Politics

Trial Of Ex-President Jonathan’s Aide, In Alleged N3bn Fraud Stalled By Acute Diabetes Ailment

Published

2 years ago

November 29, 2021

Editor

The trial of former Director of Finance in the defunct President Goodluck Jonathan’s Campaign Organization, Dr Ngozi Olejeme, in an alleged N3bn fraud was on Monday in Abuja stalled due to an acute diabetes ailment suffered by the defendant.

Justice Maryam Hassan Aliyu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) shifted the trial to December 6 following a passionate plea by her counsel, Mr Paul Erokoro SAN to that effect.

When the trial was to commence, Erokoro told the Judge that doctors to Mrs Olejeme have called her to report immediately to the hospital as she has fainting spells.

The senior lawyer recalled that the defendant has been diabetic and hypertensive for 30 years and has had four major surgeries in the United States of America and South Africa.

He further hinted to the court that she recently suffered heart failure and COVID-19 and is still in the recovery process.

Moved by the plight of the defendant and due to no objection to request for adjournment, Justice Aliyu fixed December 6 for resumption of the trial.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC had on October 21 arraigned Mrs Olejeme on a nine-count charge, in which she was accused of abusing her office, receiving a bribe, awarding contracts without due process, among others.

Mrs Olejeme who was a former Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) was on October 22 admitted bailing by the Judge after spending 24 hours in the custody of the EFCC on the order of the court.

Justice Aliyu adopted the conditions attached to the administrative bail earlier granted Olejeme by the prosecuting agency, EFCC in 2017 to admit her to bail.

The conditions are that the defendant produces two Deputy Directors in government employment to stand as her sureties.

In one of the counts, Mrs Olejeme was alleged to have “dishonestly received the sum of N22,200,000.00” from a contractor with NSITF into her personal account No. 32327505058110 at GT Bank.

Mrs Olejeme was also accused of receiving $48,485,127.00, which was dollars equivalent to some funds received from contractors as kickback

Politics

Edo Guber: APC Candidate, Okpebholo, Lacks Cognitive Experience To Govern – Tenebe

Published

4 days ago

May 25, 2024

Editor

A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Chief Henry Tenebe, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo lacks the cognitive experience to govern the state.

Tenebe, who made the assertion while x-raying major political parties governorship candidates in the forthcoming election in the state, noted that when it comes to managerial experience, Asue Ighodalo of the PDP is more experience and competent than the opposition APC candidate, Sen. Okpebholo, whom he dismissed as a non-starter.

According to him, it is unfair to compare Ighodalo with Okpebholo, highlighting that the APC governorship candidate lacks the exposure and experiences that Ighodalo has acquired in both his private and public sector careers.

He noted that these experiences make Ighodalo the best-suited candidate for the job in Edo.

Tenebe expressed his dissatisfaction with how the APC has managed the national economy in the past few years.

He insisted that the party lacks the moral right to even field a candidate for the Edo Guber election.

“If not for the law that allows parties to stand for election irrespective of performance, the APC is not supposed to field a candidate, let alone canvass for support.

“The party is synonymous with hunger, deprivation, kidnapping, terrorism, crude theft, energy blackout, and countless other vices.

“The indices are quite gloomy and they tell the story of a party in utter disarray. In a sane climate, voters would revolt and ensure they used their votes to send them packing”, Tenebe said.

Politics

LP Crisis Takes New Twist As Edo Chapter Suspends Abure

Published

4 days ago

May 25, 2024

Editor

…accuse him of anti-party activities

…it’s an exercise in futility – Abure

The National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Barrister Julius Abure, has been suspended by party executives in Ward 3 Arue-Uromi, in Esan North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, for alleged high-handedness and anti-party activities.

This decision was ratified by the State Executive Committee of the party after the ward wrote a formal letter to the SEC.

Abure’s suspension was a sequel to a meeting of members of the ward where allegations of his “high-handedness and anti-party activities in the administration of the party and other acts of financial impropriety were exhaustively discussed.”

