Headline

Onnoghen: A Learned Defence of Justice

Published

5 years ago

January 13, 2019

Eric

By Olasupo Aremu

I just want to point out a few matters in relation to alleged false declarations and statements by Public Officers.

The Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution which provides for the Code of Conduct for Public Officers has two relevant paragraphs.

(a) Paragraph 3 prohibits a Public Officer from operating an account outside the Country. It does not prohibit operating an account in foreign currency in Nigeria. Accordingly there is nothing wrong with opening and operating a domicillary account.

(b) Paragraph 11 mandates a Public Officer to declare all his properties, assets and liabilities every 4 years and at the end of his tenure – 11(1).
Paragraph 11(2) provides that any statement in the declaration found to be false by any authority or person authorised to verify the statement or declaration shall be deemed a breach of the Code.

Leaving aside for a moment the fact that it is only an authority or person authorised to verify the statement or declaration that can find it to be false, the question is what really amounts to a false declaration in respect of assets like bank accounts.

My considered view is that the asset that needs to be declared is the bank account and not the money in it, simply because the nature of bank accounts is that they fall or grow depending on the spending pattern of the account holder. Since the mandatory Constitutional provision is to make a declaration every 4 years, it is not every time you put money in an account that you must declare it. You are only required to declare every 4 years.

Equally importantly, since it is the existence of the bank account that must be declared, a declaration of one bank account in Nigeria, which is BVN linked, is a declaration of all the other bank accounts. This is because by virtue of BVN, any bank account that you have is automatically disclosed whenever you disclose even one of those accounts. Since it is the asset that you are required to disclose, and not the contents, the amount in the other accounts is irrelevant. In any event, by disclosing the account through BVN you have disclosed the contents of the account. Note that an authority and authorised person is required to verify the declaration before it can be said to be false, and part of the verification process will require that person to check all BVN linked accounts.

Also, one may argue that the CJN was not obliged to make a new declaration upon attaining the office of Chief Justice because he remains a Justice of the Supreme Court and is only primus inter pares. Even if I am wrong, and that is for the Courts to interpret, he was certainly not required to make a declaration on being appointed as acting CJN because paragraph 11(1) requires a declaration only after” taking office”. He does not take the office of CJN when he is in an acting position, he is till in his substantive position of Supreme Court Justice and is required to make a declaration only every 4 years.

Headline

Breaking: Wike Plans to Attend Thursday’s PDP NEC Meeting

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The immediate past Governor of Rivers State, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, may have concluded plans to attend the much advertised National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), billed to hold on Thursday, in Abuja.

Impeccable source, who is in the know, told The Boss that the minister, whose membership of the PDP is yet to be revoked even as he frolicks with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and serving in the President Bola Tinubu government as a minister.

The Source told The Boss that Wike’s impending presence at the NECeeting on Thursday is not unconnected with plans, already hatched with some governors, to weaken the opposition PDP.

“Yes, we have on good authority that FCT minister, Wike is planning to attend the NEC meeting tomorrow all in a bid to weaken the fabrics of the PDP, and pave the way for the continuation of the Tinubu administration come 2027, and by extension, relapse Nigeria to a full blown one party state.

“From every indication, Wike and his co-travellers, are bent on unleashing the same crisis ravaging the third force, Labour Party, and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s Nigerian National People’s Party (NNPP) on the PDP for the APC to remain the only political party in the country, and ensure that Tinubu has no challenger, come 2027,” the Source said.

It would be recalled that Wike has boasted over and again that there’s no opposition against Tinubu’s re-emergence in 2027, and that they have made sure of that. He has been compensated with the Ministerial job after he withdrew support for his party, and supported the APC and Tinubu to emerge as national government.

The Source further revealed that in the attempt to actualize the intended one party state, a lot of funding is ongoing to ensure that concerned stakeholders are ‘settled’ handsomely.

Wike, prior, during and after the 2023 general elections, has been floating in between the two major political parties; the APC and the PDP. While he claim to still be a member of the PDP, he is functioning as a minister in an APC government, mocking the inability of his party to discipline him.

Political stakeholders have concluded that the outcome of Thursday’s PDP NEC meeting will determine the path Nigeria’s political trajectory will take, and that it may portend the end of multi-party system and political democracy if Wike succeeds in his plan.

Headline

Bribery, Corruption: APC Suspends National Chairman, Ganduje

Published

5 days ago

April 15, 2024

Eric

The All Progressives Congress ward in Ganduje, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, has suspended the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.

The party ward legal adviser, Halliru Gwanzo, announced the suspension while addressing newsmen in Kano State on Monday.

Gwanzo cited allegations of bribery against Ganduje levelled by the Kano State Government as the reason for the suspension.

“We decided to suspend Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje from the party due to the seriousness of the allegations against him,” Gwanzo said.

Meanwhile, efforts to contact the Chief Press Secretary to the APC National Chairman, Mr Edwin Olufo, failed as his mobile phone was unreachable.

Headline

Akpabio Commits to Collaboration with Tinubu, Governor Umo Eno

Published

1 week ago

April 12, 2024

Admin

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has stated his commitment to working closely with Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Governor Umo Eno to ensure the delivery of democratic benefits to the people of Akwa Ibom State.

Akpabio stated this in his country home, Ukana, Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, while briefing his constituents on the journey so far as their representative in the red chamber.

He assured the people of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District of his commitment to their welfare in appreciation of their total support for him, President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in last year’s election.

The Highpoint of the constituency briefing was the distribution of over 10,000 bags of rice and other essentials for his constituents from the wards, to the local governments.

A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, quoted Akpabio as saying, “I am here once again, to thank you for standing by me, our President and the party, before, during and even after last year’s elections. I have come to say thank you and also bring Renewed Hope to you all.

“As the President is doing his own, the Senate President is also doing his bit and being complemented by the state governor, Akwa Ibom would be the better for it. We have finished elections and politics, we are now into governance. The governor of the state must touch you, because he is the governor of all the people in the state irrespective of political affiliation.

” As I am touching you now from the political angle, I will also touch the state without any political party affiliation. Most of the projects we are putting in place would be used by people resident in the state. Relax, things are getting better.”

The former Governor of the state, assured his constituents that his current position as the Senate President would be used for the development of the state in collaboration with the President and the Akwa Ibom State Governor.

Hear him: This Senate President is not the one that would be fighting the state government. I will collaborate with , I will collaborate with , to make the state better for us all. We cannot be out of government for a long time. You have to go to a government that carries you along”

Akpabio promised to work for his constituents and Nigeria with all his strength, noting that, “as the President of the Senate, I am for the Southern region and the entire country. I may not come here regularly to tell you what I have been doing for you, but you will be feeling the impact on way or the other. Our unemployed youths would be gainfully employed. I will construct a mini stadium in all the local governments in the district, for our youths to develop their sporting potentials. ”