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Tag: Tribunal

  • Tribunal orders Army to provide information on dead soldier

    Tribunal orders Army to provide information on dead soldier

    The Nigerian Army has been  directed  to provide information on the soldier whose death sparked the  July 4 disturbance in Palmgrove, Lagos, before the tribunal inquiry on Monday.

    Some BRT buses were allegedly burnt by soldiers protesting the alleged killing of their colleague by a BRT bus at the Palmgrove bus stop that fateful day.

    The tribunal chairman, Justice Ebenezer Adebajo (rtd) also directed the military to produce the autopsy report on the dead soldier.

    Justice Adebajo recalled three witnesses following the Nigerian Army’s request to cross examine them.

    The witnesses are Razak Mustapha, Ikechukwu Umeaku and Dapo Adediran, all workers of Mutual Model Transport Limited, a sub-operator of the LAGBUS.

    The witnesses said soldiers burnt the BRT buses while protesting what they called the killing of their colleague by a BRT bus.

    Asking for the witnesses’ recall, the army legal team led by Lt.-Col. Hycinth Ande said the army was not legally represented when they were testifying.

    “As it stands now, we want to take a date to cross-examine all the witnesses and we will equally be asking for copies of all the documents that they tendered before the tribunal.

    “We need time to go through the documents to enable us cross-examine the witnesses on them”, Lt. Col. Ande said.

    Justice Adebajo said the request was “in the interest of fair hearing”.

    He directed parties to, henceforth, produce sufficient copies of documents they intended to tender.

    Earlier, the Project Manager, Mutual Model Transport Limited, Mr. Abiodun Apata, said they traced  one of their buses coded MO63 to a military barracks.

    This, he said, was possible because of the tracking device in the bus.

    Apata, who did a demonstration before the tribunal, said the bus broke down and was stationary at the time of the incident.

    The tribunal resumes sitting on Monday.

  • Tribunal on BRT buses’ vandalism holds sitting

    Tribunal on BRT buses’ vandalism holds sitting

    The tribunal of inquiry into the road traffic accident as well as subsequent arson and destruction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses will hold its inaugural sitting today at Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Mr. Ade Ipaye, who disclosed this in a statement at the weekend, stated that the tribunal will commence public hearing as from tomorrow and end sitting on Friday, September 26, 2014 at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, (T Block), Alausa.

    The panel, which is to be chaired by retired Justice Ebenezer Adebajo, also has Mr. Nurudeen Ogbara, a lawyer, and Mr. Jude Igbanoi, the Deputy Law Editor of Thisday Newspapers as members.

  • Ekiti tribunal refuses PDP’s application on materials’ inspection

    Ekiti tribunal refuses PDP’s application on materials’ inspection

    The three-man Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, declined yesterday the request of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the presence of security agencies while inspecting  voting materials used in the June 21 governorship election.

    Justice Mohammad Sirajo granted the party’s relief to conduct the inspection but without security men’s presence.

    Justice Sirajo noted that “such order is not within the purview of this tribunal since it is the duty of INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) to provide same during such exercise. So, no order of tribunal is needed for this”.

    PDP’s counsel Kolapo Kolade sought the relief of the tribunal for the inspection of all materials used for the conduct of the election.

    According to the counsel, the motion was important “in view of the serious allegation made by the petitioner to the effect that the ballot papers used for the election were programmed in favour of the 1st and 2nd respondents”.

    He added: “In order to defend our position , we need to inspect the materials and we need he leave of the court to do so unless the INEC will not allow us.”

  • Tribunal orders substituted service on Fayose

    Tribunal orders substituted service on Fayose

    The Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has permitted the All Progressives Congress (APC) to serve the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose, through substituted service.

    The three-man tribunal headed by Justice Muhammad Sirajo granted the order following an exparte application by Kabir Akingbolu, counsel to the APC.

    Akingbolu told the tribunal that it was difficult serving Fayose the petition.

    Justice Sirajo also granted an order for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to permit the APC unrestricted access to the electoral materials used in the said election for purpose of inspection.

    The motion brought pursuant to Section 151 (1&2) and paragraph 47(1 and 2) of the First Schedule of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended was supported by a 15-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Christian Okoh, a lawyer.

    Justice Sirajo said: “Leave is hereby granted the applicant to move the application outside and prior to per-hearing session.

    “Prayer 2,3 and 4 are consequently granted subject to the payment by the petitioner to the Chief National Electoral Commissioner the requisite fee for the certification of documents aforementioned.

    “With respect to the second motion no: EKS/Gov/M3/14, the application for substituted service of the petition on the second respondent (Fayose) is also granted in view of the failure of personal service.”

