmed that there were multiple registration and persons whose fingerprints were not captured were allowed to vote.

    He said INEC could not explain how some names appeared four times in the register and all the people laying claims to the name voted.

    Olujimi reminded the tribunal of the ACN’s expert’s report, which showed areas where INEC registered human hands as voters.

    He said the irregularities were widespread and substantial to invalidate the election.

    Olujimi urged the tribunal to disregard Mimiko’s reply to the ACN’s written address on the grounds that some issues raised in it were not contained in the respondent’s main address before the tribunal.

    He said to rely on the said reply would be a breach of fair hearing because, according to the tribunal’s rules, the petitioners can no longer file an address to respond to the reply.

    Mimiko’s counsel Chief Wole Olanipekun urged the tribunal to disregard all the INEC documents tendered by the ACN because they were not properly certified, based on the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

    INEC distanced itself from Olanipekun’s submission. It said the documents were duly certified by the commission and tendered with the consent of all parties to the petition.

    INEC said it did not call any witness because the documents used in the election had been tendered by the ACN.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) objected to the Labour Party’s (LP’s) argument that the illegal injection of names into the’ register was a pre-election matter.

    It said the register was part of the election process and germane in determining the poll’s credibility.

    PDP urged the tribunal to either declare its candidate, Mr. Olusola Oke, winner of the election or conduct a fresh one.

    For the first time since the tribunal began sitting, Mimiko was present.

    The tribunal Chairman, Justice Andova Kaka’n, thanked the lawyers for their good conduct.

    He said the date for the judgment would be communicated to the parties and adjourned the sitting.

  • Treat Heartland’s walkover petition on its merit – Fuludu

    Treat Heartland’s walkover petition on its merit – Fuludu

    Edema Fuludu, a former Coach of Warri Wolves FC, on Monday urged the African Football Confederation (CAF) to treat Heartland FC’s petition over the walkover it suffered at the hands of US Bitam FC of Gabon on merit.

    Fuludu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that if the petition was found to be spurious, then the walkover decision should be upheld by CAF.

    It would be recalled that Heartland could not arrive at the match venue on time; for the April 6 Confederation Cup encounter due to a logistics setback. The chances of the Owerri-based club on further participation in the competition is currently hanging on a thread, pending a decision by CAF on the matter.

    The former coach described Heartland’s logistics arrangements for the return leg in Libreville as “shoddy”. He wondered why a club of the calibre of Heartland could not put its acts together over a routine arrangement that could be effortlessly handled by its protocol department.

    “I hear that they did not tidy up their flight arrangement on time, and if that was the case, then it was very careless of them,’’ he said.

    Fuludu, a former attacking midfielder of Julius Berger FC of Lagos and a member of the victorious Super Eagles Tunisia 1994 AFCON squad, added that the club’s management should be blamed.

    “The blame for this embarrassing development should be borne by the club’s management and no one else. This is not their first time of participating in a continental competition and as such, cannot be said to be novices in such an endeavour. They should be sanctioned if found guilty,’’ the former Warri Wolves coach added.

  • Disregard petition against Akume, Nasarawa ACN urges Senate

    Disregard petition against Akume, Nasarawa ACN urges Senate

    Nasarawa State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has urged the Senate to disregard the petition on the certificate forgery against the Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume.

    The party described the allegation as political blackmail aimed at creating a hollow in the good record of the former Benue State governor. The acting chairman of the party, Mr. Bashir Jabiru, a lawyer, lamented the plot by political foes to tarnish the image of the accomplished politician.

    He said the allegation was baseless and lacked substance, urging the Seante to ignore it.

    The party in the north central warned that they are capable of staging a peacefull protest to the National Assembly complex to present a contrary view if the political enemies of the senate minority leader persist.

    In his words: “We wish to condemn in the strongest term, the petition leveled against the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Gorge Akume by a faceless anti progress politician.

    “The allegation is mere balckmail of the Senator.We urge the Senate to disregard it, to protect the good image of the Senator.

    “If the enemy persist, our chapter is capable of moblising the whole North Central zone to stage a peacefull demostration at the National Assembly complex”, he said.

     

  • Abuja residents petition Jonathan on planned demolition of N160b estate

    Residents of a mass housing estate in Abuja, under the auspices of Saraha ProForm Estate Residents Association, have petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan on the planned demolition of the N160 billion estate.

    In the petition by Oluwasegunotta Ojo and Maureen Ibikwe, the Chairman and Secretary of the association, the residents on January 4, 2013, said they bought property at the estate between 2009 and 2012 through a man they identified simply as Alhaji Kabiru, the Chairman/CEO of Saraha Homes Limited.

    The residents said they had completed payment and taken possession of their houses without hindrance from anybody until recently.

    The petition reads: “It would be important to inform you, sir, that at the commencement of our transactions with Saraha Homes Limited, we demanded to see the original allocation paper of the plot. We were shown a copy of the letter of offer issued in the name of Proform (West Africa) Limited.

