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Ike Ekweremadu: The Long Road to Prison

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By Eric Elezuo

On face value, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who once served as the Deputy Senate President of the Nigerian eight senate, and one time Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, would be 70 years in the next nine years when he would be expected to be released from prison.

This is because the former lawmaker bagged a nine years, six months jail term after he was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, United Kingdom (UK) for organ trafficking. His wife, Beatrice, did not escape the long arm of the law, as she got six years imprisonment.

It would be recalled that the long walk of the senator to London prison began on June 23, 2022, when the London Metropolitan Police announced that it has arrested Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, for conspiring to bring an alleged 15-year-old boy to the UK for organ harvesting. The kidney donor, one David Nwamini’s travel was said to have been arranged between August 1, 2021, and May 5, 2022, with a view to exploitation, punishable under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The couple were charged the same day at the Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court where they pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody and the trial adjourned till July 7. What they did not, nor any of their well wishers understood was that a long walk with the legal system, culminating in inglorious incarceration, has just begun.

After a lot of back and forth, and several adjournments, the trial resumed proper on February 3 2023 as the senator and his legal team could not stop influence his daughter’s application to not stand trial with him and her mother for the said “conspiracy to harvest organ”. The charges was thrown out by Justice Jeremiah Johnson.

With the senator sitting hapless in detention, and following proceedings via video link, his daughter, Sonia, 25, was in the dock with her mother, listening to the judge ruled declare that she was not unfit to stand a “criminal trial lasting seven weeks” against the argument of her defence barrister, Femi Oni.

After tabling the application for “stay of proceedings” on the basis that “she’s unfit” medically and psychologically due to her ongoing thrice a week dialysis, both sides of the bench led their expert witnesses in testimonies via video link, beginning with the Manchester-based professor that Oni had lined up.

After being sworn in, the defence asked him: “Did you have an opportunity to get consultation with her before writing his report”, he replied with a “yes.” Asked if he has a report on “what she’s suffering from?” the professor told the court that “she’s developed from a young age, a kidney condition “that led to a gradual dysfunction and consequently, “her life is dependent on dialysis treatment until she has a kidney transplant.”

Led in further testimony, he told the court the treatment has placed a psychological, mental and medical burden on her as it does on other dialysis patients. The professor also relied on the report of a consultant psychiatrist.

Davies, on his part, had Dr Andrews as his expert witness. Though he admitted having not had any direct consultation with Sonia, but did say if the court’s schedule of sitting times was moved to afternoons to accommodate her treatment days, that she’s capable of standing trial. Andrew told the court in his testimony that, ‘the residual symptoms of dialysis does not make it impossible to attend trial.”

After listening to the barristers and their expert witnesses, including their reports, and acknowledging that the treatment takes its toll on her and that she has even had to withdraw from her Masters degree programme after her diagnosis, the judge said it is not confirmed that her recovery or clinical care could suffer if she were to stand trial. He then ruled that accordingly, “the application is dismissed.”

A week later, a Royal Free Hospital dialysis expert who carried out a routine pre-surgical assessment for the kidney donor told the court that he had concerns about his suitability and that he didn’t seem to know the implications of what he had signed up for.

Prosecution witness, Dr David DuPont, said as part of normal clinical practice of interviewing potential donors, so as to be certain they were not being “forced or under duress or coerced nor induced to donate their organ”, he asked Nwamini these and other questions during a face-to-face meeting at the clinic last year February.

Despite the defence put up by Ekweremadu, 60; his wife, Beatrice, 56; and Obeta, 51, the court convicted them for organ trafficking on Thursday, March 23, in the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act.

However, the court cleared the lawmaker’s daughter, Sonia.  The jury ruled that Ekweremadu, his wife and their doctor criminally conspired to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney and reserved their sentencing till yesterday when the trio received sentences with Dr. Obeta getting the highest of 10 years.

However, both the Senator and his wife got some discounts and will not serve the entire duration of their terms due to mitigating circumstances that Johnson factored into his judgment. While the senator will serve two thirds of his term, his wife’s term was reduced to four years and six months after factoring in the discounts.

“It’s going to be two thirds” Gary Owen, one of the Senator’s barristers told The Guardian outside the Court after the judgment when asked to clarify the implication of the discount.

On her part, the wife would serve half of her term. So, while the Senator will do about six years, he won’t stay locked up for that much as he’s already been in custody since June 21, 2023, when he was arrested with the wife at Heathrow Airport. She too will spend less than three years, as the time already spent in custody will be deducted.

Additional information from The Guardian.

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Presidency Raises Alarm over Alleged Plot to Overthrow Tinubu’s Govt

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The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, has alleged that a group of political actors is plotting to remove the president from office ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Onanuga made the claim in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. Without naming specific individuals or parties, he said the alleged efforts are being coordinated by those he described as “haters of Nigeria’s progress”.

According to the presidential aide, “haters of Nigeria’s progress are banding together to overthrow an administration that has been the most focused, most transformative in our history.”

