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Peter Ogban’s Conviction And Futile Attempt to Link it to Godswill Akpabio

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It is very disheartening when truth is tragically buried,  and falsehood elevated to high heavens in broad daylight as truth. If one has not followed the electoral process of the Akwa Ibom  North West Senatoral District in 2019 including the attendant judicial brouhaha which was the aftermath of the election, the story of the conviction of Professor Peter Ogban and the attempt to link it to  Senator Godswill Akpabio would have sounded believable and logical. How on earth can a victim of fraud and election rigging be called a beneficiary of the same manipulation targeted at him? This is the height of mischief!

The truth of the matter is that no matter how you want to bury the truth, falsehood can never gain ascendancy over truth and light.  The attempt to smear and perhaps destroy Godswill Akpabio’s hard earned  reputation and character by few egoistic individuals both within and outside will always fall flat  when confronted with  truth and logic.

To put the records straight,  towards 2019 General Election, Senator Godswill Akpabio felt uncomfortable with  certain characters in PDP in Akwa Ibom State  and had to exit when his continued membership meant murdering his political fortune and future. The plot for his “downfall” instantly became a project of combined  enemies within and without. His second attempt at return to Red Chambers of the National Assembly was truncated by INEC, the State PDP and some external forces who felt threatened by his  rising political profile at the national scene. The manner INEC in  Akwa Ibom State  cancelled results in areas where Senator Godswill Akpabio won overwhelmingly in 2019 while altering the result of Essien Udim the local government of Godswill Akpabio was barbaric!

It is on record that when results of the Senatorial District were collated at the Senatorial District Collation Centre in Ikot Ekpene, it became obvious who the winner of the election was.  Akpabio’s anticipated victory confounded INEC comprising the Returning Officer, Professor Peter Ogban and the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Mike Igini and  they quickly planned to violate the electoral law by engaging in brazen illegality. They hijacked the Election Results from the Senatorial District Collation Headquarters,  Ikot Ekpene to INEC office Uyo where the duo arbitrarily declared the candidate of PDP,  Mr Chris Ekpeyong  the winner of the election.  The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Mr Mike Igini  was alleged to have insisted that the result must  be  brought to Uyo, the State Capital for it to be announced, contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act.

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What transpired at the State Capital was bizzare. At Uyo, the result of Essien Udim was terribly altered with hand to read APC =  6241.This falsified result was contrary to original result wherein APC had 61,339 and  PDP had 9050.

The evidence of the evil perpetuated against Godswill Akpabio was exposed during the legal battle that took place at the Election Tribunal in Uyo after the PDP candidate was declared the winner. One Dr Williams, the INEC Collation Officer for Essien Udim admitted during  Cross Examination by the Counsel to Godswill Akpabio that the result of Essien Udim was altered by INEC Officials at Uyo which led to the emergence of the PDP candidate as the winner.

If Prof Ogban altered result in favour of Godswill Akpabio as INEC and PDP in the State want the world to believe, few pertinent questions here will put things in proper perspective.

1. When and where did Prof Ogban admit that he altered the election result in favour of Akpabio? At the  Election Tribunal which he refused to appear or at the High Court where he was recently convicted? No such evidence of admission.

2. Why did he, Prof Ogban  and the Resident Electoral Commissioner announce the altered senatorial result at Uyo and not at the Senatorial District Collation Headquaters if he was working for Senator Akpabio?

3. Whom did INEC comprising  Prof Peter Ogban and Mike Igini  announce as the winner of the Senatorial election in Uyo in 2019, Senator  Akpabio or  Mr Ekpeyong? It was Mr Ekpeyong that was allegedly declared the winner by the duo.

4. What was the finding of the court of appeal concerning the collation and announcement of the Senatorial Election Result pertaining to Essien Udim by Prof Peter Ogban and Mike Igini who worked for INEC?