    The APC’s lawyer told reporters that the ruling has empowered the petitioner to serve Fayose a copy of the petition through courier to his home country in Afao-Ekiti or by pasting a copy on the wall of the PDP secretariat in Ado-Ekiti.

    Akingbolu’s said: “The court has granted us an order to use an expert in handwriting, biometric data and scientific analysts that can examine the ballot papers to prove whether the allegation we made is true or not, which we believe will be successfully proved.”

  • Ekiti Tribunal begins sitting as APC alleges plot to burn INEC office

    Ekiti Tribunal begins sitting as APC alleges plot to burn INEC office

    The Election Petitions Tribunal set up to hear grievances relating to the June 21 Governorship Election in Ekiti State yesterday began sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    The Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Mohammad Siraj of the Federal High Court, Jos Division, was the only Judge who appeared  at the inaugural sitting on the premises of the High Court complex.

    A motion ex-parte filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow it (the APC) inspect the materials used for the conduct of the election was struck out by Justice Siraj on the party’s request.

    APC’s counsel said it withdrew the petition because events had overtaken the demand, adding that the parties joined in the application were different from the parties in the substantive petition filed against the respondents’ action for the withdrawal.

    Although the APC lead counsel, Alhaji Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) was absent at the inaugural sitting, he was represented by Kabir Akingbolu.

    Security was  strengthened around the premises of the High Court. Armed policemen barricaded the courts entrances including the dual carriageway facing the court.

    The state APC said  it has uncovered a plot to burn the INEC office in Ado-Ekiti.

    The party, in a statement, said: “We have it from reliable source that plans are being hatched to have ‘strange fire’ occurrence at the INEC office in Ado Ekiti and all the materials relating to the just concluded election will get burnt. The fire incidence would be blamed on some faulty power surge. But why would any person or persons want to set the ballot papers of a ‘free and fair’ election on fire, especially now that the APC has decided to test the result with the tribunal? Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.”

  • APC petitions tribunal on Ekiti poll

    APC petitions tribunal on Ekiti poll

    •PDP: Party chasing shadows 

    The Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has filed a petition challenging the results of the June 21 governorship election.

    The interim Chairman of the party, Chief Jide Awe, told reporters at the weekend that he submitted the petition on behalf of the party on Saturday “since the law allows the tribunal to also operate during weekends”.

    He said the petitioner is urging the Tribunal to “unravel the hidden fact surrounding the election,” adding: “The poll was more of a mechanical exercise than conventional casting of votes.”

    Awe said: “The results of the election were embarrassing to us as a party and we hold the view that there is no smoke without fire.”

    He said the petition was not opposed to the earlier position of Governor Kayode Fayemi, who had accepted the outcome of the poll and congratulated the winner, Mr Ayo Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He said: “The governor does not own the party. It is the party that owns the governor, and so the party can decide for him. You will observe that there is no name of Dr Kayode Fayemi on the ballot papers. What was contained on it was the name of the party and its logo. So, the issue is beyond the governor.

    “Let it be known to you that our candidate, Dr Fayemi, only conceded victory to guarantee continued peace that was prevalent in the state at the time as well as allow the siege laid on the state by the military to cease.

    “You can see that as soon as he announced that he had accepted defeat, the soldiers immediately vacated the state.”

    The PDP  said “the APC is going there to chase shadows”.

    Its chairman , Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, yesterday in a telephone interaction with reporters, said he was “not surprised because I knew that the APC would look for what to do and by all means too, to remain in the news following their crushing at the election by the Ekiti people”.

    Ogundipe added: “It would be interesting to see what they have this time against an election that has been the talk of the world in terms of freeness, credibility, fairness, organisation and security.

    “Even the people of the state, who voted massively for the candidate of our party, Dr. Ayo Fayose, would laugh at the mockery the APC is surely out to make of itself at the tribunal.

    “It is either their natural mischief or their usual deliberate deception of the people that has made them to act in feigned ignorance of extant court judgments on the issues they took to the tribunal as grounds to challenge the election.”

  • Govt to fund Investments Tribunal with 10 per cent capital market fees

    Govt to fund Investments Tribunal with 10 per cent capital market fees

    TheFederal Government has approved the funding of the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST) with 10 per cent of the one per cent secondary market transaction fees.

    The fund was hitherto enjoyed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

    The decision, it was learnt, followed a cash crunch and expanded mandate in the government.

    But the development will not lead to any marginal increase in the transaction fees paid by investors, it was learnt.

    The approval was contained in a letter from the Federal Ministry of Finance to SEC’s Director-General, Ms Arunma Oteh.