His remarks followed recent developments around a political alliance taking shape under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which aims to challenge Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Onanuga referenced a 2022 comment by the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, in which the monarch warned voters against believing promises of quick solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.

“Emir Sanusi warned Nigerians what to expect from President Tinubu’s reforms. ‘It’s not going to be easy.’ If anybody tells you it would be easy, don’t vote for him,” he wrote.

He maintained that the Tinubu administration is pursuing reforms designed to reshape the country’s future, suggesting that opposition to these changes is at the root of current political maneuverings.

The post did not offer further details or evidence to substantiate the allegation of an overthrow attempt.

No official response has been issued by the groups involved in the emerging political coalition.

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I Go with Atiku Just As Obidients Are Free to Support Peter Obi – Dele Momodu

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Accomplished media executive and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Aare Dele Momodu, has reaffirmed his unwavering support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to emerge as the presidential candidate of the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 elections.

“My best choice is Atiku, and that is what I expect Obi-dients to say, which I expect those who support Amaechi to say — there’s nothing wrong with that,” Momodu stated.

“I have never asked anyone not to support Obi. Obi is my very good friend. If you asked me about one of the people who should lead the coalition, I would say it should be Obi. But as a democrat, I’m appealing to them, hoping they will be able to do it democratically so that they will not say it was forced upon them.”

He stressed that all aspirants, including Obi and former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, should face the test of popularity through a democratic process.

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APC vs Coalition: Gladiators Draw Battle Line

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By Eric Elezuo

Following the last week’s unveiling of a coalition movement under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to challenge the President Bola Tinubu-led national government in 2027, the two contending parties are leaving no stone unturned in the battle of wits to outdo each other and gain the confidence of the electorate.

No doubt, the final merger of coalition advocates with the already existing ADC has been described as the biggest shake-ups in Nigerian politics since the end of military rule in 1999, relegating the alliance that led to the ouster of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 to the background. In retrospect, this is not the first time the ADC has presented itself as a platform for adoption. In 2018, the party was adopted by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s political movement, the Coalition for Nigeria Movement, but its operations were shortlived, and could not match the APC and PDP dominance in 2019.

But today, the situation is different as most of the apparachiks that constitute the then PDP, and a few of those in the APC are now morphed in the ADC.

But with these development, the mouthpieces and major stakeholders of both political parties are on each other’s throats with figures, facts and most of the time, propaganda tailored towards discrediting one another in the race to secure, or wrest the seat of power, currently occupied by President Tinubu.

The coalition’s unveiling, which took place in Abuja, witnessed the presence of various politicians across different political divides in the country. The party claim its major mandate is to boot out the administration of Tinubu, and rescue democracy, which according to them, is suffering and in near comatose status, in addition to restoring the dignity of the Nigerian citizen, restore parity in class differentiation and re-birth a life of ease for Nigerian citizens.

Among the politicians present at the event are Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party Presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, Former Kaduna State Governor, Mr Rotimi Amechi, former Governor of Rivers State.

Others are, Gabriel Suswan, Benue State former Governor, Datti Baba Ahmed, Senator David Mark, former Nigerian Senate President, Aminu Tambuwal, Sokoto State former Governor, among others. The group has labelled the ruling APC as a disaster to the nation.

“The APC government, which came into being on the false and evil propaganda to save Nigeria from PDP is now a disaster to our nation and therefore must be voted out of power,’’ the coalition noted in a communiqué issued after their meeting.

Former Senate President David Mark was nominated as the Interim National Chairman of the party, while Rauf Aregbesola, former Governor of Osun State, was nominated as the National Secretary.

In his remark, the National Chairman stated that the essence of a coalition is not a power struggle, but rather the repositioning of the country’s democracy that would enhance good governance.

According to Senator Mark, the party invites Nigerian politicians willing to join and commit to ADC in preparation for the 2027 general elections, urging members to be dedicated and steadfast in advancing the party’s progress.

“On the operational focus and structure of the New Political Coalition, which unites Nigeria’s opposition groups, political parties, youth organizations, civil society, and various patrons from all regions of our country.

Over time, this coalition of national political groups transcended gaming and political power. Today marks the beginning of what will be your long, difficult, and tedious journey.

“However, it is a journey that we are prepared to undertake to unite our collective belief and make our country, Nigeria, great again, regardless of our tribe, religion, and ethnicity,” he said.

However, the APC speaking through its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, dismissed Mark’s statement as “nothing but stitches of untruths, diatribe, and regurgitated and baseless allegations against the APC-led administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.

He said, “From beginning to end, Senator Mark said nothing about the purpose of the so-called coalition other than a loud declaration of desperation for power. What value does the coalition bring to Nigerians? Why should any Nigerian be concerned about a coalition of a bunch of egotistical maniacs for whom power and patronage are the oxygen on which their lives depend?