5. If Prof Ogban worked for Senator Godswill Akpabio as Mike Igini and PDP in Akwa Ibom want the world to believe, how come Senator Akpabio sued the same Prof Peter Ogban as the one who in connivance with Mike Igini fraudulently manipulated, cancelled and altered the results  of Essien Udim and other local government areas  where Senator Godswill Akpabio won with overwhelming votes?  The truth of the matter is that Prof Peter Ogban was sued and joined  by Senator Godswill Akpabio for his wrongdoings against Senator Akpabio during the senatorial election!

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An unbiased answers to the above posers will elicit a clear direction  to a genuine mind that is in search of truth on how wicked and  mischievous  INEC and PDP in the State have gone in an attempt to make a victim of their manipulations become a villain in the whole saga.

For those who may have been deceived by the manipulations of INEC and Akwa Ibom State PDP over Prof Ogban’s  conviction which to every fair mind is healthy to our polity and to the glory of  President Muhammadu Buhari’s stance against election rigging, I reproduce here below the conclusions of the Court of Appeal, Calabar Division in an appeal filed by Senator Godswill Akpabio against the “robbery”  that took place in the North West Senatorial District Election held on the 23rd of February, 2019 . His Lordship, Hon. Justice Tanko Husseini held as follows:

1. “The return of the Ist Respondent(Chief Chris Ekpeyong of PDP) as the winner of the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District Election held on 23/2/2019 is declared invalid for substantial non-compliance with provision of the Electoral Act, arising in, from acts of vandalism, destruction of Election materials, snatching of Ballot Boxes.

2. The 1st Respondent(Chief Chris Ekpeyong of PDP) was not duly returned or elected by a majority of lawful votes cast in Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District election held on 23/2/2019, hence his declaration and return is invalid being contrary to provision of the Electoral Act.

3. Consequently, the Certificate of return issued by the 3rd Respondent (INEC) to the 1st Respondeent(Chief Ekpeyong of PDP) is withdrawn, etc.”

The Learned Justice went further and this is very important to every discerning mind to note:

“Before I draw the curtain, I think I should reiterate the importance of the relevance of the principles established in the Electoral Act by all stakeholders including political actors as well as the  Electoral Commission that ALL PERSONS WHO WORK UNDER THE COMMISSION, ie  THE 3RD RESPONDENT, MUST ALL WORK TOGETHER FOR THE REALIZATION OF A TRUE ELECTORAL PROCESS IN A DEMOCRATIC SETTING.

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“Section 27 of the Electoral Act is one such provision which commands respect and observance of the provisions in relation to the announcement of election results. Section 27(2) (e) for instance provides that;

“The Returning Officer shall announce the result and declare the winner of the election at Senatorial District Collation Centre in the case of Election to the Senate.

“Announcement of election results in a place OTHER THAN THE DESIGNATED PLACE, PERMITTED BY LAW IS HARDLY STRICT OBSERVANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLES ESTABLISHED BY THE ELECTORAL ACT . IT NEGATES THAT PRINCIPLE. It amounts to non-compliance”

With this profound pronouncement by the hallowed Court of Appeal, Calabar,  Senator Akpabio and his supporters were expectant that ALL THE ELECTORAL HEAD IN AKWA IBOM STATE that conducted the fraudulent election that warranted a rerun to be ordered would be arrested and prosecuted, alas it is the unfortunate Prof Ogban that the mischievous INEC singled out to sacrifice in order to keep the job and name of Resident Electoral Commissioner.

That the said  Resident Electoral Commissioner is gloating over the conviction of a co-accused is the height of hypocrisy and mischief! THIS IS CLEARLY ALARMING!

 

Written BY Smart Chizurum
Political Analyst

 

 

 

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Opinion

OYO101: ADELABU— When will this generational ‘UP NEPA’ chant stop?| By Muftau Gbadegesin

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The Minister of Power, Oloye Bayo Adelabu, has apologized for lashing out at Nigerians over poor energy management.

