16102021 - Southeast Gov INEC top official in trouble over $4m bribe

Anambra Guber poll: Southeast Gov, INEC top
official in trouble over $4 m bribe
Soni Daniel, Northern
Region Editor
A
Southeast governor
and a top national official
of the Independent National
Electoral Commission
have run into trouble with
security agencies over a
princely sum of $4 million
bribe doled out by the governor
as bribe to compromise
the November 6 gubernatorial
election in Anambra
State.
Saturday Vanguard gathered
last night that the desperate
governor, who wants
to install his preferred candidate,
used the top electoral
body official to pass the bribe
so as to get his wish actualised.
The huge cash, Saturday
Vanguard leant, has already
been handed over to the targeted
beneficiaries by the official,
who is described as controlling
a vital organ in INEC
but it was not clear if the leadership
of the commission was
aware of the development as
at last night.
While the embattled governor
is said to be trying to
reach key national players
in INEC to compromise the
vote in his favour, the wife of
the politician, who is described
as ‘an influential and
powerful first lady in the
Southeast, is reported to have
been meeting secretly with
many electoral officers, Eos,
who are key to the forthcoming
election.
“The woman has been holding
regular meetings with
Electoral Officers, who man
From left: Eng Leye Kupoluyi, Vice President; Mrs Bunmi Obadina, Chairperson,
Marketing Committee, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI) Trade
Promotion Board; Mr Gabriel Idahosa, Chairman; Dr Segun Alabi, Head Corporate
Communications and Mr Taiwo Seriki, Director, Trade Promotion, Lagos Chamber
of Commerce and Industry at the press conference held in Lagos on Wednesday to
announce the forthcoming Lagos International Trade Fair holding Nov. 5 to 14, 2021.
the local government offices
in the state and has told them
her expectations regarding
the election,” a top security
official privy to the deal, told
Saturday Vanguard.
While the security agencies
may not be in a hurry to move
against the governor, there
were indications last night that
they might go after the top
INEC official even before the
polls.
A senior security official
confirmed that the affected
INEC top shot had already
been placed under watch for
some time and that he could
be picked up for necessary
questioning and action at
any moment.
“The evidence against the
governor’s breach of his
oath of office and public trust
is strong but he is still protected
under the immunity
clause but we will see what
happens once his immunity
elapses,” the top source said.
He declined to give further
SATURDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 16, 2021 — 5
details.
There are many parties
contesting the November 6
election in Anambra with
the stake getting higher on
a daily basis as a result of the
calibre of candidates and
their backers as well as the
attempt to change the political
colours in the state.
It was not clear as at last
night whether there might
be some arrests in the Southeast
and Abuja before or
after the vital poll coming up
in the next three weeks.
Scavenger kills landlord in Ondo
*Cult members, underaged boys nabbed for burglary, stealing
By Dayo Johnson
Akure
A
39 year old scaven
ger, Badiru lbrahim
has allegedly killed a
landlord, Arise lkuesan
in Ore, Odigbo council
area of Ondo state for disallowing
him to pick iron
rod from his compound.
Vanguard gathered
that the scavenger hit an
iron rod on the forehead
of the deceased during an
argument over his invasion
of his privacy without
his consent
He reportedly died as a
result of the injuries he
sustained in the attack.
Eyewitness account
said that the suspect who
is now in police custody
attacked the deceased for
trying to stop him from
picking iron rod in his
compound.
Spokesperson of the
State Police Command,
Funmi Odulami who confirmed
the report said the
45 year old landlord was
attacked by the scavenger.
Odunlami said “On
13th September, 2021, at
about 1600hrs, a report
was made at Ore Divisional
Headquarters that
a scavenger, Basiru Ibrahim
‘m’ 39 years old hit
an iron rod on the forehead
of one Arise Ikuesan
‘m’ 45 years old, now deceased,
after trying to
stop the scavenger from
picking iron rod in his
compound.
“Upon the receipt of the
information, Detectives
swung into action and
arrested the suspect who
confessed committing the
crime.
On the teenage burglars,
the police image
maker said that Police
Patrol Team at Igbaraoke
Division, intercepted one
Opeyemi Olotu 14 years
and Blessing Arohunmolase
17 years, both of Odo-
Ode Igbaraoke with Mobile
Phones accessories valued
at ¦ 200,000.00.
“During interrogation
they confessed to have
burgled the shop of one
Olumide
Folorunsho, a Phone accessories
seller, on 2nd
October, 2021, at about
0100hrs.
Odunlami added that
Emmanuel Sunday,
aged 11 years, a member
of the gang who was
formerly at large, had
also been arrested.
The police image maker
said that the suspects
will soon have their day
in court.
Also, four suspected cult
members were arrested
for shop breaking , burglary
and stealing.
They include (a)Abiola
Akinlowo ‘m’ Aged 25 ,
Yakubu Lattef ‘m’ Aged
21, Abdulwaheed Abibu
‘m’ Aged 25 and Emeka
Ali ‘m’ Aged 25.
The suspects who were
caught in the act at Arakale
market according to
the police have confessed
to the commission of the
crime and stated that
shop breaking was their
area of specialization.
They equally confessed
that they had broken into
three shops in Arakale
Area to steal goods.
Drug dealer, manager, 3
workers bag 75 years
imprisonment
*NDLEA appeals against
N700,000 option of fine for
convicts, others
A
major drug dealer, Mike Omoarukhe, his manag
er and three other workers in his cannabis farms
have been sentenced to 75 years imprisonment by a
Federal High Court in Benin, the Edo state capital.
