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Atiku Mourns Bola Ajibola, Says His Type Rare to Come by These Days

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By Eric Elezuo

Former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has expressed shock at the death of Nigeria’s foremost jurists and former Minister of Justice, Bola Ajibola.

According to Dele Momodu, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Waziri Adamawa, was full of emotion in the text image that expressed his condolences.

He wrote: “Oh! My God! May Allah forgive his Soul and grant him Aljannah. I remember he invited me to his University as a Special Guest years back. Such breed of Nigerians are rare to come by these days!”

In another elaborate tribute written by the former Vice President, titled “My tribute to Prince Bola Ajibola”, Atiku noted that Ajibola “did the country proud when he served at The International Court of Justice at The Hague, as well as during his years of service as Nigeria’s envoy to the United Kingdom.”

Here’s Atiku’s tribute in full:

It is with a heart filled with pain, but with gratitude to the Almighty that I share my condolences about the passing of Prince Bola Ajibola. Pain because there are only a few Nigerians who grew in status to the heights of the Prince from a noble Egba family. I am happy in another way because, being a Muslim myself, I am certain that Prince Ajibola would, himself, have elected to make his passing in the glorious month of Ramadan.

There are so many things to remember Prince Bola Ajibola for. That he was a doyen of the law profession and his accomplishments as a jurist of note is the most basic of the things that we shall tell of his memories.

Of course, he did the country proud when he served at The International Court of Justice at The Hague, as well as during his years of service as Nigeria’s envoy to the United Kingdom.

But what was spectacular about the late eminent jurist was how his values of forthrightness and candour, which, by the way, is emblematic of his Egba heritage, reflected in all other spheres of his earthly engagements.

As a diplomat, jurist, educationist – or any other role that you may wish to describe the late Prince Bola Ajibola, what is consistent about his character is the overwhelming presence of rectitude and forbearance in every of his endeavours.

Those two qualities of his personality are the secret codes to his achievements in life. I am sure that they are qualities that his family and friends will be proud of, and we should immortalize in memory of him.

Prince Ajibola was always at peace with his Creator and fellow humans when he was at this side of the divide and the legacies of his lifetime should be a beacon that should call younger Nigerians to an exemplary life that he lived.

While I condole with the Ajibola family and the good people and government of Ogun State over the loss of such an illustrious son, I must say that the country and the entire globe will mourn the passing of such a great man of impeccable virtue.

I pray that the Almighty Allah will give his family the fortitude to accept the pass of a patriarch and that his soul shall be granted easy access into Al-Janah Firdaus.

The eminent jurist, who was a judge at the Hague, reportedly died Sunday morning at the age of 89.

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Tinubu Announces Akume As SGF, Gbajabiamila As Chief of Staff

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The President, Bola Tinubu, on Friday, appointed the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as his new Chief of Staff.

He also appointed a former Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, as Deputy Chief of Staff and Former Minister of Special Duties, George Akume, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

This was revealed in a statement signed on Friday by the State House Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye, titled ‘President Tinubu appoints Gbajabiamila COS, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, DCOS, George Akume, SGF.’

“In a meeting with Progressives Governors Forum, the President also named former Governor of Benue State and immediate past Minister of Special Duties, George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” the statement read.

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Police Dismiss Sergeant for N98,000 Extortion

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The Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday announced the dismissal of Sgt. Ekpo Shimuyere, who was attached to the Sogunle Division, for extorting a young man of N98,000.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, told journalists that the command’s Provost Department had already disrobed the dismissed sergeant.

According to him, the dismissed sergeant collected the phone of his victim and used a Point of Sale operator to transfer N98,000 out of the N100,000 in the young man’s bank account.

Hundeyin said the policeman’s action was contrary to the ethics of the profession.

He said, “The police command got the complaint from the victim and the officer denied the crime when he was contacted. The command placed him under detention so that he will not tamper with the evidence.

“We wrote to his bank and obtained his statement of account. We were able to trace the money to where the POS operator transferred it before transferring the money to the officer’s account.

“We followed due process to get his account. The victim was invited in the course of the investigation and he testified.

“The POS operator was also invited, and he said the officer requested him to transfer the money from the victim’s account to another one.”

The PPRO said the Sergeant was consequently subjected to an orderly room trial in line with extant laws.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command, Mr Idowu Owohunwa, has reviewed the orderly room procedure of the officer with Force No. 461654, attached to the Sogunle Police Division and has approved the punishment of dismissal from the force,” he said.

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PDP Can Suspend, Expel Wike According to Law, Court Rules

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The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Wednesday, told the former governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has the right to suspend or expel him if the action is done under the law.

Justice James Omotosho stated this in a judgment on a suit filed by Mr Wike before the 2023 general elections to seek a court order to stop PDP from taking action against him without a fair hearing.

Mr Omotosho said the court had considered the processes filed by parties and arguments of counsel.

He held that suspending or expelling the applicant without affording him the right to defend himself would breach his fundamental rights as enshrined in the party’s and Nigeria’s constitutions.

He said though the party had the right to suspend or expel its members, it must comply with its law.

The judge said that though section 46(1) of the law vested jurisdiction on the court if one’s rights had been breached, he said the court would not dabble into the internal affairs of any political party, except where the party had violated the right of a member without recourse to its laws.

“Where this right ought to be enforced, the court will do everything within its reach to ensure this.

“However, as fundamental and sacrosanct these rights are, they are not absolute,” he said.

The judge, therefore, agreed that any member of a political party who appeared before a disciplinary committee should be allowed to defend himself.

“And if not, any decision taken shall be null and void,” he said.

He said, “This court is convinced that the applicant is entitled to a fair hearing and that the respondent also has the right to discipline its members in accordance with the law.”

The judge further said Mr Wike had the right to associate and that the threat to dismiss him without inviting him to defend himself contravened Article 57 (1)(2) of the party.

He said the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, and his agents were bound to promote constitutional democracy.

The ex-governor had sued the PDP, its National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) as first to third respondents.

Mr Wike, in the suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/139/2023, dated and filed February 2 by his lawyer, Joshua Musa, SAN, also joined Mr Ayu; national secretary of PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission as fourth to sixth respondents respectively.

He had prayed for an order directing all parties to maintain the status quo and stay all actions relating to the threat to suspend or expel him by the first to fifth respondents, pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion.

He asked the court to enforce his fundamental right to freedom of association which was allegedly about to be breached by the respondents.

But the PDP, through its lawyer, Johnson Usman, SAN, disagreed with Mr Wike’s submission.

He argued that the case was only based on speculation as Mr Wike had failed to provide evidence to substantiate that the respondents intended to suspend or expel him from the party.

He said the party had not contemplated suspending or expelling members of the G5 governors or the Integrity Group, despite engaging in anti-party activities.

He said Mr Wike and four other governors engaged in anti-party activities by forming the Integrity Group and campaigning for another presidential candidate in the February 25 election.

(NAN)

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