The Nation Newspaper

Tag: tussle

  • Court set to decide SAN rank tussle

    A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Bwari, Abuja has fixed tomorrow as date to deliver judgment in a suit filed by Mr. Beluolisa Nwofor, whose Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) rank was withdrawn by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC).

    The LPPC, on June 23, 2017, stripped Nwofor of the prestigious rank over his alleged involvement in act of judicial misconduct.

    The committee, in a statement by its Secretary, Mr. Ahmed Gambo Saleh, said it took the decision to withdraw the rank from Nwofor at the end of its 126th general meeting held in Abuja on June 22.

    The committee, however, did not give details of the alleged misconduct for which Nwofor was punished.

    Nwofor sued the LPPC before the court over the withdrawal of the rank.

    At the resumption of proceedings before Justice O. A. Musa, the court heard pending applications filed by the LPPC as well as written addresses on the issue of jurisdiction, which was raised by the court, and subsequently adjourned the case till tomorrow for judgment.

    The court will also determine an application by the respondent to arrest the verdict of the court.

    Justice Musa, on October 4, heard the substantive application that was filed by Nwofor for enforcement of his right to fair hearing and adjourned the suit to October 9 for judgment.

    However, on October 5, the LPPC filed an application seeking to be allowed more time to defend the case and set aside the previous proceedings conducted on October 4.

    Consequently, Nwofor opposed the LPPC motion and accused the committee of employing delay tactics in order to stall the matter.

    When the suit came up before Justice Musa, counsel to LPPC, Chief Ogwu Onoja (SAN), argued that the application was not for arrest of judgment even though it was filed after the substantive case had been heard and adjourned for judgment.

  • Igbo community resolves leadership tussle

    Igbo leaders in the North have resolved the leadership dispute between two factions of the Igbo Community Association in Zamfara State.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the resolution of the dispute, which lingered for 20 years, was achieved after intervention by leaders of Igbo community in the 19 northern states and Abuja, at Gusau.

    The two factions agreed to work together at a meeting convened by Chief Chikizie Nwogu, president-general, Igbo Delegates Assembly of 19 northern states and Abuja.

    Nwogu told reporters in Gusau the leadership of the Igbo community in the 19 states intervened in the crisis and resolved it.

    He said: “Today, we are happy to announce that after a reconciliation meeting between the two factions, we have achieved a great success, because both factions signed a peace agreement and promised to work together.”

    Nwogu hailed the factions for the maturity, understanding and respect, describing it as a “welcome development.”

    Commenting, Eze Pampas Ngozi-Ahaiwe, chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Eze of the 19 states and Abuja, urged the Igbo community to be law-abiding.

    “You should maintain peace. You should cooperate with the government and security agencies for peace to reign in the state and Nigeria.

    “The Igbo are peace-loving people. You should desist from anything that will tarnish our image,” he said.

  • The NDDC/NLNG tussle

    Members of the Green Chamber of the National Assembly on May 9 defended the country’s national interest when it passed a bill which requires the payment of three per cent of annual budget of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, NLNG, into the coffers of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

    The amendment bill, promoted by Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor, adjusts the Nigeria LNG (Fiscal Incentives, Guarantees and Assurances) Act. The House will now transmit the bill to the Senate for concurrence.

    In the new provision adds section 7b to the principal Act, which provides that “Notwithstanding section 7 or any other provision of this Act, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited shall pay 3% of its total annual budget to the Niger Delta Development Commission Fund as required by section 14 subsection 1 and 2b of the NDDC establishment Act, 2000.”

    Leading the debate on the NLNG Act of 2004, Leo Ogor, argued that with the untold environmental and health havoc wreaked on the people of the Niger Delta for decades, “the only way we can solve this problem is to bring relevant amendments to the Act because our people have suffered so much and I said that it is very important that we appreciate the enormity of the danger present in the region for us to act quickly and as a people, hold the NLNG responsible for unnecessary gas flaring using this amendment.

    “The amendment to this Act is aimed at redressing the great injustice that the NLNG has meted to the people of the Niger Delta region for almost 27 years now,” he said.

