Buhari Not A Democrat, Lacks Moral Rights To Intervene In Gambia – Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has
described President Muhammadu Buhari’s
involvement in the meeting with President
Yahya Jammeh to persuade him to concede
defeat as an aberration, saying; “Aman like
Buhari under whose free, fair and credible elections no longer exist lacks moral rights to
preach obedience to democratic principles to
anyone.” The governor said great Africans like former
President Goodluck Jonathan, President John
Mahama of Ghana and others who have lost
elections and conceded defeat were in the
best position to intervene in Gambia and not
someone like Buhari, who lost election three times
and never conceded defeat. According to his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere
Olayinka, Governor Fayose wondered what
President Buhari, whose government is
desperately moving Nigeria from a multi-
party democracy to a one party State, would have told President Jammeh in Gambia
yesterday, He said “with what happened in Rivers State
last weekend, it is certain that votes of
Nigerians will no longer be allowed to count
as the APC cabal in the Presidential villa has
now assumed the roles of
INEC, allocating votes to their party and using security agents to force their will on the
people.” Governor Fayose asked; “Did President
Buhari face Jammeh and advised him to
accept defeat the way he (Buhari) conceded
defeat in 2003, 2007 and 2011 when
violence was instigated and several people,
including Youth Corp members were killed? Or did Buhari lecture Jammeh to take to
democracy at gunpoint, which is now the
norm in Nigeria? “How can Buhari, who has destroyed the
legacy of free, fair and credible elections that
was handed over to him, be the one to
prevail on someone else to adhere to
democratic principles?” He said Buhari should first remove the timber
in his eyes before attempting to remove the
toothpicks in other peoples’ eyes, describing
the President as a physician who cannot heal
himself but trying to heal others. The governor said even though President
Jammeh behaved dishonourably by reneging
on his initial promise to accept defeat,
involvement of President Buhari in the
meeting to persuade him to step down was
the height of hypocrisy. The governor said that Nigerians are now
more concerned with how to take back their
country like the Gambians have done. “Nigerians are worried about the possibility
of Buhari behaving like Jammeh in 2019 after
he must have been defeated and that the
international community may need a high-
powered delegation to pilot his rampaging
bull out of Nigerians chinashop,” he said.

Source:

www.vanguardngr.com/2016/12/buhari-not-a-democrat-lacks-moral-rights-to-intervene-in-gambia-fayose/

Fayose Takes Father Christmas To The Streets Of Ado Ekiti

The people of Ado Ekiti trooped out in their numbers in excitement as governor Ayo Fayose brought good tidings to the region ahead of the Christmas celebration. The governor who stormed the venue with father Christmas -was seen sharing Christmas items to excited children. See Photos below;

Source; http://www.nationalhelm.net/2016/12/excitement-as-gov-fayose-takes-father.html

Nigeria will not seperate, People suing for Biafra should drop the idea - Buhari

President says those plotting to separate country should have a 'rethink'

Says this during meeting with south-east traditional rulers

South-east leaders pledge support for Buhari

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has again reiterated the essence of the unity of Nigeria, urging those contemplating its break-up to have a rethink.

Speaking at a meeting with the Council of South-East Traditional Rulers at the State House on Thursday, President Buhari warned that the question of having another country out of Nigeria was misplaced.

“The question of having another country out of Nigeria is going to be very difficult. From 1914, we have more than 200 cultures living with one another. God had endowed this country with natural resources and talented people. We should concentrate on these and be very productive,” the President said.

Addressing specific issues raised in the address by the traditional rulers, the President gave assurance that the South-East will also benefit from the new railway architecture being put in place by his administration.

On their request for more representation for the South-East in his government, the President said that he was “very conscious of the sensitivities of the South East”, on account of which, he gave the region's four out of five states Senior ranking Ministers in the Federal Cabinet.

President Buhari used the occasion to appreciate the good work of the Ministers from the region in the federal government, saying that they are doing very well for the country.

He appealed to the traditional rulers from the South East to persuade their people to give his government a chance and to continue to serve as beacons of culture and traditions of their people.

The President assured the delegation that kidnapping and cattle rustling, which he described as "unfortunate" will be the government’s next target, now that “we have managed to calm down the North-East.”

In taking note of the profuse commendation for his administration’s war against corruption and insecurity by the traditional rulers, President Buhari expressed frustration at the endless nature of some ongoing trials, citing some of the cases as going far back to the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“We are asking the judiciary to clean itself. Nigerians are tired of waiting. They want some actions,” he lamented.

The President said he hoped that the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria and Attorney-General of the Federation will come to some form of agreement by which specially designated courts will give accelerated hearing to some corruption cases that are pending, arguing that “we want Nigerians to know we are serious.”

Earlier in his address, the Chairman of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Majesty, Eze (Dr) Eberechi N. Dick (JP), had made requests for roads, other projects among other issues, even as he assured the President of their support for his leadership and programmes.

Source:

 http://politicsngr.com/nigeria-will-not-seperate-buhari/

Court Declines To Release Nnamdi Kanu, Others On Bail

ABUJA—–Trial Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, Thursday, declined to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, on bail. Director of Radio Biafra and Leader, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu as he appeared before Justice Ahmed Mohammed Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday, 23/12/2015 Justice Binta equally refused bail applications made by three other pro-Biafra agitators, Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, who are facing trial alongside Kanu. 

