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Even as the Senate
yesterday commenced the screening of ministerial nominees sent by our
acting president, Goodluck Jonathan, hearing in a suit that Farouk
Aliyu, a former House of Representatives member filed, continued in
Abuja.

Mr. Aliyu, in the
suit, is challenging the resolution of the National Assembly that
sanctioned the elevation of Mr. Jonathan to acting president. He is
challenging the National Assembly’s resolution of February 9, and
asking that a Federal High Court declares it illegal. The defendants in
the suit include the acting president, Attorney General and Minister of
Justice, the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Acting President Jonathan asked the court to dismiss the suit challenging his acting position.

The acting
president’s position is shared by the former Attorney General of the
Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Adetokunbo Kayode, who is the
fourth respondent in the suit.

The defendants,
including the Senate and the House of Representatives, told the court
that it would be in the interest of justice to strike out or dismiss
the suit.

They argued that it disclosed no cause of action, adding that it lacked locus standi.

Canvassing more
grounds upon which the court, presided over by Adamu Bello, should
throw out the suit, the former AGF in his notice of preliminary
objection, noted that the suit did not disclose any reasonable cause of
action. Besides, he prayed the court to dismiss the suit because there
was no dispute between the plaintiff, Mr. Jonathan and the AGF, even as
he asked the court to hold that the “suit is an abuse of court process”.

Similarly, Ken
Ikonne, who also challenged the suit on behalf of the Senate,
emphasised that the plaintiff lacked locus standi in respect of the
suit.

But counsel to
plaintiff, Victor Kalu, prayed the court to declare the resolution of
the National Assembly on Jonathan as illegal and unconstitutional.

The case was adjourned to April 20, for further hearing.

The acting
president, Goodluck Jonathan on Monday restated our federal
government’s determination to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral laws, to
ensure credible elections in our country.

Speaking during an
audience with members of the Alumni Association of the National
Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (AANI) led by its president,
Jani Ibrahim, Mr. Jonathan observed that, with the amendment of the
electoral laws and the cooperation and support of Nigerians, free and
fair elections would be possible.

Mr. Jonathan also
commended members of the association for their immense contributions in
offering advice on several policy issues, and assured that “government
would do its best to tackle the issues of power and security,
especially kidnapping which have become a source of great concern”.

He called on
Nigerians to always aim at doing things that will promote our country,
noting that “there is no other country we can call our own”.

Pursue good governance

Mr. Ibrahim said
the association noted the huge potentials our country is endowed with
and was hopeful that the Acting President’s tenure will record giant
strides, especially in resolving the urgent challenges our country
currently faces in power supply, ethno- religious crisis, corruption
and electoral reform.

Mr. Ibrahim said
history has shown that it is not necessarily the length of a government
that matters, but the decisiveness and eventfulness of its tenure.

He thus urged the
acting president to use the tremendous goodwill he enjoys to vigorously
pursue good governance and resolve the many issues that plague our
nation today.

Some indigenes of
the Ogun West Senatorial District yesterday caused huge traffic jam for
hours in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, following their peaceful
protest over the two ministerial nominees from Ogun State.

The protesters,
who stormed the major streets of the town, were seen carrying placards
denouncing the list. The protesting Yewa/ Awori, who are also
clamouring to produce the next governor for the state, trekked through
Ita-Oshin, Oke-Sokori, Ita-Eko, Ibara, Omida, Oke-Ilewo, Oke-Igbein,
Kuto and Presidential Boulevard before finally stopping at Governor’s
Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

They took their grouse and complaint against the ministerial list to the governor, Gbenga Daniel.

“This is the sixth
ministerial nominations and appointments from Ogun State since 1999,
without a single person from Ogun West,” the protesters said.

The protesters
were received by the governor, Mr. Gbenga Daniel and his deputy,
Salimot Badru-Makanjuola, who incidentally is from Ogun West Senatorial
District.

Kayode Ajibola, the leader of the protesters, said their action was planned to claim their rights.

“There are three
senatorial districts in each of the states of the federation. Two of
them, that is Ogun Central and Ogun East, have cornered all federal
appointments. It is not only unfair, it is ungodly. Who wants to create
another Delta-like militants in Ogun State?” A leader of the area, Ayo
Otegbola, said the district was fighting a just cause. “We have the
right in all standard to have a slot,” he said, noting that the zone
had since 1999 being agitating for equal representation in the state.

Mr. Daniel, who
looked worried over the rejection of his nominees and their
replacements, Jubril Martins-Kuye and Nojeem Alao, said the protest
came at the right time.

Blame the cabal

He assured the
protesters that the letter of complaint submitted to him, would be
taken to Abuja for Mr. Jonathan’s necessary action, just as he warned
the protesters to avoid violence.

