13072019 - Buhari on new cabinet: I’ll never appoint ‘strangers’ again

Armed bandits attack, injure
Atiku’s witnesses
•Some witnesses still missing in the bush, Presidential
Tribunal adjourns
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
Proceedings at the
Presidential Election
Petition Tribunal sitting in
Abuja, came to abrupt end
yesterday, as the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP,
and its candidate, Atiku
Abubakar, notified the
panel that witnesses
scheduled to appear and
testify against President
Muhammadu <strong>Buhari</strong>,
were attacked by armed
bandits.
The petitioners who are
challenging the outcome of
the February 23,
presidential election that
was declared in favour of
President <strong>Buhari</strong> of the All
Progressives Congress,
APC, told the tribunal that
some of the witnesses who
were heading to Abuja
from Zamfara State, were
still hiding in the bush.
The development came
on a day collation agents
from Borno and Yobe
States, gave evidence
before the Justice
Mohammed Garba-led
five-member panel
tribunal.
Among the eight
witnesses that testified
before the proceeding was
adjourned owing to the
attack by bandits, included
an ad-hoc staff of the
Independent National
Electoral Commission,
Oluwafemi Ogunride.
Ogunride who said he
served as an Assistant
Presiding Officer 1,
insisted that he personally
uploaded results to
INEC’s central server,
using a code he said was
handed to him about two
hours before the
presidential election
commenced.
He said he was
specifically directed to
ensure that he uploaded
results and information
that was captured by the
Card-Reader Machines,
into the server, using a
code that was provided by
INEC.
Asked under crossexamination
if he could
remember the total number
of votes both APC and PDP
got at his center, the
witness said: “On that day
I did not have personal
interest, I just wanted to do
the job as I was trained, so
I did not check to know
what any political party
scored.”
Asked if he ever saw
INEC’s server, the witness
said: “No my lord, I
couldn’t have seen it
because I am not INEC
official, I only worked as
an ad-hoc staff for the
election.
“The INEC official said
the server existed and that
was where we transmitted
results to.”
Immediately the witness
who ended his testimony,
one of the lawyers in the
camp of the petitioners,
Chief Chris Uche, SAN,
informed the tribunal that
the matter could not
continue in view of attack
on the other witnesses.
“My lords information
we just got is that some of
the witnesses we
scheduled for this
afternoon were waylaid by
armed men while on their
way. They were coming
from Zamfara.
“This is a matter in which
our witnesses are coming
from far places,” Chief
Uche, SAN, told the court.
Corroborating the report,
Atiku’s lead counsel, Dr.
Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, said:
“To confirm, I was the one
that was called on the
phone and I had to
repeatedly go outside to
receive the calls.
“I was told that some of
them jumped inside the
bush and up till now most
of them have not been
seen while some were
greatly injured.
“In the circumstance, we
will continue on Monday.”
Sequel to the
development, Chairman
of the tribunal, Justice
Garba adjourned further
hearing on the petition.
“For the information you
have given to this court,
proceedings in this matter
are hereby adjourned till
July 15, Monday.”
The petitioners who
have three more days to
present their case, have
so far called 36 witnesses
that testified before the
tribunal.
Earlier before the
adjournment, a local
government collation
agent for the PDP, Peter
Sabo, alleged that
President <strong>Buhari</strong>’s
supporters snatched
ballot boxes in Borno
State.
He further alleged that
neither accreditation nor
voting took place in four
Wards that he monitored,
adding that PDP agents
were chased away by
security agents he said
stopped them from
trailing the electoral
materials that were
diverted.
Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu (middle);
Chairman, House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Edo Assembly
Issues, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas (3rd right); with other members of the
committee, during a visit to Government House, Benin City, yesterday.
NAFDAC bans importation, manufacturing,
hawking of Sniper 100ml packs
•Begins mop up of small retail packs in circulation
•Prohibits sale in open markets, supermarkets from Sept 1, 2019
By Sola Ogundipe
Concerned about the
recent trend in the
abuse and misuse of
100ml of Sniper
insecticide and other
brands of Agricultural
formulations of
Dichlorvos to carry out
suicide, the National
Agency for Food and
Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC) has
banned with immediate
effect, the importation
and manufacture of 100
ml pack size of Sniper
and other agricultural
formulations of
Dichlorvos.
The Agency has also
banned hawking of all
agrochemical
formulations in open
markets
and
supermarkets
nationwide, even as it
confirmed that sales of
Sniper insecticide and
other Dichlorvos brands
in open markets and
supermarkets nationwide
are prohibited with effect
from September 1,2019.
