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An open letter from Femi Falana to President Buhari

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The human rights lawyer, Falana over the weekend took his time to lecture President Buhari on how to act according to court order 

In a statement on Sunday,he said that there was no legal justification for the re-arrest of the Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, after they were granted bails by different courts.

Falana said,

For 16 years that the Peoples Democratic Party was in power, the federal government exhibited total contempt for the Rule of Law. The Constitution and other laws were breached with impunity while court orders were disobeyed on a regular basis. In the famous case of Attorney-General of Lagos State v Attorney-General of the Federation (2005) 2 WRN 1 at 150 the Supreme Court held that “In our democracy all the Governments of this country as well as organizations and individuals must kowtow to the due process and this they can vindicate by resorting to the courts for redress in the event of any grievance.”
One of the reasons why Nigerians voted for the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) during the last general election was his promise to fight corruption and end impunity in the country. Upon winning the election, President Buhari further pledged to abide by the Rule of Law. To that extent, he has a duty to ensure that all organs and officials of the Government operate within the ambit of the law. In particular, he should not allow overzealous security personnel to engage in any form of impunity and thereby expose the Government to unwarranted embarrassment.

In July last year, the State Security Service (SSS) searched the private residence of former NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) at Abuja. When Col Dasuki alleged that his house was illegally searched, I pointed out that the action of the SSS was justified as there was a search warrant validly issued by a magistrate court in the federal capital territory that authorised the search. He was eventually charged with money laundering and criminal diversion of huge sums of public fund before the Federal High Court and the Federal Capital Territory High Court at Abuja. Notwithstanding the gravity of the offences, both courts have admitted him to bail. But after he had met the bail conditions the SSS decided to rearrest him at the gate of Kuje prisons on the ground that investigations have not been concluded in respect of other criminal allegations.

The decision of the SSS to ignore the order admitting Col Dasuki to bail coupled with the failure to re-arraign him on fresh charges is tantamount to impunity in every material respect. If the federal government were aggrieved by the order admitting Col. Dasuki to bail it should have challenged it in the Court of Appeal. Much as the Nigerian people are fully behind the Buhari Administration in the patriotic move to recover the looted wealth of the nation, the federal government should be advised to ensure that the procedure for the loot recovery meets the tenets of the rule of law. The SSS and other security agencies should therefore refrain from allowing corruption to fight back by playing into the hands of the criminal suspects who have committed crimes against humanity by diverting money earmarked for the procurement of arms and armament to fight the terrorists.
In the same vein, the order admitting the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, to bail should also be complied with. If the federal government has other charges against both suspects it should file them in the court. There is no provision for keeping criminal suspects at the pleasure of security officials. Meanwhile, all valid and subsisting orders made by courts in favour of criminal suspects should be obeyed without further delay.
To ensure that suspects are no longer held in custody in any part of Nigeria without any legal justification section 34 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act has imposed a duty on each the Chief Judges to designate a Chief Magistrate and a Judge of the High Court to visit all police stations and other detention centres within their jurisdiction, at least once a month. During such visits, appropriate directives shall be given while any officer who detains any person illegally will be sanctioned.

Femi Falana SAN

*Eshey sir 

Politics

2027 election: LP considers automatic tickets for Obi, Otti

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The Labour Party has reserved its 2027 presidential ticket for its candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.

This was contained in a communiqué issued after the party’s national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Wednesday.

The communiqué was signed by the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, and the party’s National Secretary, Umar Ibrahim.

“The convention in session, based on the antecedents of the presidential candidate before, during and after the 2023 general election, recommend that the 2027 presidential ticket of the party be solely reserved for His Excellency, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, the national leader of the party,” the communique read.

Obi, who was the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, came third behind President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The party also recommended that the governorship ticket of the party be reserved for the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti.

The convention was initially set to be held in Umuahia, Abia State, but was moved to Nnewi, Anambra State.

This is coming after the Nigeria Labour Congress described the convention as illegal.

The political wing of the NLC also called for Abure’s resignation as party chairman.

However, on Wednesday, Abure was re-elected as the party’s chair.

The communique further read, “The national convention reviewed the state of the nation and concluded that it is not grabbing power that matters but what you do with it.

“After the 2023 general election, the security situation of the nation has not improved as there is a geometrical increase in numbers of lives lost and the economy has worsened as the standard and conditions of living of the Nigerian populace has continue to deteriorate.

“Inflation is skyrocketing, unemployment rate is high, this has led to massive hunger and poverty in the land. This is a result of the continuous devaluation of the currency and increase in petroleum product prices.”

The convention called on President Bola Tinubu to quickly take drastic and proactive steps to save the economy from total collapse.

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Abure re-elected as LP National Chairman despite battle with NLC

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Julius Abure has been re-elected as the National Chairman of the Labour Party for a second term.

He was re-elected on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, during the party’s national convention in Anambra State.

Ikechukwu Emetu, the Chairman of the National Convention and Deputy Governor of Abia State declared him the winner at the convention.

Abure will steer the affairs of the Labour Party for another term despite his lingering battle with the NLC leadership led by Joe Ajaero.

Before the convention, the leadership of the NLC had called for Abure’s resignation.

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Politics

FG approves 30% youth representation in all government appointments

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The federal government has approved 30 percent youth representation in all government appointments.

Speaking on Monday after the federal executive council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, Jamila Ibrahim, minister of youth development, said the 30 percent quota will address issues of youth exclusion in decision-making processes in the country.

She said the council also approved the restructuring of the youth investment fund, adding that a technical committee has been established for its review.

“We have received council’s approval to institutionalise a 30% youth quota, representation of young people in all government appointments and equitable young women representation inclusive of this 30%,” she said.

“This will go a long way to address the long marginalisation and exclusion of young people in decision-making and it will also go a long way to encourage young people to participate in decision-making process and in civic engagement.

“This will in turn lead to young people contributing tremendously to the national development agenda.

“I am also pleased to announce the second council approval to restructure and institutionalise the Nigerian youth investment fund.

“This is a fund that was approved in 2020 and on assumption of office of this administration, we commissioned a technical committee to review the fund and restructure it with the aim of institutionalising it through a legal framework which will lead to the establishment of the Nigerian Youth Fund.”

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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