I hope Nigerians, especially our people from Oyo state, forgive and overlook his Freudian slip. Given that apology, I believe the minister has realized his mistakes and will subsequently act accordingly. In days that followed the minister’s vituperation, many otherwise cool-headed and easy-going observers quickly joined the band of critics and cynics. By the way, what BAND do you think those critics belonged to?

Plus, how best do you describe kicking someone who is down already? The flurry of condemnation that followed Oloye Adelabu’s ‘AC-Freezer’ sermon must have surprised and shocked him. Instead of sticking to his prepared speech, he decided to dash off by telling Nigerians some home truth. Quite amusingly, the truth, it turns out, is not the truth Nigerians want to hear. And as they say, ‘There is your truth, my truth, and the Truth.’ The fact is that Nigerians are angry at many things, the sudden hike in electricity tariff being one.

Perhaps the Minister’s press conference, an avenue to calm fraying nerves and address critical issues, quickly congealed into an arena for an intellectual dogfight – if you watch the video, you will hear the murmur that rented the air the moment that terse statement was uttered. While some influencers tried to downplay the minister’s jibe, they were instead flogged in their whitewashing game. Frankly, I am not interested in the minister and the energy management brouhaha. What I am indeed interested in is what the ministry and minister are doing to restore light in a country where darkness has permeated much of its landscape – don’t mind the confusion the minister and the ministry have created to disrupt the conversation around that vital sector of the economy.

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‘Up NEPA’, Lol

Trust Nigerians. When the defunct National Electric Power Authority failed to end the perennial and persistent darkness in the country, it was ironically dubbed ‘Never Expect Power Always.’ And when the company morphed into PHCN, Nigerians berated the name change, saying the company would hold more power than it would release. True to that assumption, PHCN indeed held more power than it gave to the people.

Then, in 2013, Nigerians woke up to the news of DISCOs, GENCOS, GASCOs, and so on. DISCOs for distribution companies, GENCOs for generating companies, and Gascos for gas suppliers. Of all these critical value chains, only DISCOs were handed down to private enterprises. Think of IBEDC, AEDC, IEDC, BEDC, etc. Unfortunately, the privatization of the distribution chain hasn’t transformed the sector’s fortune for good. More interested in the money but less motivated to do the dirty work of revamping the infrastructure.

Like a typical Nigerian in a ‘band E’ environment, I grew up chanting the ‘Up NEPA’ mantra whenever power is restored at home – and I am not alone in this mass choir. As a rural boy, the ‘Up NEPA’ chant is etched into our skulls from time immemorial. Sometimes, you can’t even tell when you start to join the chorus; you only know that you say it automatically and auto-magisterially. Many years down the lane, the persistent power cuts, blackouts, and grid collapses have worsened. And under Minister Adelabu, power supply, based on my little experience, has never reached this depressing point in history.

As a content creator, I can tell you Oloye Adelabu may likely go down in history as the most inconsequential minister of power unless something drastic is done to restore people’s confidence and bring about a steady, stable, frequent, and regular power supply. You may have seen on social media how most Nigerians who migrated abroad often find it difficult to shed that ‘Up NEPA’ chant from themselves once a power cut is fixed in those countries. Like the rest of their countrymen, they have internalized that mantra. Only after they’ve acclimatized to their new environment would they become healed of that verbal virus ultimately.

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‘Adelabu, end this chant’

This is a challenge. In my column welcoming Oloye Adelabu into the critical ministry of power, I asked a rhetorical question: Can Adelabu end the penkelemesi in the power sector? In Nigeria, is there any other economic sector troubled by multidimensional and multifaceted peculiar messes than the power sector? Adelabu’s grandfather, Adegoke Adelabu, was nicknamed Penkelemesi. History has it that the colonial masters, tired of that Ibadan politician, decided to describe him in the punchiest way possible: a peculiar mess. Quickly, a peculiar mess spread across like wildfire: the white men have described Adegoke as a peculiar mess. Translated to Yoruba, we have Penkelemesi. In retrospect, the minister must have realized the situation he met on the ground is better than what is obtainable now. He needs to own up, chin up, and take full responsibility for this total blackout.