The four defendants who are answering to an 11-count charge bordering on treasonable felony and their alleged involvement in acts of terrorism, had through their lawyers, pleaded the court to release them on bail pending the determination of the charge against them. Their separate bail applications were predicated on sections 158, 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, as well as section 35 and 36 of the 1999 constitution, as amended. The defendants contended that charges against them were not only bailable offences, but also not felony punishable with death. Arguing that the presumption of innocence under the Nigerian constitution was in their favour, the defendants said their release from detention would enable them to properly defend the charge against them. Besides, they insisted that their right to self determination was guaranteed both by the Nigeria constitution and Article 20 of the Africa Charter on Peoples and Human Right. They maintained that IPOB which they said has been registered in over 30 countries, has not been proscribed or declared as a dangerous organisation under any law. They defendants expressed their readiness to produce reasonable sureties before the court. However, FG, vehemently opposed release of any of the defendants on bail.

Government lawyer, Mr. Shuaibu Labaran, told the court that the defendants would constitute “a threat to national security”, once freed from prison custody. Labaran, who further applied to the court for protection of witnesses billed to testify against the defendants, drew attention of the court to the fact that the 1st defendant, Kanu, has dual citizenship. He argued that Kanu who he said has both Nigerian and British passports, would escape out of the country if released on bail. While praying the court to allow the defendants to attend their trial from Kuje prison, FG, stressed that Onwudiwe was a major threat, saying he was the only one facing a particular count of “preparatory to commit an act of terrorism”. Meanwhile, in her ruling, Justice Nyako, held that charge against the defendants “are very serious in nature”, and therefore not ordinarily bailable. “Irrespective of what the charge is, the court has to exercise its discretion on way or the other”, the Judge held, adding that some of the charges against the defendants could attract life imprisonment if proved by FG. Justice Nyako also dismissed contention by the defendants that President Muhammadu Buhari had openly directed that they should not be released on bail.

The Judge held that President Buhari, being a citizen of Nigeria, was at liberty to exercise his freedom of speech. She maintained that the President lacks the capacity to influence the decision of the court, saying the defendants did not place any new fact or law capable of persuading the court to reverse an earlier ruling of the court that denied them bail. “The offences are serious in nature and carries very severe punishment if proven. “I hereby therefore refuse bail of the applicants. But in the alternative, I hereby order accelerated trial of this matter to almost commence immediately, but not later than two months”, the Judge held.

Immediately after the ruling was delivered, FG, applied for all the witnesses to be allowed to testify behind screen. It also prayed the court for identities of the witnesses not to be revealed in any record of the proceeding. The defendants however opposed the application, contending that granting such request would amount to a gross violation of their rights to fair hearing. “We vehemently oppose secret trial of the defendants. They were accused in the open, we also request that they be tried in the open. The defendants need to see those testifying against them eye-ball-to-eye-ball. We are ready for this trial”, Kanu’s lawyer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor submitted. Specifically, FG had in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, alleged that the quartet conspired to commit treasonable felony contrary to and punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, CAP. C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2014. FG alleged that they committed the offence along with others now at large, on diverse dates in 2014 and 2015, in Nigeria, London and United Kingdom.

It told the court that the defendant conspired among themselves to broadcast on Radio Biafra which is monitored in Enugu and its environs, preparations they were making for states in the South-South zones and other communities in Kogi and Benue states, to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a view to constituting same into a Republic of Biafra. Whereas FG identified Kanu as the arrow-head behind the “hate broadcasts”, it fingered Onwudiwe as the National Coordinator of the IPOB movement.

The defendants had on November 8, pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them, even as the court adjourned to hear their bail applications. Kanu was previously facing a six-count treason charge with Madubugwu and Nwawuisi, before FG amended the charges to include Onwudiwe as one of the defendants. Justice Nyako is now the third judge to handle the trial. It will be recalled that the former judge handling the matter, Justice John Tsoho had on September 26, disqualified himself from presiding over trial of the defendants. Justice Tsoho who earlier denied the defendants bail, premised his decision to hands-off the case on a petition pending against him before the National Judicial Council, NJC. Kanu and his co-accused persons had in their joint petition, alleged that Justice Tsoho indulged in act of “judicial rascality”, by delivering conflicting rulings on the same subject matter. They alleged that the judge summarily reversed his previous ruling that barred the Federal Government from masking all the witnesses billed to testify against them. The defendants maintained that the Judge denied them fair hearing on the day he gave FG the nod to produce “masquerades” to testify against them. 

Justice Ahmed Mohammed who was the first judge Kanu was taken to by FG, had in a bench ruling he delivered on December 23, 2015, also distanced himself from the matter. Kanu who was hitherto the Director of Radio Biafra and Television, ‎has been in detention since October 14, 2015, when he was arrested by security operatives upon his arrival to Nigeria from his base in the United Kingdom.

The defendants were alleged to have committed treasonable felony, an offence punishable under Section 41(C) of the Criminal Code Act, CAP C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. FG alleged that they were the ones managing the affairs of the IPOB which it described as “an unlawful society”. Kanu was alleged to have illegally smuggled radio transmitters into Nigeria, which he used to disseminate “hate broadcasts”, encouraging the “secession of the Republic of Biafra”, from Nigeria. The IPOB leader earlier denied the charges, even as the court, on January 20, ordered remand of the defendants at Kuje prison ‎in Abuja. Count one of the charge against the defendants read: “That you Nnamdi Kanu, ‘M’, Onwudiwe Chidiebere ‘M’, Benjamin Madubugwu ‘M’, David Nwawusi ‘M’ and others now at large, on diverse dates in 2014 and 2015 in Nigeria and London, United Kingdom, did conspire amongst yourselves to broadcast on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu and other areas within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, preparations being made by you and others at large, or states in the South East and South South zones and other communities in Kogi and Benue States to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a view to constituting same into a Republic of Biafra and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, CAP.C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2000”.

 Source:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/12/breaking-court-declines-release-kanu-others-bail/