Kudirat: Lagos appeals Al-Mustapha, Sofolahan’s acquittal

Lagos State Government yesterday filed an appeal to challenge the court’s decision that aquitted the former CSO and Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan over the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. .

The Attorney General of Lagos Mr Ipaye, who refused to disclose the grounds on which the state was challenging the judgment of the Court of Appeal, said the state took the decision after one month of thorough evaluation of the judgment and found out that “there are enough and very good grounds for appeal.”

Ipaye said: ”Having carefully reviewed the decisions of the respected justices of the Court of Appeal, it is our humble view that there are strong bases for appeal which the Supreme Court of Nigeria should have an opportunity to consider.

 “This step will also ensure that all issues are fully articulated and the victim’s family, the defendants and the society are not deprived of the last window of opportunity provided by the constitution for the resolution of the case.”

Though, according to him, the notice of appeal filed by the state was yet to be served on the defendants, the processes have been filed before the Court of Appeal, Lagos.

Fashola orders sealed Kalu’s house re-opened

Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, and Lagos State government, Tuesday, disagreed over the reason for the sealing of Kalu’s property in Park View Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Meantime, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has ordered that the house be reopened.

While Kalu’s aide linked the sealing of the house to the criticism of Fashola by Kalu over the deportation of 72 residents of Lagos, who are of South East origin, the Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Media, Hakeem Bello, said he believed the action has nothing to do with the alleged deportation of Igbos from Lagos.

According to him; “Fashola’s administration has no time for trivial matters.”

Emeka Obasi reacts

Reacting to the sealing of the Park View house of Kalu, his Special Adviser, Media, Emeka Obasi, said it was done as a revenge for the criticism of Kalu, who is the Coordinator of Njiko Igbo, a group fighting the cause of the South East.

Orji Kalu’s property in Park View Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos

Obasi said the property had been there for several years and that sealing it after just two weeks of his boss criticsing Fashola over the deportation issue was an indication that there was more to it.

Obasi said Kalu was not the only Igbo to have suffered such fate in Lagos State “after the wicked and ungodly act of deporting legitimate residents of Lagos State.”

He added, “Why is it that it is now that the property is being sealed, barely two weeks after my boss disagreed with the action of Fashola? We maintain our stand and this will not distract us from fighting for the people.

“The action of the Lagos State Government remains unconstitutional because every citizen of Nigeria has a right to live in any part of the country. Fashola should remember that the Igbo community constitutes about 35 per cent of registered voters in Lagos State and they should be treated like they matter in the scheme of things.”

Hakeem Bello comments

The Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Media, Hakeem Bello, when contacted, said he could not give any details on the development as he had not been briefed on the matter.

He, however, said that if the owner of the building had committed an infraction against any of the state laws, he or she should be ready to be sanctioned when the long arms of the law finally caught up with the him or her.

“ I don’t think it has anything to do with the alleged deportation of Igbos from Lagos. Fashola’s administration has no time for trivial matters,” he said.

Names of the PDP gubernatorial aspirants for Anambra election.

Here are the names of the PDP gubernatorial aspirants for Anambra election.

 Senators Andy Uba, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu and Emmanuel Anosike Obi; former Minister of Women Affairs and past National Woman leader of PDP, Chief Iyom Josephine Anenih; Dr. Obinna Uzoh; Barrister Mike Okoye; Nze Akachukwu Nwankpo; Chief Ugochukwu Okeke; Amb. Jerry Ugokwe; Sylvester Okonkwo; Tony Nwoye; Patrick Nduka Ugbomo; Agape Ifunanyachukwu Dike- Kramer; Dr. Alex Obiogbolu; Charles Odunukwe; Onwuanyi Afamefuna Damian and Walter Ubaka Okeke.

Police Sergeant, Chris Omeleze fired.

The orderly room trial on a  Police Sergeant, Chris Omeleze, attached to the Lagos State Motor Traffic Division,MTD  caught on video demanding for bribe from a motorists Tuesday, was concluded Wednesday.

Sources gathered that the Sergeant with Force number192954  had  been dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force, as he was reportedly found guilty at the end of the trial.