The ward executives in the letter of suspension addressed to Abure noted that “allegations of fraud levelled against you, which are (currently) under investigation.”

A letter of suspension dated May 14, 2024, and another letter of ratification dated May 15, 2024, both of which were ratified at a meeting of the state executive committee on Friday (May 24, 2024) night in Benin, read in part, “While the suspension is with immediate effect, you are advised to restrain from holding out or parading yourself a member of Labour Party, Ward 3, Arue, Uromi in Ean North-East LGA, Edo State.”

The letter of suspension was signed by the Ward Chairman, Thompson Ehiguese, and Ward Secretary, Stanley Usiomoh.

The letter of ratification of his suspension was forwarded to the State Executive Committee of the party through the State Chairman by the Local Government Chairman of the party in Esan North-East, Patrick Onogbeni, and LGA Secretary, Ehikioya Eromosele.

The second letter read in part: “Here forwarded to you and for your consideration is the ratification of the suspension of Comrade Barrister Julius Abure from the membership of Ward 3, Arue, Uromi, Ean North East LGA, Edo State.

“The LGA Executive met today, 15th of May, 2024 about noon, to consider the matters presented on the suspension and accordingly found them weighty, and the suspension ratified and upheld.”

The State Executive Committee endorsed the decisions of the Ward and Local Government Committee of the party at a well-attended meeting in Benin late on Friday.

It was gathered that the venue of the meeting was charged as leaders and members of the party chanted: “Abure must go!”

The State Executive Committee considered the letters, together with the issues contained therein, and ratified Abure’s suspension.

With the ratification of his suspension, the basis of his chairmanship of the party at the national level has been vitiated, and by implication, he stands suspended as the party’s national chairman.

In response, Abure, while speaking through the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said the action of the Edo State Chapter was an exercise in futility because it lacks basis in law as enshrined in the LP constitution.

Ifoh said, “The 2019 Labour Party constitution, Article 17 subsection 1, is clear that only the National Convention convened solely for the purpose of removal of the National Chairman with a two-third majority can suspend or remove the chairman. The ward, LG, or even the state have no power to suspend the National Chairman.

“An Edo High Court has also ruled on this matter. Also, an Appeal Court has also ruled on this matter.

“This dimension is a continuation of the attack on the person of Abure as witnessed during the governorship primaries. It will also amount to nothing, and we are not perturbed.”

Politics

Peter Obi And I Will Defeat APC Any Day — Datti Baba-Ahmed Boasts

Published

4 days ago

May 25, 2024

Editor

The vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 elections, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said that his party will defeat the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in any election.

Datti stated that he was confident in the abilities of his principal, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Datti said these during an appearance on Arise TV on Friday. He added that he was not scared of going against the ruling party, the APC in future elections.

According to Datti, “APC and PDP did not have 60 per cent of the Labour Party’s votes in the FCT that they are ruling.

“So, I’m never scared because if we are in a democracy, it’s the people’s power that we will use. And we’re using it. Not the armoured tanks of the Nigerian Army that belong to the Nigerian people, and not the barrels of the gun or the teargas that the Nigerian people are afraid of.

“Any day, if there’s an election again, if they come out, we will defeat them. It’s left for them to go and twist the constitution again, change the meaning of English, and declare by 4 a.m.”

‘We won 2023 election’

Datti also said that, in retrospect, the Labour Party won the 2023 general elections.

He said: “In fact, we hold our heads high. Where are the campaign promises of the APC, or the ongoing government? What have they achieved?

“The iRev was switched off. They returned the results manually. And then the Constitution was twisted, and the meaning of the English language was changed.

“We won the 2023 election. I will never stop saying it. Now the Labour Party, as of today, is in a better state than the CPC was in 2013/2014 leading up to the 2015 election. Far better than it was.

“Continue to look at the failures. The worsening insecurity, declining economy, and aggravated corruption that is now going on.

“Add that to when Nigerians will now wake up to the realisation that beyond 2027, there’s probably a grand scheme to dismember Nigeria into six autonomous zones.

“Because there’s no way to explain the failure, and because the only way is to carry those failures and run away.”