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Why It’s Wrong For President To Influence Election Of NASS Leaders – OCJ Okocha, SAN

Published

2 years ago

June 17, 2023

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Former Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Chief O.C.J Okocha, has justified why it is wrong for the President to influence the election of the National Assembly leaders.

Okocha stated this while speaking with Vanguard in an interview during the weekend.

Recall that Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen Abbas, respectively, emerged as the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 10th National Assembly recently.

The emergence of the duo, however, has left citizens and experts alike, pondering the implications for the nation’s democracy.

Speaking on the new leadership of the 10th National Assembly, Okocha said, “It is not right. But you see, it is not done openly. Of course, every governor will be interested in who is heading the legislative arm of his government. The belief is that if you have your own man there, you can be sure that things will flow as you want them to flow.

“It is in the interest of the executive to secure the candidates of his choice for those positions. But democratically, it is wrong. The house should be independent of who should be their heads. So should the Senate which is the other chamber in a bicameral legislature.

“So, it is a human factor. The appointment of heads of court and judges, the truth of the matter is that the roles and functions relating to the appointment of judges and heads of the court like Chief Judges, President of the Customary Court of Appeal, President of the Court of Appeal, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, are all well analysed in the constitution. The NJC does not appoint.

“NJC recommends persons for appointment to such an office. And this was really a well-thought-out decision that was taken a long time ago. They used to have what they called Advisory Judicial Committee (AJC),” he said.

Okocha added, “But now, we have an NJC which is like the recommending authority and when they recommend it, the executive—President, governors— will now make the appointment which will eventually have to be confirmed by the various concerned legislative houses.

“So, this was built into the constitution to secure a measure of independence and also to ensure that all three arms of government are working in synchronization.

“They synchronize themselves so that no particular arm of government can claim entire power or sole authority for the appointment or removal of those judicial officers mentioned.

“So long as matters are handled with objectivity and altruism, things will not go bad. And that is the hope that all of us have”. But it has always been abused,” he said.
VANGUARD

Related Topics:NASS Leaders OCJ Okocha SAN

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Boko Haram Once Nominated Muhammadu Buhari As Negotiator – Jonathan Revealed

Published

3 hours ago

October 3, 2025

Editor

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday, disclosed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari as their negotiator.

Jonathan said Boko Haram chose Buhari to negotiate with the Nigerian government on their behalf.

He made the disclosure while speaking at the public presentation of Scars, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), in Abuja.

Jonathan said the insurgents named Buhari after his then-administration set up several committees to explore dialogue with the group.

Jonathan said: “One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government.

“So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and had a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them and they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today.”

Jonathan noted that the inability of Buhari to eradicate Boko Haram terrorists showed that the crisis was more complex than often portrayed.

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Edo: Pandemonium As NDLEA Operatives Chase Escaping Driver With Shooting

Published

5 hours ago

October 3, 2025

Editor

There was pandemonium at Oka Market, Upper Sakponba Road, Benin City, Friday, as operatives of the State Command of Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) shot sporadically in chase of an escaping driver.

In the course of the commotion, traders and residents took to their heels, probably to avoid being hit by stray bullets, while others were confused, not sure of what caused the sporadic gunshots.

The sporadic gunshots which lasted more than five minutes at the gate of the NDLEA Head Office, by Oka Market, followed a hot chase of an articulated vehicle driver who was said to have brushed their (NDLEA) vehicle.

The driver, who reportedly brushed the NDLEA vehicle refused to stop for negation, which prompted officers at the scene to alert their colleagues who waited at the alert.

According to eyewitnesses, as the escaping articulated driver approached the NDLEA office, officers who were said to have been alerted by their colleagues pursuing the trailer began to shoot.

Seven of the tyres of the trailer were deflated by bullets of the NDLEA operatives yet the driver refused to stop.

The officers continued to shoot while pursuing him, until he was caught.

A source said that the driver brushed their vehicle on the way, and that every effort by the officers to stop him so they could settle the matter proved abortive; hence the gunshots and deflation of the tires.

“It was a simple thing; they jammed our men, but the officers tried to stop him so that they could settle, but the driver refused to stop. That is why the men have been shooting to stop him. Even after bursting about seven tires, he was still running, but we caught him and they are bringing him back to our office,” he concluded.

Calls and messages sent to the commander, Edo State NDLEA Command, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, were not responded to as at when filing this.

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JUST IN: Court Bars Police From Enforcing Tinted Glass Regulation

Published

7 hours ago

October 3, 2025

Editor

The Federal High Court sitting in Warri has issued an order directing the Nigeria Police Force and the Inspector-General of Police to maintain the status quo in the ongoing case concerning the controversial tinted glass permit.

The case, Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/103/2025: John Aikpokpo-Martins v. Inspector-General of Police & Nigeria Police Force, came up for hearing today.

Delivering the interim order, the Court directed the police authorities to respect judicial processes pending further proceedings in the matter.

Confirming the development, Kunle Edun, SAN, who led the legal team, noted that the directive is a major step in ensuring that the rule of law is upheld while the substantive issues in the case are being determined.

Details of the ruling and the next adjourned date are expected shortly.

Further updates coming soon…