    “To partly or completely rejuvenate the environment, the NDDC establishment Act, specifically section 14 (2)(b), stipulates that three per cent of the total annual budget of any oil producing company operating onshore and offshore in the Niger Delta area, including gas processing companies like NLNG, shall pay the said percentage into the funds of the Niger Delta Development Commission.

    Surprisingly, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has raised its voice in protest against the proposed amendment. The NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, said that the move against the NLNG would have negative effects on strategic projects like the Brass LNG as it would discourage investors. Of course many stakeholders in the Niger Delta maintain that this line of thought flies in the face of reason and justice.

    The stakeholders remind those who care to listen that the Niger Delta had suffered for too long and it was imperative that development agencies, such as the oil companies, the federal, state, local governments, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the NDDC, must collaborate at different levels to drive a regional development masterplan for the region.

    The NDDC had always joined forces with key stakeholders in confronting the enormous challenges of making a difference in the lives of the people in the remote communities of the Niger Delta. One of such collaborations is in the construction of the 29-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe road, which it is undertaking in partnership with the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC.

    The N24 billion project illustrates the kind of challenges confronting the Niger Delta. It cuts through the swamps with 10 bridges and 99 culverts. The terrain is such that four metres of clay soil had to be dug out and then sand-filled to provide a base for the road. It shouldn’t surprise anyone therefore to learn that constructing a road in this tough environment costs twice or thrice what is required in other parts of the country.

    The NDDC Act states clearly how the commission shall be funded. Section 14[2] provides that “there shall be paid and credited to the fund established pursuant to subsection [1] of this section; [a] from the Federal Government the equivalent of 15 per cent of the total monthly allocation due to the member states of the commission from the federation account, this being the contribution of the Federal Government to the commission; [b] three per cent of the total annual budget of any oil-producing company operating onshore and offshore in the Niger Delta area, including gas processing companies; [c] 50 per cent of monies due to member states of the commission from the ecological fund…” and other sources such as grants and loans.

    The oil companies have also not been paying the three per cent of their annual budget as required by law. Records show that they deduct first charges before calculating the three per cent from the balance. Given the enormous impact of their activities on the environment, the oil companies are expected to be at the forefront in the critical task of urgently developing the oil basin that has suffered so much neglect in the past. It is, in fact, in their interest to develop the region where they operate in order to guarantee peace, which is very necessary for them to continue with their work.

    Among those that have expressed their frustrations over this state of affairs is the Bayelsa State Governor, Hon Seriake Dickson, who was obviously worried by the poor funding of the interventionist agency.

    He said: “The purpose of establishing the NDDC will be defeated if it is not in a position to undertake critical development projects in the Niger Delta; its purpose will be meaningless, if it will only award contracts for construction of classroom blocks and other jobs that may not have the capacity to impact the development of the area.”

    According to the governor, the major challenges in the Niger Delta were ecological and environmental and the realization of this fact should be reflected in the release of funds by the federal authorities. Sadly, this has not been so, thus limiting the capacity of the NDDC to fulfil its mandate of transforming the region that produces over 90 per cent of the country’s oil wealth.

    The Senate had since last year shown willingness to assist the NDDC to recover its outstanding funds.  The chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, noted that proper funding would help NDDC adequately address the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region, stating that the challenge of developing the region was enormous and that all relevant contributors to the NDDC must play their roles diligently.

    “Senator Nwaoboshi said that the committee was ready to do all it would take, including amending necessary laws, where necessary, to ensure full compliance by agencies statutorily obligated to contribute funds to the NDDC.

    The Nwaoboshi-led committee swung into action shortly after, summoning the defaulting agencies to provide the much-needed explanations. It formally opened an investigation into the non-remittance of statutory contributions to the commission by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG and Ecological Fund Office.

    After its investigative hearing on February 3, 2016, Senator Nwaoboshi said that both the NLNG and Ecological Fund Office had starved the NDDC of its statutory funds for more than 15years, describing the failure of the agencies to remit required funds as fragrant abuse of the law setting up the NDDC.