    “We were also made to understand that there was a partnership agreement between Proform (West Africa) Limited and Saraha Homes Limited. A copy of the said partnership agreement was also shown to us by the Chairman/CEO of Saraha Homes Limited. We were also shown a copy of a letter of authority investing power on the Chairman/CEO of Saraha Homes Limited to manage and superintend the estate.”

    The residents said searches conducted at the Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS) confirmed that the land was allocated in the name of Proform (West Africa) Limited, adding Sahara Homes issued them offer letters to possess their property.

    In the petition, which was also sent to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the National Assembly, the Chief of Army Staff, the Inspector-General of Police, among others, the residents also complained that on January 31, 2013, they discovered that about 60 armed soldiers with 50 armed policemen dressed in bullet-proof vests had besieged the estate, cordoned off the entrances and made sure nobody left or came into the estate.

    They urged the President to direct appropriate authorities of the FCDA, especially the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, to resolve the matter in their favour to save them from the trauma they are undergoing in the hands of Winning Clause Limited and the Development Control Department of the FCTA.

  • Union warns students on false petition

    Officials of the Niger Delta Students Union Government (NIDSUG) have warned students of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Port Harcourt, and students of other institutions in the Niger Delta region to be careful of the kind of petition they send against their schools.

    Members of the union, who visited IAUE campus to act on reports sent to the NIDSUG secretariat, said false report could bring disagreement between the management and the union.

    Michael Yalah, President of the union, who led other members to the office of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rosemund Green-Osahogulu, said their visit to the campus was to check how students were being treated by the management.

    The union, however, accused the management of interfering in student politics, while chiding the authorities over increment in tuition fees and lack of concern to the welfare of students.

    Prof Green-Osahogulu denied meddling in students’ affairs. She said: “As far as I am concerned, I don’t know the executive of Students’ Union in this campus. The first time I met the president of the union was the day of their inauguration.”

    On the increment in the school fees, she said: “Our school fees is the cheapest compared to what is obtainable in other schools. We don’t charge faculty fees, departmental fees and the rest of them but others do.”

    The union apologised to the VC for acting on false information and promised to support the management of the school to achieve its goal.

     

  • Airhiavbere’s petition a sham, says tribunal

    The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal yesterday described the petition by Maj-Gen Charles Airhiavbere (rtd) “as a sham”.

    Airhiavbere of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who challenged the electionon grounds of electoral malpractices, also said Governor Adams Oshiomhole was not qualified to stand for the election.

    He urged the tribunal to declare him winner of the July 14, last year, election.

    But the tribunal said the petition was “bereft of any substance and ought to be dismissed.”

    It described it as an “elaborate pleading without evidence to support same.”

    The tribunal held that it was mindful of the Supreme Court’s judgment ,which ruled that issue of non-qualification was not a ground in the petition.

    It threw away exhibits 52 and 53 admitted as evidence, saying they ought not to have been admitted.

    The Tribunal Chairman, Justice Mu’azu Pindinga, said judges could not act as oracles when evidences were not presented before them.

    He said the petitioner complained about election malpractices in 11 local governments and 62 wards but called witnesses in four local governments.

    Justice Pindinga held that Airhiavbere failed to prove allegations of illegal amendment of the voter register beyond reasonable doubt by not tendering any voter register.

    On the issue of anomalies in the filling of Form EC8A, the tribunal held that it was the duty of the petitioner to prove the claims.

    It also said facts and figures were not presented before the tribunal.

    Justice Pindinga also held that evidence from witnesses in the four local governments were at variance with the pleadings in the petition.

    According to him, “Owan East was worse; the witnesses could be described as busy bodies.”

    “Allegations in paragraph 15 were not proved. Evidences must be given within the precinct of the pleadings and not outside”.

    Justice Pindinga held that Oshiomhole won majority of lawful votes and that the petitioner did not win in any local government or in the unit where he voted.

    He ruled that there was no infraction of the Electoral Act to warrant Airhiavbere to be declared winner.

    The tribunal chairman further ruled that it was not proved that alleged malpractices and other issues affected the results of the July 14 election.

    He said the petitioner cried in vain and dismissed the petition.

    A cost of N150,000 was awarded against Airhiavbere.

    The court was filled with supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and a few from the PDP.

    Former Chief Whip of the Senate Roland Owie and Dickson Imasogie were the only two PDP leaders present at the tribunal.

    Security operatives had a hectic time escorting Oshiomhole outside the court as almost all ACN members wanted to shake hands with him.

  • ACN, Accord challenge tribunal’s jurisdiction to use LP’s reply for petition

    Ondo State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and its candidate, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), have challenged the jurisdiction of the Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Akure to make use of the reply filed by the Labour Party (LP).

    The objection was filed by 46 lawyers led by three Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Akin Olujimi, Oladipo Okpeseyi and Lasun Sanusi.

    ACN is contesting the competence of the LP’s reply to the petition filed by Prof. Wahab O. Egbewole, who is a full time employee at the University of Ilorin, an educational institution financed by the Federal Government.