The convicts were charged in July by the National
Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in a five count
charge number FHC/B/107c/2021 bordering on possession
of 183.5 kilograms of cannabis sativa, conspiracy
to possess, cultivate and cultivation of 22 hectares of
cannabis farms.
Delivering his judgement in the case on Thursday 14th
October, Justice A.C. Obiozor sitting in Court 2 of the
Federal High Court, Benin Judicial Division, sentenced
the defendants to 15 years on each of the five counts,
bringing the total years of imprisonment to 75 years,
which will run concurrently. The judge however gave
the convicts an option of Seven Hundred Thousand Naira
(N 700,000) fine on all the counts.
Meanwhile, Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency,
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has directed
that immediate appeal be filed at the appellate court
against the option of N700, 000 fine granted the convicts
by the trial judge.
NDLEA operatives had on July 1, 2021 stormed the
Ughieudu forest, Uhunwonde LGA of Edo State, where
six persons: Elijah John; Friday Emma; Itoro Emmanuel;
Daniel Emmanuel; Udom Etok and Abraham Monday
Thompson were arrested with 50kg cannabis. A follow
up operation in the Ughieudu forest on 3rd July
2021, led to the arrest of Emmanuel Ekpeyoung and the
total destruction of three cannabis farms with a combined
size of 22. 210421 hectares and seizure of 133. 5kg
cannabis.
After weeks of manhunt for the owner of the farms,
the 36-year-old Omoarukhe was later arrested at a
drinking joint in Irrua, after which they were all
charged to court, except two of them; Udom Etok and
Abraham Monday Thompson who were discovered to
be minors.
Meanwhile, the anti-narcotic agency has filed a notice
of appeal against the judgement of a Federal High
Court in Lagos presided over by Justice D.E. Osiagor
who sentenced two defendants; Clement Ajayi and Bolaji
Fajebe, to three years imprisonment or a fine of
Three Thousand Naira (N3,000) and two years imprisonment
or a fine of Two Thousand Naira (N2,000)
on the two counts charge of conspiracy and dealing in
illicit drugs filed against them in charge number FHC/
L/199C/2021.
In a three-ground notice of appeal dated 15th October,
signed by the NDLEA’s Director of Prosecution and
Legal Services, Mr. Joseph Sunday and filed at the Lagos
Division of the court, the Agency contended that
the October 8th judgement by Justice Osiagor of giving
the two convicts option of N3,000 and N2,000 fine
is “ridiculous, unwarrantable,
unjustifiable and
contrary to public interest”
It was further submitted
that the trial judge did not
provide any reason for
awarding the ridiculous
penalty, which is contrary
to “Section 14 of the
National Drug Law Enforcement
Agency Act
Cap N30 LFN 2004
which prescribes a penalty
of not less than 15 years
and not exceeding 25
years of imprisonment for *Mike Omoarukhe
the offence.”
APC fails to pay N12.9m newspapers advert debt, affected
journalists cry out
By Omeiza Ajayi,
Abuja
The ruling All Progres
sives Congress APC is
currently in a financial
mess following its inability
to pay an advertisement
debt of N12.9 million more
than one year after some
Newspaper houses published
the said advertorials.
The centrespread advertorial,
titled, “Report of the
Screening Appeal Committee
for Edo state Governor,
Godwin Nogheghase
Obaseki submitted Saturday
13th June 2020 to the
National Working Committee
NWC at the Party’s
National Secretariat” was
published on Friday, 19th
June, 2020 in several
newspapers.
The material was placed
by the Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole-led NWC
through the Publicity Directorate
of the Party.
There was also a full
page advertorial published
on the same day
showing the University of
Ibadan degree certificate
tendered to the screening
appeal committee by Gov.
Obaseki who had been disqualified
from participating
in the party’s Edo state
Governorship primary
election.
However, following a
trouble-shooting emergency
meeting of the National
Executive Committee
NEC of the party, the
Oshiomhole-led NWC was
sacked days later on June
25.
In its place, a Caretaker/
Extraordinary National
Convention Committee
was then appointed, with
Governor Mai Mala Buni
of Yobe State named as its
Chairman. Mr Buni was
for several years National
Secretary of the APC until
his election as governor in
2019.
Journalist sacked
The refusal of the party
to pay the advert debt has
however claimed its first
casualty following the
sack of one of the reporters
covering the party. Others
are also facing several
disciplinary measures,
with two of them placed on
half salary while another
has had his salary completely
stopped since January
2021 as part of measures
to offset the debt of
the governing party.
All efforts by the affected
journalists to get the
party to tread the path of
honour by offsetting the
debt have been met with
a brick wall as an aide to
Gov. Buni is said to be frustrating
such moves.
Vanguard gathered that
the Media and Publicity
department of the party
has raised a memo for the
money to be paid, the process
was allegedly thwarted
by the said aide.
One of the affected journalists
who pleaded anonymity
said, with his salary
stopped by his organization,
he finds it difficult
to pay his bills as a
husband and father.
He said;”As a result of
the refusal of the APC to
pay the advert debt, my office
thought I wasn’t pushing
hard for the money to be
paid. It was as a result of
that they stopped my salary.
I have not been paid
since January this year and
you know the implication of
that on a man that has a family
to look after.”
It was further gathered
that when the Media and
Publicity Directorate of
the APC appears powerless
to ensure that the money
is paid, the affected journalists
started pushing for
the payment through the
National Secretary of the
party, Sen. John James
Akpanudoedehe who had
on three different occasions
signed the memo
raised by the directorate
and forwarded to the
Chairman, Gov. Buni.