  • Senators, others face legal tussle over Magu

    Senators, others face legal tussle over Magu

    A Lagos businessman, Mr. Raji Rasheed Oyewumi, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court Abuja seeking the nullification of the screening of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,  Mr. Ibrahim Magu by the Senate.

    He also asked the court to declare that the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki and 10 Senators, being investigated by EFCC, ought not to have participated in the screening of Magu.

    He said due to conflict of interest, the court should disqualify Saraki and the 10’Senators from further participating in the screening of Magu.

    He said the court  should declare the screening of Magu on the 15th day of December 2016 without first referring him to the appropriate committee of the Senate as illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.

    The defendants in the matter are Saraki, Senators Godswill Akpabio, Jonah Jang, Aliyu Wammako, Stella Oduah, Theodore Orji, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Ahmed Sani. Danjuma Goje, Joshua Dariye and Adamu Abdullahi.

    Others are the Clerk to the National Assembly, the Senate, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Acting EFCC chairman.

    The plaintiff, through his counsel, Mr. Inibehe Effiong,  sought the following reliefs: “An order to set aside the screening the screening, votes, proceeding and resolutions of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (the 13th Defendant/ Respondent) of Wednesday, 15th March, 2017 as they relate to the nomination or appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Mustapha Magu (the 15th Defendant/Respondent) for the position of Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    “A declaration that the 1st Defendant is disqualified by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the Senate Standing Orders, 2015 (as amended) from presiding over or participating in the deliberation, screening and voting on the nomination of the 15th Defendant for the position of Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission due to the apparent conflict of interest arising the 15th Defendant’s active role in his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

    “ A declaration that the 2nd to the 11th Defendants are jointly and severally disqualified by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the Senate Standing Orders, 2015 (as amended) from participating in the deliberation, screening and voting on the nomination of the 15th Defendant for the position of Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission due to the apparent conflict of interest arising from their pending or ongoing cases of financial and economic crimes given that the 15th Defendant is coordinating and supervising the investigation into or prosecution for the said financial and economic crimes.

    “A  declaration that the 1st to the 13th Defendants jointly and severally violated the Senate Standing Orders, 2015 (as amended) when they participated in the screening, deliberation and voting on the first or earlier nomination of the 15th Defendant in the 13th Defendant on the 15th day of December 2016 by not declaring their pecuniary interests in view of their pending or ongoing cases of financial and economic crimes given that the 15th Defendant is coordinating and supervising the investigation into or prosecution for the said financial and economic crimes involving the 2nd to 11th Defendants.

    “A declaration that the first and earlier rejection of the nomination of the 15th Defendant for the position of Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by the 1st to the 13th Defendants on the 15th day of December 2016 without first referring the 15th Defendant to the appropriate committee of the 13th Defendant and at an executive or closed session instead of an open session is illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.

    “A declaration that the 15th Defendant is entitled to be accorded fair hearing by the 1st to the 13th Defendants during screening, deliberation and voting in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on his nomination for the position of Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

    “An order of injunction restraining the 1st Defendant from presiding over or participating in the screening, deliberation and voting on the nomination of the 15th Defendant for the position of Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

    “An order of injunction restraining the 2nd to the 11th Defendants from participating in the screening, deliberation and voting on the nomination of the 15th Defendant for the position of Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.”

  • Resolving the LAUTECH tussle

    SIR: The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso is a project that must not fail. The school which has once been the pride of old Oyo State must not be left to crash at this stage when the two partnering states have left the institution to rot.

    This school has produced brilliant minds but now it has turned to a virtual battleground where academic, non-academic staff and students have been rendered hopeless based on the tussle between the two states. The two states involved have no moral right to own other universities when this project cannot be sustained. The assets of the school should have been shared since the creation of Osun State- more so, the Teaching Hospital in Osogbo and the other arms of the University in Ogbomoso.

    The present predicament of the school is uncalled for; the students that have been locked out of the school for no just cause should be pitied. There are many young people in other nations of the world now that have left the shores of Nigeria during protracted industrial actions that are customary to the Nigeria educational sector.

