Judiciary
Accept Tribunal Verdict, Cleric Urges LP Abia North Senatorial Candidate
Olasunmibo Aboluwade, Abuja
A cleric, Rev Kalu Ukpai Ota has urged the Abia North Senatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Nnamdi Iro Oji (Opotoyom), to accept the judgement of the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal upholding the election of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
In a chat with newsmen on Sunday in Abuja, Ota cautioned the Labour Party candidate to desist from blackmailing the judiciary.
He alleged that Iro Oji was yet to recover from the shock defeat he experienced during the February 25 National Assembly election.
According to the cleric, Iro Oji was never prepared to run for senate, saying: “I understand that my brother from Abiriba, Nnamdi Iro Oji (Opotoyom), was never prepared to run for senate.
I remembered he bought Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency’ House of Representatives form under the platform of APGA after decamping from the APC.
He was never prepared to run for senate, hence, his inordinate behavior of attacking Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, the judiciary, and inciting his community against Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.”
He urged Iro Oji to stop ridiculing himself before the law by alleging that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu was convicted for stealing and money laundering.
“Senator Orji Kalu’s case was dismissed by the Supreme Court like we all know.
So, one may want to know what he is trying to achieve having been rejected by the people of Abia North Senatorial District. Maybe it is personal vendetta against Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
I understand he was never prepared for the senatorial election. He was in the race for Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency seat, but was hurriedly drafted into the Labour Party after losing APGA’s reps ticket to Dr. Okuji Oreh from Ozu Abam.”
Ota cautioned Appeal Court judges to be wary of Iro Oji who was instrumental to the sacking of three judges in 2016 through blackmails and petitions.
“These judges should remember how the NJC had acted on Iro Oji’s petition against some judges in 2016. Justice Tsamiya was sacked from office, with two other judges.
The affected judges, who presided in the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, are Tsamiya, and Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice I. A. Umezulike, and Justice Kabiru M. Auta of the High Court of Justice, Kano State.
He blackmailed and implicated them. Such a character should not be listened to,” he said.
Olasunmibo Aboluwade, Abuja
Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has warned relevant government agencies to thread with caution and ensure the safety of a former minister of power and steel, Dr. Olu Agunloye, who has been remanded at the Kuje Correctional Service.
Agunloye is currently awaiting trial on corruption charges.
Soyinka likened the travail of Agunloye to the tragic 2001 assassination of former Minister of Justice, Bola Ige.
Agunloye had pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was presented before the Federal High Court.
The presiding judge ordered his remand in Kuje pending the issuance of bail.
Soyinka raised concerns about Agunloye’s safety within the correctional facility.
He emphasized the historical context, reminding the nation of Bola Ige’s murder, which remains unsolved to this day.
The Nobel laureate said, “I wish to alert the nation and the government that there exists a justifiable, high-level concern for his safety.
“His predecessor in office, the late Chief Bola Ige, was murdered in his bedroom by a professional assassin even while his police protection detail took time off, all at the same time, to a nearby eatery,” Soyinka stated.
Drawing attention to Agunloye’s previous collaboration in investigating Ige’s murder, Wole Soyinka expressed the potential dangers that the former minister might face due to the abrupt decision to remand him to prison.
Soyinka called for the establishment of an independent, non-partisan commission to thoroughly investigate the scandal surrounding Agunloye’s case.
“The latest development is sinister and alarming. Let it be understood that if anything happens to this pivotal witness while in custody, the inference will be heard loud, clear, and unambiguous,” Soyinka warned.
The backdrop to this controversy includes the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declaring Agunloye wanted in December 2023 on charges of forgery and corruption.
Soyinka’s statement serves as a powerful call for transparency, justice, and a careful examination of the circumstances surrounding Agunloye’s legal proceedings.
Olasunmibo Aboluwade, Abuja
The Director General of the National Institute For Legislative And Democratic Studies, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, said on Thursday that the inadequate number of legislative drafters in National and state assemblies is affecting lawmaking in Nigeria
Sulaiman, who is a former Minister of National Planning stated this during the inauguration of the third NILDS Internship Programme on Legislative Drafting, in Abuja.
He said NILDS introduced the internship programme on Legislative Drafting when it discovered the need to strengthen the nation’s parliaments with experts that would make the lawmakers’ jobs easier.
The DG said the insufficient numbers of legislative drafters in the parliaments across Nigeria was because no university in the country was offering it as a course.
Sulaiman said all the interns are qualified lawyers who had either first class or second class upper at their degree level.
He said “The NILDS Internship Programme on Legislative Drafting is an initiative designed to provide interns with the requisite knowledge, and skills in Legislative Drafting.
“This is to enhance the capacity of interns in legislative drafting and equip them with the necessary knowledge needed to actively contribute to the drafting of laws and other legislative instruments for the legislature in the country.
“This initiative is important in view of the fact that legislative drafting is a very specialised area of law that is not taught as a regular course in conventional institutions of learning.
“It is on this note therefore, that I wish to urge the participants who have been carefully selected by our team of experts to consider themselves lucky to benefit from this great opportunity.
“The objectives of the Internship programme are specially designed to acquaint interns with knowledge on the principles and rules of legislative drafting, the legislative process and the role of a legislative drafter.
“They are expected to know the different types of legislation, such as bills, regulations, and treaties.
“They will also have the skills on legal research and analysis of legal issues relevant to legislative drafting, committee system in the Legislature, and to understand the impact of legislation on the society.
“This initiative is based on the commitment of the Institute to bridge the gap in the acute shortage of legislative drafters in the country despite the increasing demand for their services across the national and sub-national levels.”
Sulaiman added that the internship initiative was the first of its kind to be organised by any African Parliament.
He said, ” Nigeria is taking the lead and hopes that other Parliaments will follow suit.”
The DG said the leadership of the 10th National Assembly was commitment to sustaining the laudable initiative considering the gains and potentials it would have in consolidating and strengthening the legislative institution.
He said, “In 2022, two batches of interns were trained by the Institute. The training for the first batch commenced in February, while the 2nd batch commenced in May 2022.
“At the end of the programme, the interns were assessed, and the Institute granted the best interns employment opportunity with the Institute, and this year’s internship programme will not be an exception.
“The interns were also issued certificates, as well as letters of recommendation for engagement of their services by legislators.”
THISDAY reports that 30 interns were admitted into the programme.
The institute had so far trained 60 legislative drafters since the internship programme started in 2022.
Olasunmibo Aboluwade, Abuja
The Court of Appeal, Abuja, has nullified the victory of the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Simon Mwadkwon, who is representing Plateau North- Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
In a unanimous judgement, the three-member panel led by Justice Daudu Williams held that the PDP did not validly nominate Mwadkwon.
The panel held that it is their view that court orders were not fully complied with by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) didn’t participate in the congress.
The court also ordered a rerun for the Plateau North Senatorial seat to be conducted in 90 days.
The court cited non-compliance with a subsisting court order from the Plateau State High Court made since 2020 for the PDP to conduct Congress before nominations, as a key factor in their decision.
The panel at the Appellate court led by Justice Okon Abang also nullified the victory of PDP’s Musa Avia representing Bassa North in the House of Representatives