The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is demanding the immediate resignation of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, from the Federal Executive Council.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said its demand is hinged on the alleged appointment of Amaechi as the director general of President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election campaign.
The partyalleged that the Transport minister has already resumed duties as the DG for the president’s second term campaign, and added that Amaechi had already held meetings with some of governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. The PDP recalled that when Chief Tony Anenih, as a serving minister of Works, was appointed to head the campaign of then President Olusegun Obasanjo, he resigned from his appointment.
“If APC has any strand of dignity, then, Amaechi must resign as the minister of Transportation having been appointed and already functioning as the DG of president Buhari’s campaign.
“In the Nigerian constitution, Amaechi cannot combine the job of a minister of the Federal Republic with another responsibility, such as the DG of a campaign organisation…”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is insisting that the Anambra Central senatorial district rerun election will hold as scheduled, on January 13.
This was against the backdrop of a Federal High Court judgment asking INEC to issue the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Obiora Okonkwo, a certificate of return and, also, for him to be sworn in by the Senate president.
Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC)in the state, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, who made the disclosure, said the commission had commenced training of ad hoc personnel in that respect.
Nkwachukwu said its legal department had studied the judgement and asked it to go ahead with the election as ordered by the Court of Appeal. “We’re going ahead with the election as scheduled. We’ve started training ad hoc personnel in that respect. Our legal department has asked us to go ahead and obey the Court of Appeal order against the Federal High Court judgement.
“So, we are going ahead to conduct the election on January 13,” hestated.
Anambra Central Senatorial District had been without a senator since 2015, when a Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, sacked the occupant of the position, Uche Ekwunife.
In disqualifying Ekwunife and her political party, PDP, from participating in the rerun, the court asked INEC to conduct a rerun in the district within 90 days,
The PDP then challenged its exclusion in the rerun at the Federal High Court, Abuja, with the court granting judgment in its favour.
The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, and APGA had contended that PDP should not field a candidate in the rerun, since it was at its instance that the election was nullified on December 7, 2015.
On Monday, November 20, 2017, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja delivered a judgment in favour of Umeh, in which it ordered INEC to conduct the rerun election within 90 days of the judgment, excluding the PDP from contesting.
Following this, INEC fixed the rerun for January 13, 2018.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Abuja has summoned INEC to appear before it and show cause why it should not be restrained from conducting the scheduled rerun election.
Also summoned by the court are 28 others, including Chief Victor Umeh, APGA; Flint Ikechukwu Obiekwe; United Progressive Party (UPP); Senator Chris Ngige; All Progressives Congress (APC); Oyeh Mercy Uche; Accord (A);Oby Kate Okafor; Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD); Chief Anayo Nweke; African Democratic Congress (ADC); Christopher Chukwendu; Citizens Popular Party (CPP); Okafor Ikechukwu; Independent Democrats (ID); Chief Dennis Oguguo; Kowa Party (KP) and Kingsley Nwafor.
The rest are Ekweozoh Nkem; Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP); Ubakamma Ikenna; National Conscience Party (NCP); Rev. Charles Ekwueme; People For Democratic Change (PDC); Igwilo Michael and Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA).
They are to appear in court on Wednesday, January 10, for the definite hearing of the suit brought by the candidate of PDP for Anambra Central Senatorial District , Dr. Obiora Okonkwo.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suits.
Former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, disclosed her political agenda for 2019, yesterday.
In a series of tweets, Mrs. Ezekwesili said her political agenda for 2019 would be to stop the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from winning state and national elections.
She said it is time to end the reign of the status quo.
The former minister, who is also co-leader of the #BringBackOurGirls Movement, said in her tweets that the essence of her new agenda is to “disrupt and end the political and governance, stagnation and retrogression that our cyclical low equilibrium political Russian roulette has cost our country and people. Enough is enough,” she said, through her Twitter handle: @obyezeks.
“My political agenda is simple. I shall actively campaign against APC and PDP in the 2019 general elections except in rare cases where they field new minds, with a strong record of public interest. I shall actively campaign for the best candidates of all other parties in the elections.
“My individual effort to campaign against APC and PDP in the 2019 elections may not amount to much but, it is, at least, a definite expression of my personal conviction.
“My conviction is that it is time to end the tyranny of rulership of a wicked minority political elite class.”
