The Senate President and Director General of the PDP
Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr. Bukola Saraki has said
President Muhammadu Buhari’s “purported victory” in the February 23
presidential election would be short-lived.
Speaking at the opening session of the PDP National Executive
Committee (NEC) meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, Saraki said the PDP
must defeat Buhari at the Presidential Election Petition
Tribunal.
“First of all, the true reflection of the presidential election
showed the kind of character that the PDP has. I think that is
something that we should build on.
“My own appeal to everybody is to say this victory that the
other party has seen is going to be short-lived. We have a great
future ahead and I believe we will start that on Saturday, to make
sure that we defend those five states that are declared
inconclusive.
“If anybody believes that it is a loss to PDP, it is a loss to
the country that history will not forgive. We said it many times
here, that the worst to do is to do an election that as a country
Nigeria will not be proud of.
“We have done an election that no doubt anybody and even those
that think they have won are ashamed of the kind of election that
we did.
“I think it is a shame to the country and to those that were
given that responsibility to do.
“We are setting a bad example not only in Nigeria but in the
continent when we bring militarisation into our election,” Saraki
said.
Read more buharis-victory-will-be-short-lived-saraki/
Deputy Speaker Dragged to Court over N54m
Fraud
The Deputy Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Dr Cosmos
Chukwudi Ndukwe has been arraigned before Hon. Justice C.C. Thomas
Adiele at the Abia State High Court, Umuahia, by the Independent
Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), for
allegedly using his position as a public officer for
self-gratification and corrupt enrichment to the tune of N54, 610,
000 (Fifty-Four Million Six Hundred and Ten Thousand) Naira.
The accused person alongside his company Messrs Conk Productions
Nigeria Limited and his agent, Chijioke Okonkwo, are being slammed
with an 8-count charge bordering on gratification and abuse of
office.
Dr. Ndukwe is alleged to have used his position as the Managing
Director/Chief Executive Officer of Abia State Environmental
Protection Agency between February 2007 and April 2012 to confer
corrupt advantage upon himself by accepting the sum of N5, 850,000
(Five Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) purportedly
as a loan from Messrs. Ancoold Nigeria Limited, a contractor with
the Agency where he had served as an official, an offence that is
contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt
Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
In addition, the defendants Dr. Ndukwe and his company, Messrs
Conk Productions Nigeria Limited, were alleged to have received
gratification to the tune of N42,750,000 (Forty Two Million, Seven
Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) in various monthly installments
between March 2009 and January 2010. He was also alleged to have
corruptly accepted for himself, the total sum of N5, 000,000 (Five
Million Naira) through an agent, Chijioke Okonkwo, as reward for
assisting Ancoold Nigeria Limited to secure prompt payment of the
contract fees for the provision of environmental sanitation
services to Abia State Environmental Protection Agency.
Dr. Ndukwe and Mr. Okonkwo were also alleged to have conspired
to conceal the gratification by depositing the said sum in the
account of Messrs Conk Productions Nig. Ltd. under various names,
an offence that is contrary to Section 26(1)(c) and punishable
under Section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related
Offences Act, 2000.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges and the
defence counsel tendered a formal bail application for them.
The Prosecuting Counsel, Ephraim Otti, did not raise any
objection because the offences were bailable.
Justice Adiele granted bail to each of them in the sum of One
Million Naira and one surety each in like sum who shall show
evidence of means, tax payment, residential address within Aba and
Umuahia, and the address verified by the Registrar of the court.
The judge gave them seven days to perfect their bail
conditions.
The case was then adjourned to 3rd, 4th and 5th June 2019 for
definite hearing.
Signed:
Mrs. Rasheedat A. Okoduwa, mni
Spokesperson for ICPC