NEWS
Alfa to Saraki: Obey court orders, inaugurate me as Kogi East senator
Isaac Alfa, retired Air Marshal, has asked Senate President Bukola Saraki to obey the court order which affirmed him as the senator representing Kogi East.
In January, the apex court struck out the appeal of Atai Aidoko, incumbent Kogi East senator, who had appealed the decision of the appeal court.
The appeal court had upheld the decision of the trial court which declared Alfa as the candidate that won the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary poll.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Alfa expressed dismay at the “selective obedience and disobedience” of court orders by Saraki.
He said the senate president has not been able to tell him why he has not been sworn in as the senator representing Kogi east since the verdict of the apex court.
“I want to be sworn in on the 19th of February when the senate resumes. By swearing me in that will be the beginning of the senate showing the world that yes we are ready to obey court orders,” Alfa said.
“Instead of criticising the executive for disobeying court orders, the senate will show example to people that we are ready to start doing the right thing.
“I have not been able to obtain from Dr Saraki the actual reason behind his determination to keep me out of the senate at all cost, although people have advanced several reasons; from his determination to install his stooge as the next governor of Kogi state with senator Aidoko as deputy, his hatred for Igala people of Kogi state for a perceived wrong they might have done to his father to his personal hatred for the ex-military, with me as a very high symbol, not minding the fact that I am in the same party with him.”
Alfa also said the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) had failed to discipline P. I. N Ikwueto and F. S Jimba – both lawyers of Aidoko – for alleged professional misconduct.
“The two lawyers have continued to file frivolous motions to delay justice and perpetuate senator Aidoko in the senate illegally, a reason Dr Saraki has always used to keep Aidoko in the senate,” he said.
“Without any ambiguity, the situation as it stands today is very clear supreme court ordered the federal high court to determine who is the senator representing Kogi east.
“High court declared Air Marshal Alfa as the winner in the case and the rightful occupant of the seat. Senator Aidoko appealed to the court of appeal against the judgment of the high court.
“Court of appeal struck out Aidoko’s appeal and upheld the judgment of the high court in favour of senator Isaac Alfa, maintaining that the judgement of the high court in favour of Air Marshal Alfa is subsisting and valid.
“Senator Aidoko and the PDP appealed to the supreme court against the judgment of the court of appeal and the supreme court struck out senator Aidoko and PDP’s appeals and affirmed the judgment of the court of appeal.”
The party faulted the decision of the electoral umpire in a statement on Saturday by the spokesperson for its Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Festus Keyamo.
Keyamo, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said they received the news of INEC’s decision with “great disappointment and disillusionment”.
“We condemn and deprecate this tardiness of the electoral umpire in the strongest terms possible,” he said.
“President Muhammadu Buhari had since cooperated fully with INEC by ensuring everything it demanded to conduct free and fair elections were promptly made available to it.”
The APC campaign council spokesman noted that the postponement was a disappointment to his party and their supporters across the country.
He, therefore, warned INEC against bowing to the purported pressure of the opposition which he said was not ready for the elections.
According to Keyamo, credible demographic projections have predicted a defeat of the opposition party and it needs the breather to halt President Muhammadu Buhari’s momentum.
“We do hope that INEC will remain neutral and impartial in this process as the rumour mill is agog with the suggestion that this postponement has been orchestrated in collusion with the main opposition,” he alleged.
The council spokesman added, “It is in the light of the above that we wish to appeal to Nigerians and our supporters to be patient, calm and resolute despite this temporary setback.
“Let us not give anyone … the opportunity to plunge this nation into a crisis, which is what they earnestly desire.”
INEC had postponed the general elections by a week, less than five hours to the start of the polls.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, announced the decision at a short press briefing held at 2:44 am on Saturday morning in Abuja.
According to him, the Presidential and National Assembly elections, initially scheduled for today, February 16, will now hold on February 23, while the governorship and state houses of assembly elections will take place on March 9.
The Independent National Electoral Commission in Nigeria (INEC) on Friday night announced a shift in the general elections dates to February 23 and March 9 respectively.
The new schedule was announced by the Chairman of the commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, early Saturday morning after an emergency meeting with security officials, election observers and other political stakeholders.
He said the postponement was due to logistic and operational reasons.
According to him, the new dates for the elections are 23 February and 9 March for the Presidential and National Assembly, as well as the governorship, state houses of assembly and FCT Area Council elections respectively.
It would be recalled that the Presidential/National Assembly Election was initially billed for today February 16 while the Governorship/States Assemblies election was billed for Saturday, March 2.
According to Prof. Yakubu, “the commission came to the conclusion that proceeding with the election is no longer feasible.”
He added that “This was a difficult decision for the commission to take but necessary” for the success of the elections.
The National Assembly had in October last year approved the sum of N242.245bn for this year’s elections.
Out of the amount, INEC got N189bn, while the police was allocated N27.3bn. The DSS got N10.2bn; NSA’s office, N9.4bn; N2.628bn for Nigerian Immigration Service, and N3.573bn for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has issued an arrest warrant against Walter Onnoghen, suspended chief justice of Nigeria.
At its resumed trial on Wednesday, the tribunal ordered the nation’s security agencies to arrest Onnoghen after he failed to appear before it.
Aliyu Umar, lead prosecution counsel for the federal government, had asked the tribunal to order Onnoghen’s arrest over his refusal to appear before it.
The suspended CJN has not been in court for at least five times since his trial started.
The federal government is prosecuting him for alleged false assets declaration.
Umar, while making an oral application for the arrest warrant, kicked against Onnoghen’s continued absence.
He said both the administration of criminal justice act and the practice direction of the CCT mandates a defendant to be present in court before any proceedings can be conducted in respect of a pending charge.
Adegboyega Awomolo, lead defense counsel, however, kicked against the application.
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