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PDP Insists On Declaring 26 Defected Rivers Lawmakers’ Seats Vacant

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PDP Insists On Declaring 26 Defected Rivers Lawmakers’ Seats Vacant

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday insisted that the seat of the 26 Rivers House of Assembly lawmakers who dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC) remains vacant.

 

The National Legal Adviser, Adeyemi Ajibade, gave this stand shortly after Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court, Abuja, adjourned the embattled lawmakers’s suit until Jan. 24, 2024.

Ajibade said though President Bola Tinubu might have intervened in the dispute between the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the party stood on what the constitution says on defection.

He said, “PDP as a party, we are standing on the side of the constitution of the country.

“It is not about issues of an agreement because by the constitution, we all sworn to uphold.

“The governor himself sworn to uphold the constitution likewise the president.

“I am not against the president, calling for the resolution of the matter. He is the chief security officer of this country and he has every right to intervene in the issue.

“But besides that, we, as a political party, the PDP owns those seats and certainly we are interested in those seats.

“Whatever the governor is doing in this matter that concerns whether resolution on the issue, no resolution has been brought to Wadata Plaza on this matter.

“But as a political party, we cannot leave the seats and the votes willingly given to the party by people of Rivers State.”

According to the senior lawyer, aside from that, the constitution of the country is very clear; Section 109 (1g) is clear as to issues of detection.

He said the affected lawmakers had not denied that they had not detected.

He further stated, “Even if you pick the writ of summon that was filed before this court, they said they actually defeated.

“So they are only stating while they defected, that they have the right to defect based on the reasons given by them.

“So it is not an issue as to whether there was a deflection or not and we cannot fold our hands. So we have to go to recover our seats.”

Ajibade, who said they had challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit, said if the court ruled that it had jurisdiction, the PDP would appeal it.

He said, “If at the end of the day, if this court decided to maintain and insists that it has jurisdiction, then we will do the needful.

“We will study the ruling and if possible, we have higher court.”

On what transpired in court, he said though the case was adjourned for hearing of interlocutory injunction, the PDP filed an objection that the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the matter

He said though he opposed the plaintiffs’ application for the extension of the ex-parte order earlier granted by the court on Dec. 15, he said it was unfortunate that other defendants who were supposed to take side with them did not oppose it, and the court granted the request.

He said, “The court said based on the balance of probabilities, it decided to extend the order.

“The case has been adjourned to Jan. 24, 2024, and on that day, our application challenging the jurisdiction of this court will be taken to see whether this court has jurisdiction on the matter.

“And we equally have an application, asking the court to set aside the earlier ex-parte order granted by the court for lack of jurisdiction.”

Also speaking, Mr Steve Adehi, SAN, lawyer to the 26 lawmakers (plaintiffs), said though they were in court with the hope of taking their interlocutory injunction, an issue regarding a change of counsel occured.

He said the matter was adjourned to enable parties out their house in order.

He said the court, however, made an order extending the lifespan of the interim order pending the hearing of the motion on notice scheduled to come up on Jan. 24.

When asked why the suit was not withdrawn by his clients based on the resolution entered into by Fubara and Wike, Adehi said: “We have just informed the court today that the counsel (Mr Lukman Fagbemi, SAN) that withdrew said he had instruction to withdraw from the matter because it is being settled.

“The other counsel who came in today requested for an adjournment to confirm that position with their client.

“So I think we are not averse to settlement; like the parties said they just want to confirm the position from their various clients which is what all of us have said.

“If we confirm that information, we see how we can move forward .

“But then, the 2nd defendant (PDP) in the matter, by his own co duct, he has not shown any indication that there is going to be any settlement.

“The more reason why this adjournment was really necessary so that all the parties can go and actually confirm from their clients the position of the settlement initiative,” he said.

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POLITICS

Female banker reportedly commits suicide over ‘economic hardship’

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Female banker reportedly commits suicide over ‘economic hardship’

A female staff of Globus Bank in Lagos, Ikorodu, Amarachi, has reportedly committed suicide.

The deceased in a suicide note she left behind cited the degenerating economic situation in the country for her actions.

According to reports, the young staff took her last breath after consuming a dangerous chemical.

Reports claim the late banker indicated that nothing was working in her life and her future looked bleak alongside extreme hardship and a depleting economy.

She wrote that rather than continue to struggle, she chose to end things while apologising to her family and friends for her decision.