‘Minister Fashola’

Babatunde Fashola, SAN is a clever man. For four years as minister of power, he avoided cutting controversy. But long before he was appointed, he had stirred quite an expectation around fixing the rot in the sector. He had jokingly said his party, the APC, would resolve the crisis of perennial blackout in one fell swoop. He categorically gave a timeline of when Nigerians in the cities and villages will start to enjoy regular power supply: six months. After four years of setbacks, Minister Fashola was forced to eat his vomit: the power crisis in Nigeria is deep-seated and chaotic. Oloye Adelabu has made more enemies than friends in less than a year. The minister may survey his performance among Nigerians to test this hypothesis. The truth is the truth. The mismatch between the minister’s area of competence and his assigned portfolio hasn’t helped matters as well. And this is a cavity many of his critics and traducers are banking on.

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For the first time in decades, Adelabu stands on the threshold of history: will he end this generational ‘UP NEPA’ chant once and for all? Time will tell.

OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting the Oyo state. He can be reached via @muftaugbade on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com, and 09065176850.

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Yahaya Bello: Do we need to prosecute ex-govs?

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I followed the drama of unimaginable scenes that unfolded in Abuja last week, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) moved to arrest and arraign the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in respect of alleged mismanagement of funds. I called it a drama of unimaginable scenes because the EFCC had laid siege to the house since very early in the day, knowing that its target, the “White Lion of Kogi State” was holed up somewhere in the compound.

But before the very eyes of the EFCC operatives, the man they had waited all day to catch, just slipped off their hands effortlessly. They claimed that he was rescued by his cousin, the incumbent governor of the state, Usman Ododo, who is protected by constitutional immunity. But EFCC lawyers would claim that Section 12 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) empowers the body to break into houses to effect arrest.

Maybe that’s a story for another day. But it was surprising they didn’t think of that option. Bello was said to have stayed put in the Government House Lokoja since indication emerged that the EFCC was on his trail. So the easiest thing for the Kogi governor to do was to drive into the troubled house and then fish out a troubled cousin.

The Yahaya Bello saga is just the latest drama between the EFCC and former governors. Some time ago, we witnessed the Ayo Fayose drama. The former Ekiti State governor, whom EFCC was unable to arrest while in office put up some drama when he arrived at EFCC’s office wearing a branded ‘T’ shirt with the inscription: “EFCC I’m here.” Some of his loyalists helped him with things he needed to use in the EFCC detention.

Aside from that, we have also witnessed the Willie Obiano saga. The former governor of Anambra State was accused of misappropriating the state’s funds and has since been taken to court. Immediately after handing over the reins of power in Awka, the man had planned to jet out of the country but had to be stopped as EFCC operatives grabbed him at that exit point. We were also witnesses to the back and forth between the former Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State and the EFCC. The commission had accused Yari of mismanaging billions of Naira and moved to arraign him.

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There were accusations and counter-accusations until Yari landed in the Senate, and things became quiet. The drama between the ex-Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, was interesting while it lasted. The commission had laid siege to the residence and eventually entered through the roof. We saw a terrified Okorocha and his household, praying fervently for God’s intervention as operatives jumped in to grab their suspect.

The list I have above is by no means exhaustive of the dramatic exchanges between the EFCC and some former governors accused of one financial misdeed or the other in recent years. One thing is, however, common to all the cases, after the the initial bubbles, the whole thing dies down as the retreating waves. Next to nothing is heard of the cases as the neck-breaking snail-speed of the nation’s judicial system takes over. Year after year, it is about one injunction or the other. Many of the accused had gone ahead to seek elective posts and won, many others have taken appointments and the law cannot stop them from utilising the benefits of the allegedly looted resources to gain an advantage since our laws presume individuals innocent until proven guilty.