    The Isiaka Abiola Ajumobi-led administration should look into how to resuscitate the university that bears the name of a foremost leader located in the historical town of Ogbomoso. The school cannot remain locked based on a deadlock between the two states. The Public Private Partnership investment that is being sought for the new technical university should not be to replace or be given priority over LAUTECH.

    A similar situation happened in the old Ondo State. Ondo and Ekiti states had the University of Ado-Ekiti and when Ekiti State was carved out of the old Ondo State, the university was ceded to the new state while Ondo State went to build another university. Incidentally, the Federal Government maintained Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Ibadan in the old Oyo State, as such, the Oyo State government must be ready to keep nurturing the two universities concurrently without any rift.

    The children of the masses should not be totally denied access to quality education. If a state-owned institution rots away, then a large chunk of the society has been disenfranchised. The immediate past administration of Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala did everything to ensure that it takes ownership of the university campus at Ogbomoso from Osun State while the state takes ownership of the Osogbo Teaching Hospital but people felt it was because the governor hails from Ogbomoso but it is now obvious that it is for the collective good of the masses.

    LAUTECH must rise again. LAUTECH must keep training students. It should be fully shared amongst the two states and the alumni must continue to make Nigeria proud!

     

    • Olutayo Irantiola,

    Okeho, Oyo State.

  • Still on the Abia governorship tussle

    December 31, 3015 was a special day for Abia and its well-meaning people. It was a day God delivered a unique New Year package to His own people through a well-thought out verdict of the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri.

    The day began like any other until late evening when news filtered into the state that the Appeal Court had delivered its judgment on the appeal filed by the governorship candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti.

    Otti had approached the Appeal Court to upturn the judgment of the Hon. Justice Usman Bwala-led governorship election petition, which affirmed the election of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor.

    The five-member jurists of the Court of Appeal, headed by Hon. Justice Oyebisi Omoleye, not only annulled the purported election of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as the governor but declared Otti the winner of the election. The court resolved that Otti scored the highest number of lawful votes cast at the election. And Hon. Justice Omoleye, beyond pronouncing Otti the winner, ordered that he (Otti) should be sworn in.

     

    How Abians received the court of appeal judgment

    The jubilation that came with the eve of January 1, 2016 judgment was spontaneous and widespread. From Arochukwu to Umunneochi down to Umuahia up to Aba, Owaza and far end of Ndoki and Ohambele in Ukwa East Local Government Area of the state, the people’s joy knew no bounds. Villages, communities and cities erupted in wild celebration.

    The joy was palpable and infectious all over the state as residents danced and made merry all-night-long on the streets and churches, thanking God for finally taking firm charge of the affairs of the state. It was indeed a beautiful and divine as it coincided with the celebration line up to herald a New Year.

    This was the situation that pervaded and still pervades the state to date. Suddenly and just from the blues emerged the forces of evil, which have over the last 16 years held down Abia from growth and development.

    Swimming against the tide and in contrast with the popular feelings across the state, some disgruntled professional politicians began to hold nocturnal meetings, where the idea to sponsor serial protests against the judgment was hatched.

    So, barely 48 hours after the landmark judgment was delivered, PDP shenanigans, mixed with street urchins, took to the streets to molest unsuspecting motorists at the Aba-end of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in the guise of a protest against the judgment that brought joy and hope of economic and political emancipation to more than 90 per cent non-PDP Abians.

    Of course, it was clear that the intention of the few protesters was to create the false impression that the people of Ukwa/Ngwa extraction of the state were opposed to the judgment. But that aim was roundly defeated because in the real sense, such a protest ought to be spontaneous and instantaneous, coming on the spur of the moment. Rather the protest came two days after the judgment, giving it away as sponsored and an after-thought.

    The scanty size of the protesters, who later moved to the streets of Umuahia, turned out to be a child play, when a multitude of Abians thronged the major streets of the capital city on Wednesday, January 6 to celebrate Otti and the December 31 judgment.

    The celebrators, comprising supporters and admirers of the former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank, took Umuahia by storm. The victory celebration attracted street traders, artisans, tricycle operators, motorists, market men and women as well as pensioners. The celebration was to continue in Aba but it was disrupted by the police on the orders of the state government.