“It is good that
you protest. I want to assure you that Ogun West is important in Ogun
State. Your loyalty must therefore be reciprocated,” he said.

Mr. Daniel also attributed his political travails to ‘some cabal’
whom he said operate only for their selfish interest. He was for the
first time reacting to the rejection of his ministerial nominees by the
federal government.

Members
of the Ekiti State House of Assembly at the weekend rejected the
reduction of the constituencies in the state from 26 to 24 by the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The lawmakers also
resolved to send a delegation to the National Assembly to protest what
they described as a slap on the people of the state.

A unilateral reduction?

The chairman of the
House Committee on Information, Adebayo Morakinyo, said it is wrong by
any standard for any commission or government agency to unilaterally
reduce the number of constituencies in Ekiti State without consulting
the people of the state.

The two constituencies removed from the present 26 are Ekiti East and Oye constituencies.

“The assembly
received a letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission
over the matter, stating that the result of the 2006 National
Population and Housing Census was used to arrive at the decision to
increase the number of constituencies in some other states,” Mr.
Morakinyo, a Peoples Democratic Party legislator, said. “The action is
not only an injustice of the highest order, but also a slap on the
entire people of Ekiti State. I don’t know the business of INEC in
reducing the constituencies of Ekiti State. This matter does not
concern local governments; constituencies don’t receive allocations
from the Federal Government allocations are given to states and local
governments.”

He said the state
assembly would not accept the reduction carried out by INEC, and urged
the National Assembly to throw INEC’s recommendations into the dustbin.

‘Battle ready’

Mr. Morakinyo added
that the electoral body has nothing to gain by promoting a reduction
when the people of the state are clamouring for an increase from 26 to
32 constituencies.

The deputy speaker,
Saliu Adeoti, criticised the merging of Ekiti East and Oye
Constituencies, saying Ekiti people would not accept the reduction.

“We have 26
constituencies and we were expecting six more to be created; but they
are saying that they have reduced by two. We say no to constituency
reduction in Ekiti State, we will not accept anything less than 26. We
want six more to be created and that is our position,” Mr. Adeoti, who
is an Action Congress member, said.

Mr. Adeoti said the
lawmakers will summon a meeting with traditional rulers, leaders of
various political parties and the National Assembly’s leadership to
find a lasting solution to the INEC decision.

“It (is) sad that the constituencies which were overpopulated were
not split; rather INEC decided to reduce the number of constituencies
in the state from 26 to 24.The whole of Ekiti Stat is battle ready to
correct the injustice meted on the people of the state by INEC,” he
said.

The
Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) at the weekend joined a growing chorus
of politicians and civil society activists calling for the sack of
Maurice Iwu as chairman of the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC).

The NLC said on
Sunday that it will collaborate with the Alliance for Credible
Elections (ACE) to reinforce its demand by staging a protest against
Iwu’s continuous stay and retention as the chairman of INEC at the
National Assembly on Wednesday.

‘Iwu must go’

Both bodies say
they are mobilising hundreds of Nigerians to join the protest march,
which will also seek the total implementation of the recommendations
contained in the report of the Mohammed Uwais-led Electoral Reform
Committee.

“Labour is saying
that Iwu lacks the integrity to remain in office as INEC chairman.”
Abdulahi Danja Yahaya, the vice chairman of the NLC’s Abuja chapter,
said.

He said Mr. Iwu
could not produce a credible voters register in 2007 neither could he
serially number the ballot papers used in the presidential election.

“We have had WAEC
(West African Examination Council), and NECO (National Examination
Council) registrations in Nigeria and we have not seen any case where a
candidate who registered in Yobe have his name appear in Anambra State.
So why should it be during electoral process we will be moving voters’
register from one state to another?” Mr. Yahaya asked. “It is because
the chairman lacks that integrity… let the head do the proper thing
first and let the politicians hijack the boxes.”

‘Stop the lobby’

The group also
alleged that the INEC chairperson is lobbying high profile government
officials to help retain him in office beyond July. The group also
alleged that Mr. Iwu has been renting crowds to sing his praise.

“It is wrong for
Iwu who is supposed to be an umpire is lobbying top government
officials to retain his job in INEC,” Emma Ezeazu, the general
secretary of the ACE, said. “His tenure should not be renewed.”

The second demand of the coalition, as they protest on Wednesday, will be for full implementation of the ‘Uwais report’.

According to the
Mr. Ezeazu, both labour and the larger society are not satisfied with
the partial implementation of the report so far by both the senate and
the House of Representatives.

“Financial autonomy without political independence is not good enough,” he said.

Mr. Ezeazu argued that except the Uwais report is fully implemented, Nigerians cannot be guaranteed free and fair election.