The APC ended PDP ‘s 16-year rule of Nigeria on March 28, 2015. But, President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the APC, have been severely criticised as being incapable of tackling the country’s many challenges, including the killings perpetrated around the country by different groups other than Boko Haram.
The former minister described the APC and the PDP as twin brothers.
“This, for me, is the #YearOfTheOfficeOfTheCitizen when all citizens lift their red card. Whether many other citizens feel the way one feels about our political statusquo does not matter. Standing up for what I believe is what one was raised to epitomise. It is sickening to watch the repetition of similar pattern of bad behaviour by our political class. Enough!
“I hope my political agenda for 2018 is clear enough to the twin parties of APC and PDP… Mock it. Attack it. Disdain it. Do whatever. Yet, it shall prevail. Why? The universe is tired of you,” she said.
MOBIN is opposed to restructuring and we shall tell you our reasons. It has become absolutely necessary for MOBIN to educate all Indigenous People of Biafra on the way forward. By Indigenous People of Biafra we do not mean the limited liability company registered in the overseas by the operators of Radio Biafra but all the remnants of the Biafrans and their descendants who were not consumed in the war as defined by Emeka Emekesiri, the founder and vision bearer of the body of persons known as Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who are the claimants in the case between Biafra and Nigeria in Suit No FHC/OW/CS/192/2013 in the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Owerri Judicial Division. We understand that IPOB has now split into about three or four factions because some dissident and rebellious children of Biafra refused to be obedient to the original IPOB.
The vision bearer has explained and emphasised several times that Indigenous People of Biafra, whose acronym is IPOB, is not a limited liability company owned by two persons but a nation, a race, a people seeking for self-determination by legal methodology. They run a Customary Government and are governed under customary law by their Elders known as the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra. We have attached the photograph they took in the Office of Indigenous People of Biafra in 2012 when they commenced the case.
Please visit the IPOB Government website at www.ipobgovernment.org for more information.
You are advised and requested to enter your details in the Biafra Database and also make donations on the website towards the Biafran Project.
For many years the Biafran activists had been going round in circles until Barr Emeka Emekesiri entered into the Struggle and introduced the legal methodology consisting of judicial, diplomatic and political processes. He laid the proper foundation for what is about to happen in few years’ time. Even though some unscrupulous Biafran activists hijacked the Biafran Project by Indigenous People of Biafra using media propaganda shouting “Biafra or Death”, the vision bearer has remained focused and undeterred. The Biafra Project by legal methodology is on course and Emeka Emekesiri is the Team Leader.
Stage 1: Obtaining judicial immunity for the Biafrans by filing the case in the Federal High Court between Biafra and Nigeria. The rule of law is that when two parties are in court, judicial immunity protects both of them and none will disturb, harass, intimidate, or arrest the other until the case is determined. Upon commencing the case between Biafra and Nigeria, the Vision Bearer and Team Leader served the necessary Legal Notices on the Federal Government of Nigeria. The Biafrans now have the right to continue running their Customary Government, holding their Town Hall Meetings, upholding their identity as Biafrans and participating in politics as Biafrans living in Nigeria, until the case is determined. The longer the case lasts the better for the Biafrans to have more time to build up their political institutions.
This was why he started with judicial process, knowing that the Nigerian Government would delay the case without knowing his plans. While the Stage 1 was taking place, some unscrupulous Biafran activists who felt that he had dominated the Biafran Struggle unleashed attacks against him by lies and false propaganda to destroy him and the human rights organization by which he filed the case. They told the Biafrans not to support him. They said they did not believe in his legal methodology but in confrontational approach and abuses and threats to the Nigerian authorities.
They said that Independence could not be obtained by legal method. As they refused to follow the due process, they came into severe confrontations with the Nigerian Army and Police who took pleasure in massacring and assassinating the Biafran youths in cold blood. It has been reported that thousands of their followers have been killed and their leader has got missing. They did not know why he adopted the legal method and filed the case in the Nigerian Court.
All the Biafrans who have followed the legal methodology are protected by law and respected by the Nigerian Authorities. The vision bearer has not lost any of his followers. He knows the dangers in the Nigerian political terrain. He knows that this is the country where high profile murders can take place and nothing will happen. He knew when very important personalities including the Number One Lawyer in the country, Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige SAN, was assassinated and nothing happened up to this day.