The Sergeant was reported to have arrested a motorist  who was returning from the airport, for contravening traffic rules. He was said to have  entered the vehicle, threatening to take the motorist who was with a female passenger to the station.
SEE THIS VIDEO AND CRY FOR NPF.

APGA Suspends Governor Okorocha

Following his recent anti party dance,the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has suspended the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, from the party for engaging in alleged anti-party activities.

Rising from an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting Saturday in Abuja, the party said NEC unanimously decided to dissolve the Imo State chapter of the party’s executive, replacing it with a 21-man committee to be appointed to oversee the party until a new congress is held.

“The NEC unanimously resolved to suspend with immediate effect the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okoroacha, from the party, for gross anti-party activities, bordering on his involvement with the All Progressives Congress (APC), contrary to the clear provisions of the APGA constitution.

“The NEC also unanimously resolved to dissolve the Imo State executive committee of APGA with immediate effect. A 21-man caretaker committee shall be appointed to run the affairs of the party in Imo pending the conduct of state congress,” it said.

The party approved APGA’s electoral guidelines for the state governorship primary election for the 2013 poll and  afterwards adjoined its sitting till August 31.

Meanwhile, Umeh has debunked insinuations that he received N8 billion from the Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi to enter into the peace pact over the crisis in the party.

Umeh said rather,  the July 15 judgement of the Court of Appeal Enugu Division which had upheld his appeal and affirmed him as the national chairman of APGA was the catalyst that brokered the peace.

Umeh spoke when he visited the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Environment and APGA governorship aspirant Uche Ekwunife to commiserate with her over a ghastly motor accident she had in Abuja. The National Vice-Chairman of APGA (South-West), Alhaji Tayo Sowunmi, who read out the resolutions of the NEC meeting said the party leaders discussed preparations for the Anambra governorship election and approved guidelines for the exercise.

He said barely three days after the party invited aspirants to declare interest in the race, 14 persons have already collected the expression of interest form, paying N10 million for men and N5 million for women.

“We have opened the sale of the expression if interest forms from the 29 of July and August 2 and by the close of work on August 2, 14 people have taken the expression of interest forms.

“The people who have taken the expression of interest forms will be expected to pick the nomination forms and will be screened and face the primaries; the forms for the males is N10 million and to encourage women to actively participate, the women will pay N 5 million,” he stated.

Sowumi said the NEC again restated that it  is not part of APC as some of their governors have mischievously made it a point of duty to include the APGA logo in their advertorials.

“We had demanded an apology from Fashola and the payment of N20 billion, and Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura repeated the same thing in a national daily and we will be demanding the sum of N5 billion from him,” he said.

“We call on all the parties that are involved in the Anambra State Government to stick to the code of conduct signed with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and shun all acts  capable of causing confusion during the elections,” he said.
Speaking shortly after the NEC meeting, National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, said the meeting was summoned to prove that the party’s crisis has come to an end.

He said with return of peace amongst the key stakeholders, APGA will definitely regain the governorship seat in the November 16 election.

“APGA is set to retain the governorship of Anambra State come November 16. We welcome all other parties to engage us in the context but we advise that they avoid acts that will cause problems during the elections,” he said.

Umeh also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure a level playing ground for all parties.

“We are calling for a level playing ground and fair-play.  It is therefore important that all political parties that are participating in the contest should keep to the code of conduct and avoid anything that will mar the exercise.  People should shun brigandage,” he said.

At the NEC meeting Saturday, the Commissioner of Works in Anambra State, Architect Calitus Ilozumba,  represented the Governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi.

Umeh said: “I am very happy that I and my brother Governor Obi have reconciled and I want to assure you that this reconciliation is for real and not superficial, we did it for the sake of the state, the people, the party and we believe that there is the need to move the party forward. When I told a woman that you had an accident, she collapsed which goes to show that you live for the people.”

On statements credited to Maxi Okwu that he will not accept the peace , Umeh said: “Well I did not expect anything less from Maxi Okwu and his cohorts. Maxi Okwu is not a member of the party. We had maintained that, he was expelled from the party since 2005, like I said some people wanted to exploit the division between me and my brother to make money and this reconciliation will bring that business to an end.”