EXCLUSIVE: EFCC TRACES LAWYER’S ‘CAR GIFT’ TO CJN ONNOGHEN

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has traced a car owned by Walter Onnoghen, the embattled chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), to Joe Agi, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

The anti-graft agency believes the car is a gift from the lawyer, who had cases before Onnoghen at the time of purchase.

But Agi has told the EFCC that aside being a senior lawyer, he is also a car dealer and Onnoghen bought the Mercedes GL 450 series from him for N7 million in 2010, sources told press.

However, when he was asked to produce receipts of purchase and other documentation relating to the transaction, he could not do so.

Previously, the EFCC traced a deposit of $30,000 by Agi into Onnoghen’s bank account dating back to 2009.

He was also said to have had cases before the judge when he made the deposits.

Agi denied the allegation that the $30,000 was a bribe.

In a press statement, he said the money was from allowances paid to Onnoghen on seminars, holidays, conferences or medical trips abroad.

Agi said: “I have been acquainted with Justice Onnoghen, JSC in our days as Lawyers in Calabar, Cross Rivers State from the 1980s before he was appointed a High Court Judge.

“My Lord Justice Onnoghen said he had no idea since opening of foreign account was forbidden for Public Officers. I informed him that domiciliary account is not a foreign bank account as it is opened and operated within the local banks in Nigeria.

“It was on this note that I went to my banker Standard Chartered Bank and obtained Account Opening Forms for him as a friend and Senior Brother. He completed the Forms and I refereed him. He gave me $30,000 being left over of his allowances for overseas seminars, holidays, conferences or medical trips to deposit for him as the first deposit. This I did in 2009 i.e 10 years ago. After that, he operated the account himself without me paying even a cent into that account till date.

“Now 10 years after, I am again being vilified and accused of giving Justice Onnoghen bribe. If I may ask; bribe for which case? In the Supreme Court panel they sit in 5 or 7 persons, was the $30,000 for the 5 or 7 Justices? And for which case? This is another huge joke aimed at vilifying my person by the same cabal who are hell bent on tarnishing my image as an aftermath of the exposure of the Paris Club fraud.”

Agi is one of the lawyers defending Onnoghen in his asset declaration case before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

Onnoghen is currently being tried by the CCT over allegations of non-declaration of some of his assets, although he said it was an oversight.

In a previous case, which was eventually dismissed, a foreign firm owned by Agi’s friend paid N30 million into the account of the wife of Adeniyi Adetokunbo Ademola, a justice of the federal high court, for their daughter’s wedding.

He was also said to have bought a car for Ademola’s son.

The case filed against him for “gratification” was dismissed on technical grounds, although many lawyers argued that it was a professional misconduct which should have been punished by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee.

Efforts to reach Agi were unsuccessful as his phone rang out. He has also not responded to text messages.

INEC DECLARES APC's LALONG WINNER Of PLATEAU GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

Gov. Lalong

Governor Simon Lalong of the All Progressives Congress has won the Plateau State governorship election, following the supplementary poll held on Saturday.

Lalong was declared the winner by the Returning Officer in the state, Prof Richard Kimbir, after scoring 595,582 votes to defeat 23 other candidates, including the Peoples Democratic Party standard-bearer, Jeremiah Useni, who garnered 546,813.

Kimbir stated that a total of 1,159,954 valid votes were recorded while 16,188 were rejected, saying 1,176,142 was the total number of votes cast.

The results for the nine LGAs that took part in the supplementary poll, including Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos, Jos North, Kanam, Langtang South, Mangu, Pankshin and Shendam, showed that Lalong scored 12,327 new votes, while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Jeremiah Useni, earned 8,487. There was no cancellation of results recorded.

RIVERS RERUN: GOV WIKE REJECTS APPOINTMENT OF SOLE ADMINISTRATOR, INSISTS ON ELECTED GOVERNOR FOR THE STATE

Gov Wike

Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has made it clear that the people of the state, will never have a sole administrator.

Wike also insisted that the people voted for their preferred candidate during the March 9 elections and must have a Governor.

The Governor stated this on Friday, as 86 political parties conceded defeat to him in the state governorship election, during a solidarity visit to the Government House in Port Harcourt.