The books of the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPCC) are full of such individuals who have allegations of hundreds of billions of Naira hanging on their necks. Many of them are busy swinging the official chairs in government offices as we speak. God forbid, one of such should, gain control of the nation’s presidency one day!

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Well, to forestall such a scary development, I think we need an antidote to these endless anti-corruption trials. The endless trial is not just a drain on the energy of the lady justice. It drills a gaping hole in the state’s resources as well. Imagine the legal charges the state incurs in taking several cases through the layers of courts. It is also possible some of the accused, who are innocent of the accusation could die in the process of trials and thus carry an unnecessary burden of guilt (at least in the eyes of the public) into their graves. The late governor of Oyo State, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala was able to win his case against the EFCC after 13 years, he died not long after the ‘not guilty’ verdict was pronounced. Former President of the Senate, Adolphus Wabara was also on the bribe-for-budget case preferred against him for more than ten years. Luckily, he was alive to receive his ‘not guilty’ verdict as well. Some may not be that lucky.

To stem this tide of seemingly endless trials of politically exposed persons, I want to suggest amendments to the EFCC and ICPC Acts to lay much premium on thorough and discreet probes of financial crimes rather than dump the results of the investigations in the court, the suspects should be called in and shown the traces of the illegally taken funds and their destinations. If the suspect is ready to refund at least two-thirds of the stolen funds to the coffers of the government, the agency involved, under the supervision of a competent court, could sign an irrevocable non-disclosure agreement and collect the funds into a special basket created for that purpose and which will be used for infrastructural development.

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Such an agreement should also take care of any possible penchant for grandstanding by any politician who could mount the podium one day and claim never to have been indicted of financial crimes. As much as the government would not waste time and resources prosecuting him or her, he should also be barred from active politics and playing godfather roles. If we do this, we will not only save time and resources, but we will get back a sizeable amount of the looted funds into government coffers for developmental purposes.

By Taiwo Adisa

This piece was first Published By Sunday Tribune, April 21, 2024.

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Opinion

Tinubu’s Naira Miracle: Abracadabra or Economic Wizardry? | By Adeniyi Olowofela

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Prior to assuming the presidency of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu garnered the confidence of the majority of Nigerians with the promise of rescuing the country’s economy from the impending disaster it faced.

For the past 43 years, the Naira has been steadily depreciating against the Dollar, as illustrated in Figure One.

The graphs below unequivocally depict the exponential rise of the Naira against the Dollar from 1979 to 2022. This sustained upward trend would have theoretically resulted in the Naira reaching 2,500 Naira to one Dollar by now.

 

 

This situation led some individuals to hoard dollars in anticipation of profiting from further devaluation of the Naira.

However, under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, the Nigerian federal government successfully halted the expected decline of the Naira.

The Naira has appreciated to 1,200 Naira to a Dollar (Figure 2), contrary to the projected 2,500 Naira to one Dollar, based on the exponential pattern observed in Figure One.

This achievement demonstrates unprecedented economic prowess. If this trajectory continues, the Naira may appreciate to 500 Naira against 1 Dollar before the conclusion of President Bola Tinubu’s first term in 2027.

While the purchasing power of the average Nigerian remains relatively low, there is a palpable sense of hope on the rise.

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It is hoped that the Economic Team advising the President will continue their efforts to stabilize the economy and prevent its collapse until Nigeria achieves economic prosperity.

The government’s ability to reverse the Naira’s free fall within a year can be likened to a remarkable feat, reminiscent of a lizard falling from the top of an Iroko tree unscathed, then nodding its head in self-applause.

Mr. President, we applaud your efforts.

 

Prof. Adeniyi Olowofela, the Commissioner representing Oyo State at the Federal Character Commission (FCC), writes from Abuja.

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