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Alleged N1.7b Fraud: Enugu APC Chairman, Guber Candidate Dragged To Court

Published

1 year ago

February 7, 2023

Editor

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu State, Mr. Adolphus Ude has dragged the party’s chairman, Barr. Ugochukwu Agballah to court over alleged N1.7 billion fraud.

Also joined in the suit as defendant is the governorship candidate of the APC in Enugu State, Chief Uche Nnaji.

Ude, in suit No. E/47/2023, filed a criminal complaint against the duo before an Enugu State High Court.

The plaintiff is accusing Agballah and Nnaji of misappropriating party funds and lack of accountability.

Ude, who is the pioneer deputy chairman of the party in Enugu State, alleged in the suit that the Enugu State chapter of the party realized N786 million from the sale of Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms, which the defendants were yet to account for.

He also alleged that the APC, Enugu State, realized an additional $1,351,000 from consultations and logistics from presidential aspirants, but that Agballah and Nnaji had refused to account for the monies despite agitations and protests by members of the party in the state.

“Since the third defendant (Nnaji) was nominated as the (governorship) candidate of the party, he has connived with the second defendant (Agballah) to misappropriate the funds of the party and run the affairs of the party with impunity.

“The second and third defendants misappropriated the $1.5 million given to the APC, Enugu State, as delegates’ allowances and failed to pay the money to the delegates. The second and third defendants appropriated the money for themselves instead,” he stated in the suit.

He is, therefore, seeking an order of the court directing Agballah and Nnaji to “render and publish a detailed account of the amount realised by the APC in Enugu State from the issuance and purchase of Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms by the aspirants in the APC for the governorship position in Enugu State in the 2023 general election.”

The plaintiff is also pressing for an order of court directing Agballah and Nnaji to render and publish a detailed account of the use and proof of disbursement of the sum of $1.5 million released by the first defendant (APC) for the payment of allowances of the first defendant’s delegates from Enugu State to the National Convention and presidential primary election of the first defendant.”

He further averred that, “By a letter dated August 19, 2022, the second defendant’s ward, the Udi/Agbudu Ward in Udi Local Government Area suspended the second defendant from being a member of the Ward and expelled him from the Ward and debarred him from holding party office in APC.

“This was as a result of the corruption and impunity perpetrated by the second defendant in handling the affairs and funds of the APC, Enugu State. Notwithstanding his suspension and expulsion from APC in his Ward, the second defendant continued to parade himself as the chairman of APC, Enugu State and to meddle in the affairs of the party with impunity and without authority.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

Rcall that earlier in January, Ude led a protest of aggrieved Enugu APC members against Agballah and Nnaji at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.

News

Bauchi Lawmaker Pledges To Expedite Passage Of Bill On Reduction Of Out-Of-School Children

Published

1 hour ago

May 10, 2024

Editor

Honourable Nasiru Ala, the Chairman, House Committee on Education in the Bauchi State House of Assembly has pledged to expedite the passage of the state framework Bill to reduce Out-Of-School in the state.

He made the pledge during a two-day regional stakeholders meeting on out-of-school children and retention, transition as well as completion models in Bauchi, Gombe and Adamawa states.

According to him, any moment the bill is sent to the state House of Assembly from the Executive, the lawmakers would expedite actions to ensure that the bill is passed within three to four weeks.

He said: “Based on the law making, we are going to enact this particular law on the domestication of the Bauchi state framework to reduce Out-of-School children bill within three to four weeks from the day of reception from the Executive Arm.

“Our governor has been very cooperative and supportive on this particular issue of out of school children because it is a serious menace.

“As an academic, I’m not always happy anytime I hear the word Out-of-School children.

“That is why it’s not going to be a big deal in the Bauchi state House of Assembly to enact the state framework to reduce Out-of-School children in the state.

“In three weeks time In-Sha-Allah, we are going to pass into Bill this State Framework to reduce Out-of-School children in the state”.

Also speaking, Mr Raphael Aiyedipe, Education Officer, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, said that the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) had developed a National Framework of Action to Reduce Out-of-School Children and drive access to education in the country.

According to him, the framework commits to substantially and systematically decrease the number of Out-of-School children in Nigeria by 2030.

He highlighted some of the objectives of the framework to include; improve access and quality of education for all Nigerian children, drive improvement in learning and relevant skills development.

Others, he said, were to accelerate the social and economic development of communities and the country at large.

“The Framework has 5 thematic areas that includes; political actors and this means gaining the political will and government commitment.

“Best practices and alternative pathways and this translates to defeating learning poverty, Community accountability, that is engaging stakeholders to build ownership.

“Technology and ICT which means improving access through innovative solutions and Financing mechanisms, that is, reaching the most vulnerable,” he explained.

News

EFCC Trial: ‘Even The Prophets Went To Prison’ – Buhari’s Minister Comforts Self In Court

Published

11 hours ago

May 10, 2024

Editor

A former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, standing trial for an alleged N7.2bn fraud, said he was ready to go to prison just like the prophets.

Sirika, his daughter, and three others were arraigned at a Federal Capital Territory High Court on Thursday on a six-count amended criminal charge before Justice Sylvanus Oriji.

A video of the ex-minister speaking in court with his lawyers surfaced on X on Thursday.

In the video, Sirika, dressed in cream Babariga, could be heard saying, “It’s okay. Fatima, it’s okay,” while comforting his daughter.

He continued, “Even prophets have gone (to prison). Those that went, haven’t they finished theirs already?…whatever Allah says”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had accused the ex-minister, his daughter, son-in-law and Al-Duraq Investment Limited, of fraud in connection with the botched Nigerian Air project.

Meanwhile, the court granted each of the defendants bail in the sum of N100m with two sureties each.

Before the trial judge, Justice Sylvanus Orji granted the bail request of the defendants, they pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them after it was read out to them.

The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs SAN, had informed the court of an amended charge by the EFCC dated May 7, and filed on May 8, which was not opposed by the counsel for the defendants.

Sirika’s lead counsel, Kanu Agabi (SAN), informed the court of his client’s bail application dated May 6.

The other defendants similarly, moved their bail applications and prayed the court to be liberal in the bail conditions.

Jacobs, on his part, told the court that all the defendants were on administrative bail and asked the court to grant bail on the condition that would make them appear for their trials.

Apart from the N100m bail, Justice Osuji added that one of the sureties must own a landed property with valid land titles in like sum within the Federal Capital Territory.

The judge also held that the sureties must depose to an affidavit of means while he barred the defendants from travelling outside the country without its permission.

He added that failure to fulfil the bail conditions would earn the defendants a stay in a correctional facility.