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Police arrest notorious arm robbery suspect, one fake soldier, recover AK-47 rifle

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Police arrest notorious arm robbery suspect, one fake soldier, recover AK-47 rifle

The Nasarawa State Police Command says its operatives have arrested one suspected notorious armed robber, Kabiru Alhaji Yusuf.

A statement issued on Thursday by the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel said the arrest was carried out on Wednesday by the command’s anti robbery team.

According to the PPRO, the operatives, during an intelligence led patrol along Fadaman Bauna area of the state., intercepted a group of three young men suspected to be armed robbers riding on an unregistered Bajaj Motorcycle.

He said the criminal elements abandoned the motorcycle and took to flight upon sighting the police officers but were given a hot chase leading to the arrest of Yusuf.

The police spokesman said after a search was conducted on the suspect, one AK 47 rifle and a motorcycle were recovered as an exhibit.

In another development, Nansel said one fake soldier identified as Muhammed Haladu of behind Ozas Hotel, Karu Abuja was arrested on full military camouflage at Awe LGA by two army officers and handed him over to the Police at Awe Division.

“The suspect claimed to be a soldier attached to 231 Battalion Biu, Borno State, but investigation proved otherwise. The criminal defrauded unsuspecting members of the public under the pretext of securing employment into the Nigeria Army.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect attempted to join the military but couldn’t, thus, went to military barracks to purchase the uniform he’s using for his nefarious activities”, the statement added.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Shehu Nadada, while commending the officers, tasked them not to relent in the fight against criminals in the state.

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Court slams police inspector N5m damages over unlawful arrest of keke rider

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Court slams police inspector N5m damages over unlawful arrest of keke rider

An Akwa Ibom State High Court has ordered a Policewoman in the State Police Command, Inspector Iniobong Umoren to pay a tricyclist, Jeremiah Sunday Udo N5m for his unlawful arrest and impoundment of his tricycle, which he bought on hire purchase for the sum of N1.9m.

The Court presided by Justice Ntong Ntong gave the order, Thursday, in a judgment on an application for the enforcement of the fundamental rights brought by the applicant, Jeremiah Sunday Udo, a native of Ikono Local Government Area.

Justice Ntong also ordered the first respondent, Mr. Udoka David, a friend of the keke rider to pay the tricyclist another N5m for instigating the Police to arrest and detain him for five days without food and water.

The Court, however, extricated the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Police Command, Mr. Olatoye Durosinmi who was joined in the suit as the third respondent, but advised him to warn his officers and men to always carry out their duties within the ambit and purview of the law.

The tricyclist, who is a resident of Ifa Ikot Idang in Uyo, had told the Court that he has been fulfilling the hire purchase agreement with the owner of the keke, Mr Udoka David from his neighbouring village in Ikono to pay him N20,000 every week until last year when the Naira policy crippled the economy resulting in him owing a week returns of N20,000.

He said he was surprised to be ambushed and arrested on the 12th of February, 2023, after he had so far paid eight hundred and eighty-five thousand Naira (N885,000) out of the N1.9m agreed in the hire purchase for full recovery of the tricycle.

Justice Ntong in a one-hour judgement wondered why “Inspector Iniobong Umoren quickly impounded the tricycle and handed it over to the first respondent without an order of court which has the power to interpret the terms of hire purchase agreements between parties and enforce its terms and conditions.”

He said, “The first respondent, Mr. Udoka David took the law into his hands and lured the Policewoman, who also allowed herself to be led into jettisoning the rule of law using the name of Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police to authenticate her unlawful act” which the Court described as “satanic, nefarious and unwholesome antics against the applicant.”

Justice Ntong said, “Because of greed, Inspector Iniobong Umoren usurped the role of the Court and became a law unto herself, having encroached on the fundamental rights of the keke man, the law is there to protect the tricyclist from heartless people like Inspector Iniobong Umoren and Mr Udoka David.”

The judge said he “read all the processes filed by the parties and discovered that the evidence and documents including the bail bond, the petition and the statements exhibited by the first and second respondents, are doctored and fabricated to mislead the Court.”

The Court therefore ordered “Inspector Iniobong Umoren and Mr. Udoka David in the name of God Almighty, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Inspector General of Police to release forthwith, the applicant’s tricycle pending when a Court of competent jurisdiction will order otherwise under the hire purchase agreement”.

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