“The issue is the
strategic recommendation of the Uwais report that for the independence
of INEC, the power of the president to unilaterally appoint the INEC
chairman and commissioners should be whittled down by introducing an
element of quality control through the NJC (National Judicial
Council),” Mr. Ezeazu said. This recommendation was rejected by the
Senate.

“We think that electoral reform has been shot in the leg. We hope that the House or Reps will reverse this,” he added.

The police
constable, Christopher Obano, who allegedly shot into a moving bus
conveying some butchers to a slaughter house in Umuahia, Abia State,
killing one and wounding several others last Tuesday, has been
dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force.

Mr. Obano, who was
dismissed from the force after being found guilty in an Orderly Room
trial for contravening the rules of engagement in the police force, was
also arraigned before an Umuahia Chief Magistrate Court on murder
charges at the weekend.

Dismissed and arraigned

Speaking to newsmen
at the court premises before the arraignment, the officer in charge of
legal matters in the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID),
Joseph Micloth, said that at the end of both criminal and internal
investigation, the Orderly Room found the constable guilty and
dismissed him from the Force.

Mr. Obano appeared in civilian attire.

He said Mr. Obano,
who was on special posting to Abia state from the Bornu State command,
went outside the rules by shooting into the vehicle without an order
from his superior officer at the duty post.

The ACP, who said
that Mr. Obano acted recklessly by shooting into the bus, explained
that he opened fire on the bus after hearing a shout from men of the
Federal Road Safety Commission behind them to stop the approaching
vehicle, when it is driver refused to stop.

Temporary reprieve

Mr Obano, a father
of three who looked sober, said he shot at the vehicle after it refused
to stop at the check point, having brushed two other mobile policemen
at the post as the driver sped off.

“I feel bad over
what had happened. I advise drivers to stop any time they are asked to
do so at the checkpoint and my colleagues not to shoot whenever they
ask any motorist to stop and he refuses,” he said.

But when the matter
came up for hearing, the chief magistrate, Isreal Nwulu, declined
jurisdiction over the murder case and ordered that the case-file be
transferred to the state Director for Public Prosecution for vetting
and filing at the High Court.

Mr. Nwulu also ordered that Mr. Obano be remanded in the Federal Prisons till April 9, 2009.

In the one count
charge of murder, charge No U/183 C2010, Christopher Obano was said to
have committed an offence punishable under section319 (1) of the
criminal code section 77 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1990
as applicable to Abia State.

No plea was taken and no bail granted.

The entire community of the Adekunle Ajasin
University, Akungba Akoko is in grief over the killing of a final year
student of Industrial Mathematics in the school, Adeyinka Adebayo, by
suspected armed robbers.

Mr. Adeyinka, 24, was said to have boarded a
commercial bus at Owo junction to Akungba Akoko yesterday, a
30-kilometer drive to his campus, when the driver ran into a gang of
armed men in military uniform who were carrying out a robbery.

Sensing that the driver would not stop, the gunmen
shot at the bus and in the process hit Mr Adeyinka, who sustained
severe injuries.

He was later rushed to the General Hospital, Ikare
Akoko, where he was treated for the wounds but he nevertheless died
from the injuries.

The death of Mr Adeyinka has since provoked
scathing criticisms from the students of the institution, who frowned
at the spate of armed robberies along the same road without any serious
effort by police authorities to put the situation under control.

The Ondo State police commissioner, Balla Mogaji
Nassarawa, who confirmed the incident, however said the police are
working on the case.

The Police boss also confirmed the arrest of two robbers in Ore when they were trying to set out for a robbery operation.

The Bayelsa State
government at the weekend faulted media reports that the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is on the trail of the state
governor, Timipre Sylva, over alleged fraudulent practices to the tune
of N100 billion.

The chief press
secretary to the governor, Doifie Ola, who advised the EFCC to go to
court if it has a case against Mr. Sylva, said media reports of alleged
massive fraud in the accounts of the state government are part of a
campaign to tarnish the image of Mr. Sylva and ruin his political
relevance.

This is “a well
structured campaign to undermine the Bayelsa State Government, truncate
Governor Sylva’s political career by preparing the ground for his
illegal removal from office, and maybe send him to jail after his
governorship,” Mr. Ola said.

The N100 billion question

NEXT reported on
Sunday that the EFCC would soon slam Mr. Sylva with a multiple-count
charge of money laundering and diversion of public funds to the tune of
about N100billion.

Three top officials of the Bayelsa State cabinet were, last week, detained by the EFCC in relation to similar crimes.