     

    The April governorship election in perspective

    The story of the April 11 general election in Abia state can be comprehensively captured with a narrative of the bizarre drama that played out at the state collation centre on the premises of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Umuahia.

    The exercise commenced smoothly even though the atmosphere was tense. The State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, who was flanked on both sides by the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Selina Oko, and security chiefs in the state, kicked off the collation of the results of the election from the 17 local government areas.

    Midway into the exercise and at a time Otti was cruising comfortably to victory, having expectedly shot into a comfortable lead in nine out of the 14 local government areas (LGAs) collated, came the bombshell. Prof. Ozumba declared the results of the election in Obingwa, Osisioma and isialangwa North LGAs cancelled.

    He said: ‘’By the powers conferred on me, I hereby cancel the results of Obingwa, Osisioma and Isialnagwa North LGAs based on incontrovertible evidence from international observers.’’ The cancellation was recorded by the local and international election monitors as well as journalists and security chiefs, who largely made up the audience.

    No sooner had he announced the cancellation than some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stole into the collation centre like a thief in the night.

    And in a brute and rascally manner, characteristic of the legendry Idi Amin of Uganda, they whisked the REC away from the collation centre to her office.

    Rising from a meeting, Ozumba, who now looked intimidated and mystified, immediately recanted, reversed the cancellation of the results and proceeded to re-admit them. At the end of the exercise, he declared the election inconclusive, with no clear winner. He ordered a supplementary election in selected polling units in Osisioma, Ugwunagbo and just one unit in Isialangwa North. No unit was listed for the supplementary in Obingwa, where the mother of all-rigging took place.

    This was how PDP arm-twisted INEC and paved the way for the declaration of Okezie as the governor, after awarding fabulous figures to the party in the three controversial LGAs.

     

    Post-declaration public reaction

    Ikpeazu’s declaration as governor was a sad commentary for Abians. Many people in the villages, communities and cities broke down psychologically with the INEC declaration. It was a dark Sunday for the good people of the state. INEC has dashed their hope of getting rid of PDP and everything it represented in the state.

    Relief however came their way, when Otti announced at a press briefing that he would challenge the result in the tribunal, pointing out that ‘’the battle has just be  started.’’ He described the INEC declaration of Ikpeazu as governor as ‘’a rape of democracy.’’

     

    Salient issues in Otti’s petition

    In his petition, Otti had alleged over-voting in Obingwa, Osisioma and Isialangwa South LGAs, signing of multiple ward results in the affected LGAs by local government agents rather than the duly accredited ward agents. He also requested the tribunal to sustain the cancellation of the results of the three LGAs in line with the initial pronouncement of the returning officer, insisting that Ozumba had no power to reverse the cancellation. He also cited sundry other irregularities and malpractices that vitiated the credibility of the results in the three contentious LGAs.

    Surprisingly, these weighty issues, which characterised the election in the three LGAs and rendered it substantially non-compliant to the Electoral Act, were dismissed by the tribunal.

    The cloud of depression and hopelessness that enveloped the cities, towns and villages in the wake of the tribunal judgment endured until December 31, 2015, the eve of the New Year day. However, Abia and its well-meaning people experienced a fresh breadth on December 31 with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

    The judgment was the needed tonic that brought life back to many Abians, who were dying by installment each passing day as they waited patiently for justice and the recovery of their mandate.

    This is the reason for the unending joy today in the streets of Aba, Umuahia, Obehie, Ukwa, Umunneochi, Ohafia, Arochukwu and Bende as well as the villages and communities in the state.

    In his official reaction to the judgment, entitled ‘’Justice at last,’’ Otti said, ‘’It is said that the windmill of justice may grind slowly but it surely does grind.

    ‘’After more than seven months of tortuous and needless legal tussle, the will of the people has triumphed!’’

    Also reacting to the judgment, Ikpeazu, who urged his supporters to remain calm, said that he would challenge the judgment at the Supreme Court through his counsel.