“No matter how (it might be) delayed, Rivers State will have an elected governor.

“It is not the portion of Rivers State to have a sole administrator. Our people voted on March 9 and Rivers votes will count,” Wike said.

Governor Wike said that when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is declared the winner of the state governorship elections, he would operate a government of unity.

“If we are declared the winner of the election, we will operate a government of unity.

“We will rally everybody together in the interest of the state,” he added.

OSUN STATE ELECTION TRIBUNAL CHAIRMAN DISAGREES WITH JUDGEMENT DECLARING ADELEKE WINNER OF OSUN ELECTION

The chairman of the Osun State Elections Petitions Tribunal in Abuja has delivered a dissenting judgement in the Osun State governorship election petition.

Justice Muhammed Ibrahim Sirajo on Friday dismissed the petition by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Ademola Adeleke, which alleged that there was election non-compliance with the Electoral Act in the election.

Justice Sirajo ruled that the petitioners failed to prove the claims at the tribunal.

He further ruled that where it is established that there is non compliance, the tribunal does not have “the powers to subtract the votes of the non compliance and declare a candidate winner.”

He added that under Section 140(3) of the Electoral Act, where substantial non compliance is proved, the tribunal can only order a supplementary or fresh election.

The chairman however adviced INEC to only comply with the majority decisions concurrently delivered by Justices Peter Chudi Obiorah and Adegboye Ayinla Gbolagunte.

The main judgment of the panel had invalidated the rerun election of September 27, 2018 which returned Governor Gboyega Oyetola as winner and withdrew the certificate of return issued to him by INEC.

OSUN TRIBUNAL HAS DECLARED PDP's ADELEKE WINNER OF THE OSUN ELECTION

The Osun State Governorship Election Pet‎ition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has declared as winner Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate in the last year’s governorship election in the state, Ademola Adeleke.

It held that the All Progressives Congress and its candidate, Gboyega Oyetola was not validly returned.

ACTING CJN SWEARS-IN 13 NEW MEMBERS OF ELECTION PETITION TRIBUNAL

Acting CJN

The Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Ibrahim Mohammed has sworn-in the remaining 13 members of the 2019 Election Petition Tribunals.

The members are Justices A.O. Onovo, R.O. Odugu, S.B. Belgore, T.A.O. Oyekan-Abullai, A.J. Coker, and E.I. Oritsejafor.
Others are Justices M.C. Okoh, O.S. Olusanya, C.A. Ononeze-Madu, P.U. Nnodum and J.C.L. Okibe.

The acting CJN encouraged the new members of the tribunal to be of good character and ensure everything they did was above board.

He said all eyes were on them with a view to seeing them dispense justice without a hint of partiality or favoritism. 

FG, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TO COMMENCE GOLD PRODUCTION IN KEBBI

The Kebbi State Government is partnering with the Federal Government under the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) on formalization of Artisinal Miners in the State for Gold production with the support of Columbia University, New York, USA.

The Governor, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu in a meeting with SMDF led by Hajia Fatima Shinkafi and Columbia University on March 21 in Abuja stated that his administration is supporting a pilot programme to organise & support miners to give them better technology and an available market. The pilot programmes approved by President Buhari will commence in Kebbi & Osun States.

The Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs Team will aid the SMDF in fulfilling its objectives by developing a report that analyzes the challenges preventing formalization of Artisanal & Small Scale Mining (ASM) in Nigeria and suggests ways for the SMDF to incentivize formalization through a strategic use of its capital resources.

A world bank report puts the outflow of illegally mined gold leaving Nigeria at $500m a year. This represents a huge revenue loss for both State and Federal governments in addition to environmental degradation to farming communities and pollution of waterways for people and livestock.

Special focus will be placed on how the SMDF can work with other institutions in accordance with section 34 of the 2007 Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act to register formalize operators and how the SMDF can leverage its financial capital to provide funding and/or services to support the ASM value chain.

Governor Bagudu reiterated his administrations continued focus on creating jobs and support for the diversification of the economy which is a priority of the Buhari administration. It can be recalled that the Governor is an alumnus of Columbia University where he obtained his M.A in International Affairs.