    The party noted that paragraphs 1&2(b) of the fifth schedule of the constitution forbid Prof. Egbewole, who is a public officer, from offering his service to any other person except his employer.

    It said Egbewole has no ‘locus standi’ to sign LP’s reply to the petition and the reply signed by him is a nullity and should not be used by the tribunal.

    ACN also prayed the tribunal to strike out all the motions filed by LP challenging its jurisdiction.

    It argued that by virtue of the Electoral Act, all objections raised in the respondent’s reply shall be heard along with substantive suit and not by motion at the pre-hearing session.

    Similar applications were filed by the Accord Party, challenging the LP reply filed by Prof. Egbewole. The applications will be heard on January 10.

    The tribunal at its last sitting hinted that it may consolidate the petitions before it.

    The petitions were filed by ACN, Accord Party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), People for Democratic Change (PDC) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

    In another development, a Federal High Court sitting in Akure has awarded N5,000 cost in favour of Akeredolu and ACN in a suit challenging Akeredolu’s candidature by the Registered Trustees of the Egalitarian Mission Africa.

    The plaintiff’s motion for amendment of their originating summons was adjudged incompetent by the court and struck out.

     

     

     

  • Ondo PDP: no withdrawal of petition

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State yesterday said it was not under pressure to withdraw its petition challenging the victory of Governor Olusegun Mimiko in the October 20 election.

    PDP said its candidate, Chief Olusola Oke, was not being lobbied by the party’s national leadership to withdraw the petition.

    In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Wale Ozogoro, PDP said: “As of today, our party’s national leadership and the presidency have not called Oke or the leadership of the state party to either lobby or direct them to withdraw the petition.

    “Rather, the national leadership commended our performance at that election, stating that we performed creditably well despite all odds. The letter was personally signed by the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    “No meeting has been called or held to facilitate the so-called withdrawal of the petition that was submitted in good faith with the intention of reclaiming our stolen mandate.

    “Oke and the party toiled day and night to successfully pilot the party to the level it is today. We remain focused and unshakable. We have resolved to approach equity with clean hands.

    “We are not unaware of the desperate move of the governor, in his usual manner with his cohorts, to continuously deceive the people. This is by sponsoring hyper media propaganda and surreptitious moves interred with deceit, falsehood and pretense, all aimed at suggesting a comeback to the PDP, which is a fluke.

    “Before the election, it was generally speculated in the same manner we are witnessing now that the governor was coming to our party by the same source orchestrated by his paid cronies in Abuja.

    “Our party will not lose sight of history and the antics of Mimiko, as he abandoned an earlier promise he made to the National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who helped him secure the judgment that ousted the Chief Olusegun Agagu administration.

    “Ondo PDP will continue to pursue its case with the support and collaboration of our national leadership. The Mimiko we know is not ready to come to the PDP. His major interest is how to heinously and tactically explore all avenues, including the media, to get the PDP and Oke to withdraw the petition, having being advised by his counsel that, indeed, the PDP has a strong petition against him.

    “After a thorough study of the petition, Mimiko’s counsel implored him to continue, in his usual manner, to recruit dissents and compromised individuals with the intention of portraying the party as divided and not capable of genuinely accomplishing its quest to recover its stolen mandate.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Mimiko replies ACN’s petition

    Mimiko replies ACN’s petition

    •Tribunal to hear motion tomorrow 

    Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has filed his reply to the petition of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and its candidate in the October 20 governorship election, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), which is pending before the Election Tribunal sitting in Akure, the state capital.

    The ACN is urging the tribunal to nullify the election on grounds that it was marred by irregularities.

    In a 46-paragraph reply, the Labour Party (LP) candidate denied allegations of malpractices.

    He prayed the three-man panel, led by Justice A. Kaka’n, to declare that it lacks jurisdiction over the petition, adding that the issue of Akeredolu’s eligibility to contest the election is pending before the Federal High Court, Akure.

    Mimiko urged the tribunal to cancel part of the election in Irele and Ilaje local government areas for corrupt practices, violence, ballot manipulation and over-voting.

    His reply was filed by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).

    Mimiko was served a notice of the petition on November 21 and his reply came five days after the expiration of the 14 days stipulated for the respondent’s reply.

    The tribunal has fixed tomorrow for the hearing of the motion filed by the ACN and Akeredolu for the inspection of materials used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the election.

    In a motion dated November 22, filed by ACN counsel Charles Titiloye, Victor Olatoyegun and Kola Olawoye, the party urged the tribunal to allow the petitioners to inspect, make copies and certify all the election materials and scan used and unused ballot papers by electronically.

    Counsel to Mimiko and the LP Dr. Olumide Ayeni did not object to the application but sought to be included in the inspection.

    Titiloye opposed the request on the grounds that it is not a requirement of the Electoral Act that a respondent must be present during inspection. He said the respondents could not make such a request without a formal application.

    Titiloye said Mimiko and the LP are not INEC or the police and have no role to play in protecting the electoral materials as argued by their counsel in his written address.