Disclosing these and
other regulatory
measures and control put
in place to arrest/mitigate
the abuse and misuse of
Sniper and other brands
of
Dichlorvos
formulations meant for
agricultural use, the
NAFDAC Director
General, Prof. Mojisola
Adeyeye said the Agency
is giving a two-month
(up to 31st August 2019)
notice to brand owners/
distributors to recall and
withdraw their products
from open markets and
supermarkets that do not
have garden corner/
shelves to the agro dealer
outlets.
In a statement made
available to Saturday
Vanguard, Adeyeye said:
“NAFDAC is giving a
six-month moratorium up
to January 1,2020 for
brand owners to exhaust
the products that are in
various accredited agroinput
dealers
(distributors/marketers/
retailers) outlets.
“All NAFDAC
formations are to
commence enforcement
on restriction of sales of
crop protection products
to NAFDAC listed and
accredited agro-inputs
dealers/distributors/
marketers nationwide by
April 1,2020.”
SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 13, 2019 — 7
House of Reps Committee
assures of speedy resolution of
Edo Assembly issues
•Seeks blessings of Oba Ewuare II
The 13-man House of Representatives ad-hoc
Committee set up to investigate the alleged issues
at the Edo State House of Assembly,yesterday arrived
Benin City to meet with disagreeing parties, assuring
that the issues at the Assembly would be resolved quickly.
Speaking to journalists at the Benin Airport, Chairman
of the Committee, Alhaji Abudulrasaq Namdas, said the
committee was in the state on a fact-finding mission, to
resolve the issues at the State House of Assembly.
After an interactive session with the 12 members of
the Edo State House of Assembly to find out their own
side of the story, Namdas said: “I can assure you that
we have done much in the matter in the last one week.
All the parties involved have given us their support and
have shown willingness to resolve the matter.”
He continued, “I want to assure you that in a short
period, we will turn in our report and we are sure that
the issues will be resolved quickly.”
Responding to questions from the committee members,
the speaker of the EDHA, Hon. Frank Okiye, said there
was no acrimony before the 17th of June 2019, as all
members were awaiting the proclamation letter in
readiness for the inauguration.
“This was our focus as legislators but unknown to us,
there was a gang up. On the day of the inauguration,
some of us that were in the Assembly made calls to other
members, unknown to us that they were at a press
conference. About nine of us on ground mounted
pressure on the clerk since we formed a quorum. At
about 3:30pm, the clerk commenced the inauguration of
the nine members present.”
On his part, the clerk of EDHA, Alhaji Audu Yahaya
Omogbai, said he received letter of proclamation from
the Governor of Edo State on Friday, June 14,2019, and
duly informed members-elect appropriately, notifying
them that inauguration was set for June 17,2019.
“Thirteen submitted documentations while 12 have
been inaugurated, but 11 have not submitted at all. One
of those that submitted his is with the other 11 in Abuja.
The two vital documents that need to be submitted include
the certificate of return and the code of conduct and
asset declaration certificate.”
At a meeting at the palace of His Royal Majesty, Omo
N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, the
Oba of Benin, Namdas assured that the committee will
be neutral in handling the issues as members of the
committee are men of proven integrity.
He said they were in the palace to inform the Oba of
their presence in the state and seek his blessing, to
enable the committee succeed on their job.
“You are the father of the state. The National Chairman
of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole is your son, same as the governor of the
state. The members of the assembly are your children.
Your intervention will go a long way to solve this issue.
“This is a very serious assignment for us, as people
are watching the outcome of the committee’s work in
Edo State, but we sincerely need your intervention,
support and prayers to enable us to succeed in this big
task of resolving the issues at the Edo State House of
Assembly.”
He continued, “When politicians fall into trouble, they
run to elders for advice on how to resolve the issues. We
want you to help us speak with your children to make
our job easier in the state.”
The Oba welcomed the committee and thanked them
for the visit, assuring them of the palace’s support to
ensure the committee succeeds in its task.
He said the assignment is not an easy one, as some of
his chiefs who are politicians have been doing their best
to resolve the issues.
“On my own, I have been talking with both parties
involved on different occasions, but things just keep
escalating so fast. I am at the point of inviting them to
talk to them but I heard of this committee and I pray for
a successful job.”
According to the committee chairman, “We have just
one week for the job. We have already met with the
governor of the state and Edo State House of Assembly
members-elect, who are in Abuja. I want to assure you
that we are men of integrity and will not be teleguided
or influenced in doing our job.”