    Aside from wasting the scarce state resources, pursuing a matter that is already sealed at the Court of Appeal, appears more like a wild goose chase and an exercise in futility. And expecting the Supreme Court to reverse the unanimous decision of a five-member panel of jurists looks like mere wishful-thinking, a mirage and a near-impossibility.

    Indeed, it amounts to self-delusion for anyone to expect the nation’s apex court to uphold a proven case of massive electoral fraud, brazenly committed by PDP desperadoes to continue to foist themselves on the people against their wish.

    According to a popular maxim, anyone who goes to equity must go with clean hands. It goes to explain therefore that going to the Supreme Court with proven cases of over-voting, massive electoral fraud, corrupt practices, irregularities and substantial non-compliance to Electoral Act, with an intent to shortchange the people and deny them their popular choice, is akin to going to equity with soiled hand. And nobody goes to equity with blemish and expects justice.

     

    • Great Nwadike is an Abia indigene resident in the United Kingdom
  • Community enmeshed in kingship tussle

    Community enmeshed in kingship tussle

    The people of Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri Kingdom had looked forward to being ruled again by a crowned king, following the death of the immediate past king, Pere Amakosu, Oduwor III.

    Their prayers and yearnings were realised in May this year, a year after their former king was buried.

    •Chief Johnny Aribogha
    •Chief Johnny Aribogha

    An election was conducted by the kingdom among three contenders, namely Couple Oromoni, Johnny Aribougha and David Pere, all from the Perebiri Ruling House. At the end of the election, Couple Oromoni emerged as Pere Amakosu-elect. He scored eight out of the 12 votes cast and leaving two apiece to the two other contenders.

    The process that produced the new Pere-Amakosu was driven by a committee of 12 representatives from across the kingdom. The result of the selection was openly announced by the Ogbe-Ijoh Council of Chiefs, led by the then Regent, Chief Samson Mamamu.

    It was gathered that the selection followed a rigorous process, which ensured that the guidelines for the selection was followed to avoid controversies. Before getting down to its responsibility, all members of the selection committee took an oath in the Warri High Court to be of good behaviour and to accept the outcome.

    They also signed a legal oath and agreed that all of them would abide by the outcome of the election without recourse to court or publish comment discrediting or challenging the outcome.

    Chairman of the Selection/Succession Committee, which decided the fate of the contestants, Elder Anthony Jolomi, said their procedure considered the personalities of the three men, taking particular notice of their contributions to the development of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom and their everyday life style.

    Things seemed to be going without let or flaw until reports of petitions and questions on the status of the new king-elect started read. A couple of persons started a move to stop the crowning ceremony of the new king, a departure from agreements signed before the commencement of the selection process.

    The courts and the media were resorted to by those who wanted to stop Oromoni from being crowned. The high point of the plots was the mention of the state’s deputy governor, Mr Kingsley Otuaro, in the drama.

    He was accused of using his position to enforce his will against that of the people. Probably other interests in the happenings in the Ogbe-Ijoh traditional politics might have just continued folding their arms and watch where the unfolding drama would end. But the supposed wrongful inclusion of the name of the deputy governor, which, to most people, was sheer mudslinging, brought a new twist to the kingship issue.

    Many stakeholders vehemently rebuked those who had been signing the petitions and statements against the crowning of the king. They were angry that the name of the deputy governor was not only included, but also told lies against his person and office.

    In a position paper against the development, the Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Clan Governing Council categorically exposed whom it said was behind the attacks, stating the reason for his bitterness.

    The paper, signed by its Chairman, Hon. Lucky Oromoni and Secretary, Mr Elvis Wurusibewei, said: “Chief Alfred Yola, (who is not an Ogbe-Ijoh Chief, but claims to be an Obotebe Chieftaincy title holder in Burutu Local Government Area and Isele Banni, were neither authorised nor mandated to speak for any family, quarter, community in Ogbe-Ijoh or in the entire Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom.

    “There are appropriate persons and organs with authority to speak for Ogbe-Ijoh people at every given time. His Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Delta state, is innocent of the accusations in the petition published in the said publications.