“One would have expected that, after months of vacillating between the devil and the deep blue sea, in search of a host platform, Senator Mark and his co-travellers would take Nigerians seriously enough by telling them what their coalition would do differently regarding the administration’s bold economic and sectoral policy reforms. What key alternative policy approaches would the coalition implement, and with what prospects of success compared to the high value and transformative impact of the administration’s reform policies? What exactly is the philosophical or ideological leaning of the coalition or its new party, aside from desperation for power at all cost, by all means necessary and unnecessary?”, APC queried.

African Democratic Congress ADC was originally named “Alliance for Democratic Change”. It was later renamed and registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission.

 

While accepting the National Secretary position of the party, Aregbesola noted that he is in “A party that listens and works for the people, not only during elections, but every single day,” adding that, “We must become an institution where internal democracy is not just preached but practised; intra-party competition is transparent, fair and just; all party structures from the ward to the national level function effectively and efficiently; young people, women, and the marginalised have a real voice, not symbolic inclusion.”

The former Osun governor stressed that, “All special and critical interests – security, educators, farmers, workers, women, youth, professionals, people with special needs, etc – must be recognised and allowed to have autonomous structures within the party.”

According to Aregbesola,  who once served as Commissioner for Works in Lagos State, “We will model international best practices in party organisation, administration and ethics. We will study what works, from South Africa to Sweden, from Chile to Kenya, and adapt what fits our local reality. Discipline, order, clarity of purpose and service to the people must define us.”

But in a swift reaction, the APC, through its  spokesman, Bala Ibrahim, described the coalition as “dead on arrival.”

He stated, “The fact that they are meeting in hotels or places at night without any fear means the APC government has improved the security situation of the country. It means the power system of the country has improved. It has improved so well that they don’t have any fear of insecurity, nor do they have any fear of power failure.

“The atmosphere provided by the APC administration for the freedom of association peacefully in itself is a pointer to the improvement.

“The government will continue to provide a favourable atmosphere for them to meet and discuss freely without any harassment, but they are not likely to give any fear or scare to the APC because they are dead on arrival.

“But the coalition is a waste of time. Is it dead on arrival? Yes. It’s dead on arrival. All of them are doing it for selfish reasons and not in the interest of Nigerians.

“I said the coalition is dead on arrival because it’s composed of people who were defeated politically, defeated ideologically, and they will be defeated again collectively in 2027 by our party’s candidate.”

As a follow-up, gladiators from the camps of the now two major parties have been raising their voices speaking for and against their camps and theur rivals respectively, with the intent of gaining popularity for self, and rubbishing the other.

According to the senator representing Benue South, Abba Moro, the coalition is a gathering aimed at achieving a national purpose, describing the conveners as elder statesmen.

He said, “These are senior and elder statesmen and political leaders in the country. I want to believe that they know what they are doing. I think this is part of the general trend in the country now, a season of alignment and realignment to achieve a political purpose.”

A former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, who is also a key member of the coalition condemned the Tinubu as burying Nigeria’s economy.

“The current government has completely buried the economy. Any economy that does not put money in the pockets of individuals in Nigeria is not an economic policy,” Amaechi said.

But in his response, the FCT Minister, who is a member of the PDP, but working for Tinubu and the APC dismissed the coalition and its originators, saying they are only interested in rescuing their stomachs, and not Nigerians. He went personal attacking the individual members of the coalition, outlining where he assumed they failed while in public office.

He said, “I heard David Mark say, to rescue Nigeria; Nigerians are angry. David Mark was Senate President for how many terms? Two terms, is it not? Nigerians were happy. Nigerians were happy when he was Senate President for eight years. And there was no single project to Otukpo; not one. He was flying with helicopter to go to Otukpo. Nigerians were not angry then, Nigerians are only angry now.

“When Rotimi Amaechi was Minister for eight years, Nigerians were not angry. When Nigeria became indebted, Chinese loan, Nigerians were happy. It’s now Nigerians are angry. I saw Seriake (Dickson). They are saying Nigerians are angry. They want to rescue Nigeria. So I’m asking this simple question. What happened to Air Nigeria? Nigerians were happy then.

“When they went to APC in 2015 and took over the reins of power in 2023, Nigerians were happy. Was it under Tinubu’s government that banditry came? Tambuwal, you were Speaker for four years. What did you do to make Nigerians not to be angry? You were a governor in Sokoto State,” he said.

Wike further stated that he would accept the position that Nigerians were angry, if it came from persons who had never been in power, adding that Tinubu was working to change the situation in the country.

Nigerians have had to battle uncertainty in their standard of living in the last 25 months of Tinubu’s administration, and this has necessitated the formation of a viable opposition front ahead of the next general elections. This is as the main opposition party, PDP, as hitherto known, seems to have imploded.

The political space has spiced up with the new ADC to halt the inordinate decamping of politicians to the APC, and as 2027 approaches, it is the side that convinces Nigerians better with human faced policies that may eventually carry the day, and so the gladiators on both divide have drawn the battle line to achieve this feat.

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