Stage 2: Devolution of Power: Regional Government of Biafra within Nigeria as a self-governing territory. The major disagreement he has with the other people is his acceptance of the Nigerian law and politics. While other Biafran leaders say that the Nigerian Constitution is fraudulent because it was made by the military and imposed on the people and therefore should not be obeyed, Emeka Emekesiri says that even if the Nigerian Constitution is fraudulent, it remains valid and binding until abolished or abrogated. For this reason, he has anchored the Biafran Project under the Nigerian Law and Politics.
Everybody is watching how he and his teammates will succeed in this Biafran Project under the Nigerian Legal and Political System. As they watched, he activated the political movement for the Biafrans known as Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria (MOBIN) which went into an alliance with a Political Party in Nigeria. MOBIN is now in charge of the Biafran Project, to create Biafra within Nigeria as a Regional Government just like Scotland within Britain. This is called Devolution of Power. This is the next step before outright independence.
MOBIN is vehemently opposed to the Restructuring of Nigeria as being advocated by some Northern and Southern Politicians. MOBIN advocates for Devolution of Power. It appears that many Nigerians do not know the difference between Restructuring and Devolution, or perhaps they use the two words interchangeably. Though similar in meaning, the two words are not exactly the same when used in political context. Restructuring usually applies to a business or company while Devolution applies to the government of a country. The Managing Director of a Company does not give up any of his powers in restructuring the Company but the Central Government must give up some powers and grant autonomy to the Regions by way of Devolution of power. The Region can have its own Parliament and govern itself based on the agreed powers devolved to it. This is where MOBIN comes into action now.
Although we all want outright independence from Nigeria, the factual and realistic indices on the ground show that it is better for us to attain independence in phases otherwise the new nation of Biafra may be worse than South Sudan. The people seeking for independence must be properly organized and prove that they are governable before they can be granted independence and recognised by world powers in the United Nations. By operating a Regional Government and learning the arts and science of governance, we shall acquire proper experience to exercise powers of sovereignty when we eventually gain outright independence. The period of Regional Governance will enable us to establish all the necessary structures for statehood and prove that we can govern ourselves before pulling out from Nigeria. We shall develop naturally as a nation-in-waiting just like the gestation period for a child who remains in the womb for nine months to attain maturity before birth. If we are granted outright independence today, we have no structures on the ground and the requisite discipline to sustain and exercise the powers of sovereignty. There would be civil war in the new Biafra among all the factions of IPOB, MASSOB, BZM, BSSA, BLM, BIAMOS, BNYL, BF, BSO, etc. They would destroy themselves in power tussle as happening now in South Sudan. Everything has a process. Patience is required in the Biafran Project.
MOBIN therefore calls upon all indigenous People of Biafra to join the Biafran Project Phase 2 as we take over power in the whole of Biafraland. We want the Biafran activists to join politics now and be voted into power. We want the Biafran activists to occupy all the political positions in the Wards, Local Governments and States in Biafraland. We want to see Biafran activists elected as the Governors of States in Biafraland. We want the Biafran activists to occupy the State Houses of Assembly in Biafraland and pass the Biafran Bills into law. We are not interested in the Abuja politics but in the Regional politics of Biafra. Join us today.
National Chairman of Action Democratic Party (ADP), Yabaji Yesufu, in this interview, frowned at the policies of the current administration, especially the fight against corruption and the 2018 budget.
Looking at the administration of President Buhari, how would you rate his administration in terms of the fight against corruption and the state of the judiciary?
He has not done well. In fact, he has performed woefully. Even if you take the case of Col. Dasuki, they said he diverted $2bn that was voted to fight Boko Haram. Today, this government that came to fight corruption has also done the same thing. They have voted $1bn to fight Boko Haram. And we know that there is no Boko Haram to fight. It is just money to fight election. Or if you like rob people of their free choice. They want to bastardise the process more than we have ever seen.
Don’t forget that the capital budget for 2017 has not been implemented and here we are battling with the 2018 budget. So what are they going to do with this money? They now came out and say they have $1bn. So if you are talking about corruption, this government is much corrupt. In fact corruption is more endemic and entrenched under this administration more than the previous administration. The previous administration, you may call them looters but these ones are super looters. Because a glaring case of abuse of office by the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) took this administration almost one year plus before they admitted that something was wrong before they suspended this man and they have refused to allow the EFCC to interrogate this person. We still have other cases of corruption at the highest level of governance and that wasn’t the case in the Jonathan administration. I am sure that this government is a still born baby in the fight against corruption.
