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NDLEA pursuing vendetta against Senator Ashiru with baseless allegations -Group
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Independent Crusade Against Corruption & Injustice (ICACI), has described as “baseless” and “afterthought witch-hunt”, for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to have come out against the Deputy Leader of the Senate, Senator Yisa Ashiru with spurious allegations.
The NDLEA, through its Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, had alleged that, the Senator’s personal house situated in GRA, Ilorin, Kwara State, has been used to warehouse illicit drugs.
The NDLEA alleged that the Senator’s residence was raided after intelligence revealed it was being used as a drug joint, claiming two of the Senator’s aides were arrested during the raid, while one managed to escape.
The NDLEA’s allegations came barely 24 hours, after the Senate Deputy Leader, made contributions on the Bill for an Act to establish National Institute for Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation, which would take away, the job of rehabilitation and post-convict orientation of drug addicts from the NDLEA.
In his contributions, Senator Ashiru, apparently speaking based on informed position, described the NDLEA as “the most corrupt and compromised agency”, hence, his support for the establishment of the new institute.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja Sunday evening, and signed by the President of the anti-corruption group, ICACI, Dr. Guy Fredrick Abu, the Chairman of NDLEA, Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.), was given 7 days ultimatum to publicly apologize to Senator Ashiru and the institution of the National Assembly of Nigeria, to save the country of any international embarrassment.
The group said, it had conducted a preliminary investigation and “can boldy submit that the NDLEA is pursuing personal vendetta with the Distinguished Senator, for standing up to support a Bill which the NDLEA has been doing so much underground to kill”.
“If it is not personal vendetta and afterthought witch-hunt, how on earth, would an agency of the government that wants to be taken seriously, would claim it arrested and prosecuted people close to the Senator, to the extent of saying the Lawmaker sent his Personal Assistant to intervene on behalf of the accused, but would keep it underground for over 3 years, only to come out after it was known that the man supported a Bill which the NDLEA felt as rival?
“Even though the agency didn’t mention the name of the court where the accused were tried, but even if the Senator was mentioned in connection to the crime, what has the NDLEA been waiting for all these years, until he contested and won election and still emerged as Principal Officer of the 10th Senate?
“If the NDLEA wants Nigerians to believe them, it means they have been covering this allegation, until such a time that they felt the Senator started supporting establishment of another agency. How many more high profile personalities the NDLEA may have also covered in this regard? Assuming we want to believe their cock and bull story. It then confirms the submission of the Senator that the agency is corrupt.
“But our preliminary investigation has revealed Senator Ashiru to be an upright man in the society, both at home and in Abuja. Ashiru is 68 years old man who has never tasted red wine or any form of alcohol since he was a child. We had had cause to discuss with 2 classmates of his – one from his primary school days and another, his University mate; in the course of our investigations.
“We can categorically tell Nigerians that the NDLEA only wants to embarrass Nigeria and National Assembly before the international community, because, already, nothing is left in their pride, as far as professionalism is concerned.
“We are giving the Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA just 7 days, to come out openly and apologize to Senator Ashiru, the institution of National Assembly and Nigerians in general. Failure to do this, our members shall mobilize other Nigerians to occupy the NDLEA headquarters, until the needful is done”, the statement added.
News
State of the Nation: Governors, Traditional rulers meet at Aso Rock
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Governors and traditional rulers under the auspices of National Council of Traditional Rulers are currently meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Although the agenda of the meeting holding at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, was not immediately made public, sources said they are discussing the situation of the country with a view to putting in measures that will alleviate hardship in the land.
Daily Trust gathered that the governors are trying to get feedback from the traditional rulers in order to frame policies and take decision in the overall interest of Nigerians.
Among those cited by Daily Trust were the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak (Kwara), and other state governors including, Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Dapo Abiodun, (Ogun), Seyi Makinde, (Oyo), Agbu Kefas, (Taraba), Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, (Gombe), Uba Sani (Kaduna).
Some of the prominent traditional rulers at the event are the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, Oni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar.
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Reps Urge Reps Federal, State Govt To Adopt Measures To Control Flooding
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Rivers verdict: Fubara Must Cough Out Illegally Spent Funds -Coalition
As reactions continue to tlood in over the judgement of Federal High Court, Abuja, on the Rivers State fund; the National Democratic and Change Coalition (NDCC) has called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara, to cough out all monies spent without appropriation to the state cofers.
The Coalition, while expressing satisfaction over the ruling, said the people of Rivers have been vindicated, and the long awaited justice has been served to the Governor.
Recall that, a Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, barred the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN), from disbursing further monthly allocations to the Rivers State Government, citing alleged constitutional violations by Governor Fubara.
In her ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik found that Governor Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget to a four-member House of Assembly breached constitutional protocol.
The court order further restricts the CBN, the Accountant General of the Federation, and the state’s accounts at Zenith Bank and Access Bank from releasing any funds to Fubara.
Reacting via a press release Wednesday afternoon, signed by John Uloko Esq,
President of the Coalition, the group hailed Justice Abdulmalik, for holding that, since January 2024, Rivers State has received and spent allocations based on an “illegitimate” budget, thereby describing it as a “constitutional aberration.”
The statement said, “the NDCC, made up of a group of lawyers, has always been of the view that what is going on in Rivers State is a theatre of the absurd that persistently violates the constitution, stands logic on its head and even defies mathematical reasoning to the extent that four members were allowed to constitute themselves into a House of Assembly that is meant to have 32 members”.
“We, therefore, commend Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja for holding that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget before a four-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront to the constitutional provision.
“This ruling is a victory for democracy and will teach rogue governors the bitter lesson that the Constitution of the Federal Republic must be respected and the sanctity of our democratic institutions upheld irrespective of their political desperation. Operating an illegal State Assembly of four men by any Governor is something everyone should condemn in totality and welcome the court’s judgment.
“In the wake of this judgement, NDCC urges Governor Fubara to immediately reverse all his decisions and actions based on the illegitimate Assembly since they all suffer the same defect as the budget the court threw out.
“The Governor must also strongly consider refunding all the Rivers States’ funds illegally expended from January to date.
“We further advise Governor Fubara to urgently do the needful by resubmitting the state’s budget to the legitimate Rivers State House of Assembly for due process to be followed so that governance is not truncated and the people plunged into more misery than they have already endured from the Governor being absorbed in his political sabre-rattling.
“Finally, Governor Fubara must allow Rivers State to breathe by stopping all the unnecessary squabbling that has served no useful purpose”, the Coalition added.
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