Celebrities
Senate President Bukola Saraki denies 13 charges of corruption by code of conduct bureau
After code of conduct bureau released their statements earlier this morning saying Bukola lied about his assets declaration, the senate president has reacted to the allegations in a press statement released this afternoon,
Saraki said all the allegations were false, incorrect and untrue. The Press statement below… The attention of Dr. Bukola Saraki, President of the Senate, has been drawn to a charge sheet being widely circulated on the online media, upon which he is expected to be tried at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
It should be noted that at the time of writing this statement (10.00am on September 16, 2015), Dr. Saraki has not been served the court process. However, we recognise that as a public officer, he owes members of the public explanation on the allegations contained in the charge sheet.
We therefore state as follows:
1. That all the claims contained in the charge sheet are false, incorrect and untrue.
2. That Dr. Saraki has consistently declared his assets as required by law at every point before resuming any political office and that of 2015 is not an exception. It is surprising that the alleged charges is now referring his asset declaration made in 2003 while in office as Governor of Kwara State to formulate their charges. They therefore ignored the recent declaration for which they last week issued an acknowledgement.
3. That we believe that the Code of Conduct Bureau following their processes in which after a declaration is submitted to the bureau they carried out verification of the assets and ascertained the claims made, should not wait till 12 years later to be pointing out an alleged inconsistencies in a document submitted to it in 2003. This same Dr. Saraki submitted asset declaration form in 2007, 2011 and 2015. It is unexplainable that the case in question is now based on the 2003 declaration.
4. This is why we are of the opinion that present effort is a desperate move initiated due to external influence and interference.
5. It should also be noted that contrary to the procedure indicated in the law setting up the CCB, the bureau never wrote to Dr. Saraki to complain of any inconsistency in his asset declaration forms.
6. It should also be noted that Dr. Saraki as Governor of Kwara State never operated a foreign account.
7. That some of the issues contained in the charge sheet are subjects of earlier decided and on-going Court cases. We therefore believe those behind filing of these charges are engaging in forum-shopping.
8. It should be noted that we do not know on whose authority these charges are filed when the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act clearly indicate that any prosecution must be authorised by an Attorney General and we know the nation last had an AG in May 2015. This is another clear indication that the CCT is acting under influence from outside its domain and therefore ready to bend the rules to achieve this obnoxious objective
9. We therefore conclude that this is not an anti corruption driven case and cannot be part of the moves aimed at fighting corruption. It is simply a pure malicious and politically motivated prosecution aimed at undermining the person and office of the Senate President.
10. That those behind this plot will definitely meet Dr. Saraki in court as this case which is based on outright fabrication and mischief will not and cannot stand the test of justice.
11. it should be noted that throughout his career as a public official democratically elected to high public service, Dr Saraki has always held himself, to global standards of transparency and accountability, to a far higher standard of diligence, disclosure, and compliance, than required or even requested by Nigeria’s Code Of Conduct protocols. Thus, Dr Saraki has always, lawfully and accountably, declared his assets, both directly owned, and in which he may derive any historical and on-going degree of beneficial interest.
12. In view of the above, Senator Saraki hereby affirms his belief in the justice system and that when the proposed case comes to the tribunal, he will diligently state his case. He is also ready to co-operate with the Tribunal and other lawful government agencies in the bid to genuinely fight corruption and eliminate impunity in our public affairs.
13. We also note that anytime you try to fight corruption or insist that the right thing should be done, the system will always come after you. This is another case of desperation to fight Dr. Saraki because of his recent stance on national issues.
Media Office of The Senate President
*Assets declaration season two. Eni wo tan
Celebrities
Wizkid, Davido’s feud, strategy to remain relevant, says Portable
Controversial Nigerian singer, Portable, has weighed in on the ongoing feud between music stars Ayodeji Balogun a.k.a Wizkid and David Adeleke a.k.a Davido, accusing them of using their rivalry to stay relevant in the industry.
The recent clash between Wizkid and Davido began on October 1, when Wizkid posted a cryptic tweet that many interpreted as a dig at Davido this was after Davido teased a snippet of his first single for 2024.
The feud escalated quickly, with both artists exchanging insults and personal attacks on social media.