Talking about 2019, where will your party zone the presidency to?
In a nation like ours where democracy is at its embryonic stage, nation with what I will call triple heritage in terms of democratic development; the issue of north and south dichotomy and religion are still real and to an extent the issue of the military interference or impunity is still very real too because you still have Obasanjo, Babaginda and Abdulsalami influencing how things are being done democratically. So no matter how you reluctantly accept it, zoning is still real. And to be at the right side of the sentiment, we have zoned the presidency to the north.
Talking about the north, the APC has zoned the presidency to the north, I am sure other parties will do same, won’t there be power tussle in that region?
The northern and southern dichotomy, religion and military influence in our politics which is much of a reality, is the reason for zoning. So you cannot ignore those sentiments. If you do that you do it at your peril. So if you are running for the governor or the president you have to put those factors into consideration. That is why other parties have not buried their direction too. It is not that people want to do it; it is just because of our political make up and experience, and the fact that sentiment, like you know constitutes 90 percent of political decisions of the electorate in a country like Nigeria. It is not so much about merit, I am not saying that merit is not important, but unfortunately we are still at that stage where these factors always place key role in decision making.
You recently said APC is a still born, what will your party do differently if elected?
Our party will see to the budget first. It should not be about elected officials forming cabinet and preparing budget and taking it to the National Assembly or State Houses of Assembly. The normal thing that should happen is making sure that people are accountable to our party. And also simply because a person is the president or governor should not make the person the leader of the party; the chairman of the party is the leader of the party. So that if you want to appoint ministers or commissioners after winning the election, we are not going to force anybody on the person but you will have to bring the names of the nominees to the party for scrutiny. Everything must be in line with the constitution of the party.
If you enforce that, won’t it undermine the authority of the State Houses of Assembly?
No. It won’t. We will do our own before the Houses of Assembly do theirs. You know, before you become a governor or president, you went through the primaries, it would be our own internal check and balances of the candidates we presented to the electorate. Similarly, when you are now elected as our representatives, just like the National Assembly does on behalf of the country, we will do our own on behalf of the party and our party will carry out oversight function on you irrespective of your portfolio. We have our party’s manifestos; our constitution recognises monitoring committee. So the committee will be like the National Assembly members who go about inspecting the activities of the executives. That is the missing link and that is why things are not working in Nigeria. We have taken so many things for granted because of money, lack of observing the ethos of democracy, forgetting that the political parties are the institution that is supposed to superintend, harmonise and foster unity of the activities of the three arms. More so, independence does not mean that they should be working at cross purposes or to be at loggerheads.
Your party is one of the newly registered parties and there are speculations that your party will go into merger to come out formidable ahead of the 2019 election, is it true?
I don’t think merger has ever worked to the advantage of the legacy of the parties that came together or the electorate. It turns out to be anti-climax or something that becomes a liability instead of something that should advance the course of the people and the political parties. Look for instance what is happening in the APC, the problem is that people that are supposed to be partners for progress are fighting each other because those who came from CPC, ANPP and ACN still have their allegiance to those parties.
Are you saying that your party will not go into merger?
In today’s organisation it is not only in politics, there is no room for dominance. It is always collaboration. We are going to collaborate and not merging. We will come together to see how we can win election and how to go about it. So that at the end of the day we will have an understanding, knowing that you are strong at that area. I think that the kind of collaboration we are talking about maybe something that you depend on the dynamics of the situation, because politics is dynamic. We don’t see ourselves looking for parties to merge with. But we are going to collaborate. Even if it would mean forming a coalition we will have it. But to ask parties to change names, we won’t do that. If you look at the APC, the formation is artificial that is why they are rudderless. What we need now is an organic party with principles that would be non-negotiable.
What is one major philosophy of your party?
It is the entrenchment of democracy. Because the situation we are in Nigeria requires deliberate efforts to ensure that we bring back the confidence of Nigerians from the hands of political parties have held sway giving the kinds of disappointment the electorate have suffered in the last 17 or 18 years. So we believe that there is the need to have reinforcement of democratic ethos in the polity. So that is why we are here. We are talking of things like party supremacy, all inclusiveness and democratic empowerment of the youth and women.
Recently the National Assembly exposed irregularities in the 2018 budget, how is your party reacting to it?