    “The signatories to the petitions; Chief Alfred Yola and Sele Banni, are only being used as surrogates by desperate and bad losers. The allegations and protests are the handiwork of Mr Johnny Aribogha, who contested and failed by scoring only two (2) votes.

    “The selection process, which Mr Johnny Aribogha voluntarily participated in and scored only two votes, started long even before the emergence of Deacon Kingsley Burutu Otuaro as deputy governor,” the council said.

    In a chat with Niger Delta Report, a prominent son of Ogbe-Ijoh, who did not want his name mentioned because of security reasons, lamented the twist introduced to the kingship issue.

    While exonerating the deputy governor of all the infringements levelled against him, the source revealed that the choice of Pere Oromoni was an overwhelming decision of the entire kingdom, including Perebiri, which the king’s traducers were using as front.

    “This unnecessary crisis over the crowning of the Pere is the typical example of wars of attrition you see everywhere in Nigeria. But where its drivers goofed, and badly too, is the way they threw the name of the deputy governor into it. Believe me, I’m yet to understand their motive.

    “To start with, Deacon Otuaro is not involved in the crowning of the king. All those stories about him sending police to enforce the crowning are false and that’s where I lost hold on their game plan. Why involve the person who played no role in an event and doing so using unsubstantiated claims? Was this just to destroy his name or to use it as a lever or floating buoy?

    “Don’t let the names of those signing all these petitions deceive you. They have no stake; they are just being used as puns by a man who believes he spent enough to buy the conscience of all of Ogbe-Ijoh, but who realised late in the game that even with all he thought he had spent, the people would always vote according to their consciences and their impression of him. The pattern of votes cast revealed how unpopular he is with the people of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom. This is a man who had tried to wrongly claim the throne, even when it was not open yet for contest. He forgot all his infamous acts of the past.

    “So, my advice to those who lost is to stick to the agreement they signed before the result of the election to the throne was announced. The three contenders agreed to abide by the outcome of the election, seeing how stringent and transparent the process was.

    “We were all there, he also saw there was no room for manipulation and he signed to abide by the outcome and not to put the kingdom and its people through all these sort of turbulence we are witnessing now. Out of 12 lots, eight went to the current king, two apiece to the sponsor of this confusion and the third contender. When he stormed out of the community hall that day immediately Pere Oromoni was announced as the winner, I knew he was up to no good.

    “I believe he will burn his fingers by involving the name of the deputy governor in his plots because the man knew nothing about all those things he put out in the media,” the source said.

    There is an intense altercation between the contenders on one hand and the community on the other hand over the selection process. Whoever emerges winner would be accepted by all and the community would be spared the stress and complications of litigation. But here is the community and its new king being dragged through a bitter legal tussle. What is left to be seen is if there would be any penalty for breaching a duly signed agreement by a party in this matter.

  • Land tussle: Community rejects judicial commission’s chair

    The people of Ibagwa-Nike community have pleaded with Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to reverse the appointment of Mr. Albert Edoga as the chairman of a judicial commission of inquiry on Ibagwa Nike crisis.

    Ugwuanyi had recently set up a judicial commission of Inquiry into the land crisis rocking the community in Enugu East Local Government Area of the state, with a view to providing a lasting solution to the lingering crisis.

    But the Ibagwa Nike General Assembly in a letter to Governor Ugwuanyi dated October 27 2015, while appreciating the effort of the governor, raised serious objection against the chairman of the commission, Edeoga, whom the community alleged has vested interest in the land crisis.

    According to the letter signed by ten prominent leaders of the community including Chief Anike Nwoga and Mr. Cyril Mbah, an engineer, the people alleged that Edoga, who is a former commissioner for lands in the state, contributed in no small measure to the problem of the community in area of land allocation.

    Part of their petition reads: “Barrister Edeoga on many occasions connived with Igwe Emmanuel Ugwu to disposes individuals and families of their land in the name of government acquisition when he was commissioner for lands and urban development.”

    The petitioners cited the so called Gateway layout as a clear case where individuals and families were dispossessed of their land.

    The petitioners further alleged: “Igwe Emmanuel Ugwu realising that he cannot have access to the land without resistance now ran to Edoga and all manner of government machinery was deployed to forcefully take over people’s patrimony.”

