News
Soludo: I did’t spend N3.5billion for polls *I’ve since capture the hearts of voters
Those trading the allegation that Anambra State Government spending a whopping N3.5billion to skew last saturdays House of Assembly elections in the state are not only mischievous but satanic, the state Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, said on Monday.
Dismissing the allegation made by International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, a group he described as none existent and serial blackmailers, Soludo, in a statement by Chris Aburime, his spokesman, said the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which had earned popularity in the State did not require any form of inducement to win any election in Anambra State
He said: “The attention of the Government of Anambra State has been drawn to a false publication being peddled in some sections of the media bordering on the above headline. The satanic report alleging that Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo-led administration spent a whooping 3.5 billion naira to execute the State House of Assembly election is not only untrue but highly despicable and illogical.
“The allegation is further baseless against the background that it is coming at a time of acute shortage of cash due to the Federal Government Naira Redesign Policy which sadly exposes the devilish intentions of the writer(s). Ndi Anambra are advised to disregard the non-existent International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) who made the said allegations. The people behind this organisation have been known to be serial blackmailers over the years who do not serve any useful purpose to the society.
“Governor Soludo does not need to buy votes to win election. He is a democrat who enjoys the overwhelming support of the good people of Anambra State. The bogus claims by the author(s) are figment of their imagination and should be disregarded by Ndi Anambra and the general public.”
The government also denied having a hand in the arrest of a fervent supporter of the Labour Party (LP), Nnamdi Chude, by operatives of Cyber Crime Unit of Interpol on Saturday in Onitsha, over allegation of making a tweet deemed to be against the governor.
Chude, who reportedly used his Twitter handle to allege on Saturday, that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was involved in the rigging of the House of Assembly election, has since been moved to Abuja following the controversy generated by the report.
Chude, who accused the governor of engaging in the type of rigging through the use of thugs, who carted away ballot boxes, bemoaned that the atmosphere in the state was no better than the era of former Governor, Chinwoke Mbadinuju.
But, Aburime, in a quick riposte, said that the man was moved to Abuja on Sunday and that the Governor had no hand in his arrest, neither was he aware of Chude’s crime.
Aburime said: “The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Police Command has confirmed to the Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, that one Mr Nnamdi Chude was arrested yesterday (18/03/23) in Anambra by the Cyber Crime Unit of Interpol and taken to Abuja today (19/03/23).
“Anambra State Government has no information about any specific allegations or basis of his arrest.”
Meanwhile, Gov Soludo’s APGA has won majority of the state assembly seats in the state, with Labour Party trailing behind, from results already declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).
Justice Usman Na’abba of the Kano State High Court, on Wednesday, granted an ex-parte motion forbidding Abdullahi Ganduje, embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from parading himself as a member of the party, worsening the case of the former Governor of the state, who assumed the leadership of the ruling party, last year.
The order, which also included that Ganduje should desist from presiding over all affairs of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, is the outcome of an application filed on Tuesday through a motion ex parte Ibrahim Sa’ad on behalf of two executive members of Ganduje’s ward, Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area, the Assistant Secretary, Laminu Sani and Legal Adviser, Haladu Gwanjo (plaintiffs), who were part of the nine ward executives who suspended Ganduje on Monday.
The court directed the four parties (respondents) joined in the matter, including the APC, NWC, APC Kano State Working Committee, and Ganduje, to henceforth, maintain status quo ante belum as of April 15, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit on April 30, 2024 and also stopped the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party in Kano from interfering with the legally and validly considered decision of executives of Ganduje ward, essentially on action endorsed by a two-thirds majority of the executives as provided by the party constitution.
Specifically, the court, granted: “An order is hereby granted directing all parties in the suit APC (first), APC National Working Committee (second), Kano State Working Committee APC (third), Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje (fourth), to maintain status quo ante belum as of April 15, 2024.
”The order thereby restraining the first respondent (APC) from recognising the fourth respondent (Ganduje) as a member of APC and prohibiting the fourth respondent (Ganduje) from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state Working Committee from interfering with the legally and validly decision of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.
”The order thereby restraining the first respondent (APC) from recognising the fourth respondent (Ganduje) as a member of APC and prohibiting the fourth respondent (Ganduje) from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state Working Committee from interfering with the legally and validly decision of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.
“That the fourth respondent (Ganduje) is prohibited from parading himself as a member of APC or doing any act that may portray him or seem to be a member of APC pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
Nine members of the Ganduje ward proclaimed the suspension of the National Chairman of the APC over the allegation of corruption slammed on him by the Kano State Government, on the ground of a supposed petition written by one Ja’afaru Adamu, a member of the APC from the former governor’s polling unit, over allegations of corruption charges against him, which he prayed the ward leaders to investigate, “to redeem the dented image of the party and the implication on President Bola Tinubu’s fight against corruption.”
Although the chairman and secretary of the ward failed to act on the petition filed on April 8, 2024, nine members of the executives, led by the legal adviser, acted upon the petition, thus validating the decision that led to Ganduje’s suspension.
Five days after the invasion of Oyo State Secretariat in Ibadan, authorities of the Oyo State Police Command, on Wednesday, commenced the trial of members of the “Yoruba Nation” agitators, arrested in respect of the incident, with 29 of them brought before the Chief Magistrate Court in the state capital for arraignment.
The number of the suspects, which was initially put at 21, has however increased by eight persons when they were brought to the court for trial over the incident, which occurred at the Oyo State Government Secretariat on Saturday, April 13, when the culprits attempted to hoist a flag of what they said was a new republic for the Yoruba people.
The police are slamming the suspects on a seven-count charge bothering on treasonable felony, unlawful society, illegal possession of firearm, going armed and conduct likely to cause breach of peace, in the case marked Mi/520c/2024 in which the Commissioner of Police is cited as the complainant.
The offences, according to the Investigative Police Officer, Bakare Rasaq, an Inspector with the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan is contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminak Code, Cap 38, Vol.II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.
Unlike Idris Okuneye, Nigeria’s popular crossdresser, otherwise known as Bobrisky, who did not put up a fight by pleading guilty to the four-count charge of abusing the Naira, Nigeria’s local currency, for which he was handed a six-month jail term, last Friday, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as “Cubana Chief Priest” has decided to toe an opposite line.
He pointedly told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who arrested him and is currently handling his prosecution after successfully putting Okuneye away, that he could not be tried, while pleading not guilty, during his arraignment before a Federal High Court in Lagos, on Wednesday.
Chukosolo Ojukwu, his lawyer, in addition to opposing his trial, also argued for the court to grant him bail in liberal terms, which was acceded to by Justice Kehinde Ogundare, after Okechukwu, also known as Celebrity Barman was finally arraigne on three counts bordering on abuse of naira by allegedly spraying and tampering with the nation’s currency at a social event, contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.
Part of the charges read: “That you, Okechukwu Pascal on 13th Feb. 2024, at Eko Hotel, within the jurisdiction of the court, while dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.
“That you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in 2020, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.
“That you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in January 2024, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.”
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