Wizkid had also planned to release the first track of his highly anticipated “Morayo” album on the same day.
In a twist, Davido’s associate, Kayode Yajaur, popularly known as Black Tycoone, took a jab at Wizkid, seemingly mocking the delay in his album drop. He tweeted, “Tell your Daddy to drop an album already.”
Unfazed, the Grammy award-winning singer responded by throwing shade at Davido’s camp, writing on X, “P***y boys dropping mid again,” before adding, “Una don tire! Make una go rest small!”
Although Wizkid refrained from directly naming Davido, fans were quick to interpret the post as a clear shot at the ‘Fem’ crooner.
In an Instagram post, Portable criticized the duo saying “using your brother to shine” instead of focusing on their own music.
He opined that their songs are no longer selling well, and they are relying on social media drama to promote themselves.
“Don’t use your brother to shine, shine yourself. Una songs no dey market again, na fight una dey use do promotion,” Portable wrote.
The singer also distanced himself from the feud, stating that he is not aligned with either Wizkid or Davido. “Me, I no dey for Davido. Me, I no dey for Wizkid. I dey for myself. That’s why I dey for those who dey for me,” he added.
Celebrities
Davido shuns Wizkid’s rants, unveils second Puma collection
Davido, the Afrobeats star, has unveiled his second collection with sportswear giant Puma at the brand’s flagship store in New York.
The partnership, announced last year, has yielded two successful collections — the first in April — with the latest featuring sportswear items such as t-shirts, sneakers, jackets, and bags.
At the launch event, hosted by Rolling Stone reporter Mankaprr Conteh, Davido shared his humble beginnings, saying his initial goal was to have his music played on Nigerian radio.
On the second collection, the singer said: “You know the first collection, we were just testing the waters. Because it was a risk for them. Yes, people love my music, but it is different from people love your music and people buy your products”.
The development comes at about the same time when Wizkid reignited their rift — after Davido announced his first single of 2024.
The ‘Made In Lagos’ hitmaker also taunted Ademola Adeleke, Davido’s uncle who is governor of Osun state.
Responding to one of Davido’s supporters, Wizkid claimed he declined the deal Puma offered him because “they could no longer afford to pay me”.
”U idiot! I turned down Puma cos they could no longer afford to pay me cos I wanted more! Don’t need dat! Way bigger than every artiste u just mentioned! Not jealous ! love em all…With ur dirty ass shirt! Idiot!” Wizkid wrote on X.
Wizkid argued that rejecting the offer showed he was bigger than the ‘Unavailable’ hitmaker.
Davido, who has been active on social media, appeared to have ignored Wizkid, with the former failing to respond to the latter’s tweets.
Celebrities
‘You don’t see my uncle dancing online’ — Wizkid taunts Davido, Adeleke
The long-standing feud between Wizkid and Davido seems far from over with the former taunting the latter’s family member.
The ‘Made In Lagos’ hitmaker reignited their rift on Tuesday after Davido announced his first single of 2024.
The ‘Assurance’ singer revealed the track will be in celebration of Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day.
Wizkid responded with criticism, questioning Davido’s talent and comparing their musical catalogues.
In a fresh rant on X, Wizkid taunted Ademola Adeleke, Davido’s uncle fondly called the ‘dancing governor’.
Wizkid mocked the Osun governor for his numerous dance videos online. He also implied that the Adeleke family “lacks a proper upbringing”.
“When you see people wey dem papa and family train you go know! You don’t see my uncle dancing online,” he wrote in Pidgin English.
When u see people wey dem papa and family train u go know! U don’t see my uncle dancing online ! 😎❤️
— Wizkid (@wizkidayo) October 2, 2024
Davido, who has been active on social media, appeared to have ignored Wizkid, with the former failing to respond to the latter’s tweets.
In May, a fight ensued between Davido and Wizkid on X after the ‘Ojuelegba’ hitmaker mocked him and Don Jazzy, the Mavin Records head honcho.
Wizkid referred to Don Jazzy as an “influencer” while taunting Davido with a video of him on his knees, pleading and crying after a fan asked him to release new music.
The singer’s posts attracted criticism from a segment of social media users, including celebrities.
Davido also retaliated, labeling Wizkid’s career as “dead”.
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