    They pleaded that the commission be peopled by those with no immediate or remote attachment to any of the issues in the community.

    They congratulated Governor Ugwuanyi for coming to their rescue and pledged more support for his administration.

     

  • Nonagenarian intervenes in Onikoyi family land tussle

    A nonagenarian, Alhaja Ashiata Aduke Onikoyi Laguda, has appealed for truce within the various branches of the Onikoyi family currently enmeshed in litigation over Ikoyi landed property.

    The appeal is coming against the background of  suit No: FHC/L/CS/451/15 filed by some members of the Onikoyi Descendants’ Family  against the Federal Government and Onikoyi of Ikoyi/Moba land, Oba Patrick Ibikunle Fafunwa and others in which they are asking the court for an order directing the government to include them in future transfer of land and meeting pertaining to return of properties to the Onikoyi Royal Family.

    The aggrieved members, who are from the 10 branches of the Onikoyi family, had claimed that in 2007, a 4.342 hectares of land covered by water was allocated to the family by Lagos State Government, but it was seized by the Federal Government and later settled out of court in suit No: LD/769/12 between the Federal Government and the Onikoyi of Ikoyi/Moba land, Oba Patrick Ibikunle Fafunwa.

    But because the family representatives were not involved in the out of court settlement, the Federal Government refused to release the land to any single individual as a result of which Oba Patrick Ibikunle Fafunwa sued the Federal Government in suite No: LD/8690/14, which is pending at the Lagos High Court.

    Addressing a press conference in Lagos last week to mark  her 90th birthday, Alhaja Onikoyi-Laguda, who is the head of the Ajose Aluko branch of the Onikoyi Family, appealed to both Lagos State and the Federal Government to disregard any sinister plot targeted at members of the Onikoyi descendants, saying that none must be left out in the scheme of things while handing over the Ikoyi property to the family.

    This, she said, would ensure that members of the family benefit from the property bequeathed to them by their progenitors.

    Alhaja Onikoyi-Laguda, who a former Secretary to  the late Chief S.L. Edu, who was the chairman of African Alliance Insurance Company,   also urged the monarch  to avert discord among family members.

    She said: “I want the Federal Government to know that, he, (Oba Fafunwa) was made an Oba by his family. He is rich enough and I want him to be contented with what God has done for him. He should give other members of the family part of the property belonging to the family.

    “Since there is no Lloyd’s bank in heaven, you should release what belongs to the family and allow the family benefits from the property.

    “You should remember that we were once together at the insurance company. Today, God has blessed you by becoming a monarch. I urge you, do not split the family because of family properties and don’t be ungrateful to those that assisted you to become a monarch.”

    Alhaja Onikoyi-Laguda also appealed to other members of the Onikoyi royal family to be united in the struggle to get their entitlement and urged Oba Fafunwa to unite the family in whichever way to ensure that peace reigns in the family.

     

     

  • Court to begin hearing on CBCIU leadership tussle

    A Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State will next Monday hear the case of the control of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) between Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka and former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

    The notice of hearing showed that the hearing will begin by 9am on October 12.

    The attorney general and commissioner for justice and two others- the governor and Prof. Soyinka- are listed as defendants in the suit issued by the court order on September 14.

    The hearing notice asked all the parties to bring the evidence by witnesses or by documents with which they desire to rely on in support of their case and in contradictions of the ones by their opponents.

    It reads: “The proof will be required at the hearing and not on a subsequent day. And parties failing to bring their evidence forward at the proper time may find themselves absolutely precluded from adducing it at all. Or at best will only be allowed to do so on payment of substantial costs to the other side and on such other terms as the court thinks fit to impose.

    “Parties desirous to enforce the attendance of witnesses should apply at once to the court to issue one or more summonses for the attendance of the witnesses required. It is indispensable that the applications should be made so as to allow time for reasonable notice to the witnesses required.

    “If either party desires to use in evidence any book or document in the possession or power of the other party, he must give the other party reasonable notice in writing to produce it at the hearing, failing which he will not be allowed to give any secondary evidence of its contents.”