    The letter, signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs. A. M. Daniel-Nwaobasi, confirmed that the Coordinating Minister of the Economy/Minister of Finance, Dr. NgoziOkonjo-Iweala, gave the approval.

    Before the new funding measure, IST was unable to fund court sittings or pay for its rented offices in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu zones.

    The letter reads: “The IST will henceforth get 10 per cent from the one per cent of the secondary market transaction fees previously enjoyed by the SEC, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS).

    “The approval was based on the need to redress the precarious funding position of the tribunal, which has impacted negatively on its operations and the need to find a sustainable solution to it.

    “You may also wish to recall that a committee earlier constituted on improving the financial position of IST made the same recommendation in 2012.

    “With the positive outlook of the Nigerian economy and expected listing of more companies in the market, it has become imperative to strengthen all agencies in the industry to optimally perform their statutory responsibilities.

    “Improved funding of IST will enable it play its critical and strategic adjudicatory role and equally boost investors’ confidence in the capital market.”

    A highly-placed source said: “The Director-General of SEC was directed to convene a stakeholders’ meeting of relevant parties to immediately work out the modalities of implementing the approval of the Coordinating Minister of the Economy/ Minister of Finance.

    “The lifeline is coming at a time the tribunal could not fund its court sittings or pay for its rented offices in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu zones.

    “Moreover, the minister made sure that the approval will not lead to any marginal increase in the transaction fees paid by investors in the market.”

    Another source said: “The IST has faced acute funding problems since it came into existence due to the failure of the SEC, which midwived its set-up and the Budget Office of the Federation to address its needs.

  • DPP for tribunal

    The senatorial candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Chief Efe Dafinone, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the October 12 by-election in Delta Central.

    He told reporters at a news conference in Lagos yesterday that DPP would challenge the matter at the Election Petition Tribunal because of the evidence of irregularities.

    Dafinone said INEC officials and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members refused to conduct election in several places, in view of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) plan to rig the poll.

    He alleged: “INEC did not release or issue election result sheets and other sensitive election materials in most places and ‘results’ somehow managed to emerge in favour of PDP even before any election.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Why Naomi Campbell refused to eat for 10 days

    Why Naomi Campbell refused to eat for 10 days

    NAOMI CAMPBELL spoke to Net-a-Porter’s The Edit about her stunning appearance in the Versace Atelier FW13 couture show. Campbell was returning to the brand after 14 years, and she said the occasion filled her with many emotions, including insecurity, joy at reuniting with Donatella Versace and the overwhelming power of wearing amazing clothes. But instead of eating, she soothed her nerves with a liquid diet: “For 10 days, prior to the Versace show, I just drank juice-carrot, ginger and pineapple-to cleanse,” she said.

  • Tribunal probes MOCPED riot

    The Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola has inaugurated a five-man tribunal to investigate the June 17 riot that disrupted exams at the Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), Norforija-Epe.

    The tribunal of enquiry chaired by a former Commissioner for Education, Prof Idowu Sobowale, has three months to investigate eight terms of reference.

    At the inauguration of the tribunal at the Ministry of Justice, Alausa, last Friday, the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ade Ipaye, said in constituting the tribunal, Fashola invoked Section 1 (1) of the Tribunal of Inquiry Cap T6, which empowers him to constitute a tribunal if the disclosure of the matter will be in public interest.

    In addition to probing the causes of the crisis, Ipaye said the tribunal is expected to assess the roles and culpability of workers, students and police in the crisis; evaluate the extent of damage; recommend penalties; examine internal control system of management, and make recommendations on preventive measures to check riots by students.

    Education Commissioner, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye condemned the wanton destruction of school property during the riot allegedly instigated by students who were barred from writing the first semester examination for defaulting on fees.

    “The wanton destruction at MOCPED was monumental and no doubt, inimical to the realisation of the set goals of the college. It should be realised that public funds that will now be committed to the repairs or replacement of the damaged and vandalised properties could have been utilised for other beneficial projects. This is not acceptable to the state government and it is determined to unravel the remote causes of the mayhem,” she said.

    Chairman of the tribunal, Prof Sobowale pledged that the members will do their best hoping that such would not repeat itself in the state.

    “We have no illusion that the task will be easy. But we believe that with God on our side, we will complete the task. The painful thing is that instead of government to be spending money on new projects, it has to spend on repairs,” he said.

    Provost of the College, Prof Olu Akeusola commended the government for constituting the tribunal and counselled students not to be destructive during protests.

    “It is not possible to keep people from protesting. But your protest should not result in wanton destruction of property. This should serve as a warning to others that Lagos State will not tolerate such behaviour,” he said.