But officials of
the anti-corruption agency said that this was just a tip of the
iceberg. “The whole thing is about the governor. All the other
officials are just collaborators. The governor is the ultimate
beneficiary of the corruption,” an EFCC official declared in an
interview.

Incidentally, other
newspapers at the weekend also reported on the political disagreement
between the acting President Goodluck Jonathan and Mr. Sylva.

An ongoing campaign?

The governor’s spokesperson said these show that a campaign against the governor is ongoing.

“We do not see it
as a coincidence that on the same day, two other newspapers carried
another story about the Bayelsa State governor, saying he was
contesting “power” with the Acting President,” he said. “This story
about grand larceny in Bayelsa State is bogus, and carefully planned to
achieve political ends, namely tarnish the image of Mr. Sylva, the
easier to remove him from Government House. This story is also meant to
arouse people’s emotions, and incite them against the Sylva
administration. If the EFCC has established a prima facie case against
senior officials of the Government of Bayelsa State as it is claimed,
the road to travel is the law courts, not the pages of newspapers.”

Mr. Ola said the
issues in the N101billion fraud case, especially over the Wilbros
fraud, predates Mr. Sylva’s days as governor of the state.

“Is the said EFCC
report an investigation of corruption in Bayelsa State or an
investigation into the Wilbros scandal? At best, this is confusion at
work!” He said.

The state’s
accountant general, Francis Okukoro; the director of treasury, Abbot
Clinton; and the director of finance, Ikobho Anthony Howells, have been
remanded in an Abuja prison.

A University of
Birmingham student’s inspirational story of student life in the UK has
won her a position as runner-up in the regional finals of the United
Kingdom’s biggest international students competition.

Linda Ilonze, a
Nigerian studying Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University
of Birmingham, was one of more than 1,300 students, from 118 countries
to enter the eighth annual International Student Awards. The programme
is an initiative of the British Council that promotes the contributions
of international students to life in the UK.

“I am really excited to be selected as a runner-up in my region,” Ms Ilonze said.

“Studying at
Birmingham has opened a new chapter in my life and no matter what
chapters come next, this one began an inquisitive and adventurous stage
and gave me a platform to learn and develop life skills.”

To enter the
competition, international students were encouraged to write a personal
‘letter home’ in English, detailing the out-of-class achievements that
help make their time in the UK rewarding.

Students studying
at universities, colleges of further and higher education, schools and
English language institutions across England, Northern Ireland,
Scotland and Wales shared stories about the extra-curricular
achievements that illustrate how they are making the most of their time
in the UK.

A judging panel met
last month to discuss the merits of short-listed entries from the
region. Ms Ilonze’s letter was judged to be one of West Midland’s best
and she will receive a £100 prize. Entrants are grouped into regions –
North West, Yorkshire, North East,

West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South West, London, South East, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Raising money

Last year, she had an opportunity to undertake a year placement at the investment bank, Goldman Sachs.

While there, she took part in a 5km race to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

“I raised £200. The race was great fun; it was inspirational hearing stories from fellow runners.

“I am planning to run again this year, this time the target is £500!” she said.

Martin Davidson,
Chief Executive of the British Council, said, “Studying overseas can be
an incredibly exciting and rewarding experience and our academic
institutions offer some of the best opportunities in the world.

“International students make a huge contribution and commitment to
life in the UK and Shine provides a unique platform for the students to
gain public recognition for their achievements.”

Legal practitioners in Ondo State have
thrown their weight behind the re-nomination as minister of Adetokunbo
Kayode by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, although his nomination
has caused division in the ranks of the state leadership of the Peoples
Democratic Party in the last few weeks.

A group loyal to former commissioner
for finance and governorship aspirant Tayo Alasoadura had rejected the
nomination of Mr. Kayode, while a group loyal to immediate past
governor Olusegun Agagu was solidly behind him.

There were also speculations that
senators from the state had decided to work against the former justice
minister’s clearance at the Senate when nominees appear for screening.

Resolving the issue

However, NEXT gathered that the crisis might be over because the leadership of the party had agreed to support the nomination.

A reliable source
in the party said the leadership of the party has agreed to give Mr.
Kayode their support in order to stop the division in the party The
source also hinted that the three senators from the state have resolved
to back his nomination.

“The allegiance of
Kayode to the PDP has never been in doubt, just as he has not joined
any of the factions jostling for the soul of the party in the state,”
the source said.

Speaking at the
weekend, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in the state has praised the
nomination of Mr Kayode, saying “the appointment of Kayode will help
develop the cause of justice.”

The outgoing publicity secretary of the association’s Akure chapter,
Rotimi Olorunfemi, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said Mr.
Kayode, who has served as the first vice president of the NBA and has
held several positions within the group, will be of good service not
only to the federal government but also the law profession.