If Jonathan regime had looters, this government has super looters. I am sure you can see the kind of mind-burgling revelations that are coming out in the way corruption cases are being handled. I don’t know how many people have been arrested and put behind bars. This administration is a still born that is why things are not working. APC is a dead baby that we are keeping and we need to throw it away with the bath water.
What is your party’s stand on restructuring?
What people do not understand is that they don’t know the context of restructuring. The context at the time was that Nigerians were disillusioned, so they wanted to return to their comfort zones either tribal or religious. Let us go back to the good old days; we have our laws that can take care of restructuring both at the economic, political and social levels. We have Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission which is supposed to be informing us how we generate and allocate revenues. At the political level we have the National Assembly that is supposed to look at the constitution and make relevant inputs. Our country can work because we have natural resources in every state. Even the size of the country is also an asset.
Most youths are into crimes. How is your party carrying the youths along?
The youths must be responsive to take power. Nobody gives you power, you take it. Let them register online and join the party. We have allocated 50 percent executive positions to the youths and women. So they should join our party and actualise their dreams.
Are you comfortable with your party’s performance in the Anambra gubernatorial election?
Anambra election is not an ideal situation. You had APGA which is like a regional party. Any party coming to contest should know that it has a tall dream to achieve. You also had a party who had money to spend and to show that it has might, we came 7th position. We did well taking into consideration the factors I highlighted. In fact, in an ideal situation we would have come 3rd.
Finally, fuel scarcity is always a problem at the end of every year, how do we wriggle out of this perennial problem?
The government made a mistake by appointing somebody from an international oil company instead of appointing somebody that supervised the ministry. You can never get it right. The marketers are dictating for the government and Ibe Kachikwu is one of them. Until the government rises up and take responsibility we will continue to have this problem.
The China EXIM Bank and the China Great Wall have agreed to bankroll the cost of $550 million for the production of two satellites (NigComSat) for Nigeria.
Minister of communication, Adebayo Shittu, made the disclosure while briefing the State House Correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday.
According to him, the initial plan was for Nigeria to pay 15 percent of $550 million ($82 million) as counterpart funding for the production of the satellites, but because it could not raise the amount, the contract was renegotiated with the China EXIM Bank and the China Great Wall, the manufacturers of the satellites and they have agreed to pay the entire $550 million to procure two new satellites.
Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited had in 2015 opened talks with China for the financing and construction of two new communication satellites at a cost of $701 million.
The new satellites, to be known as NigComSat-2 and NigComSat-3, are to serve as backup to the country’s existing communications satellite, NigComSat-1R, which was put in the orbit in December 2011.
The government targets to market the satellite services to Nigerian companies as well as across the African continent.
The minister said that two satellites will be ready in two years after the signing of the agreement by the end of this month.
Adebayo said, “I’m in the Presidency to see Mr. President and to brief him on three major issues. One, NigComSat, which is one of our agencies where we hope to procure two new satellites from China. Initially the agreement was that they will provide the cost of the two satellite $550 million minus 15 percent which is the counterpart funding. Because we could not afford this 15 percent, we have renegotiated with the China EXIM Bank and the China Great Wall, who are the manufacturers and they have happily agreed to pay the entire $550 million to procure two new satellites.
“The two new ones will ensure that the Nigerian satellite company which is NigComSat can conquer the entire African continent in regard to the provision of satellite communication services. This is a very big business opportunity and I am sure that the Chinese appreciate the potential market which is so vast and that is why they have agreed that even without our ability to contribute 15 percent they are prepared to pay the entire sum of $550 million for the procurement of the two new satellites for Nigeria.”
On when Nigeria launch the two new satellites, the minister explained, “It takes two years to produce because it is when we sign the papers they will start production. We hope that before the end of this month we will sign the papers and then they will commence the production. It is at the completion of the production that the two satellites will be launched.”
Asked if $550 million was a loan to Nigeria, Adebayo said, “Is not a loan. It will be equity participation of the Chinese company into our business. NigComSat is a limited liability company owned entirely by the federal government. So they are paying that to finance these highly required facilities and we will agree on the percentage sharing. Of course Nigeria has nothing to loss because we are not putting anything into it in terms of financial resources.”
The minister said the President was excited because “the Chinese are not just going to market our satellite to the entire African continent but also perhaps by legislation insists that all Nigerian entities must patronise the Nigerian satellite company rather going to Isreal, UK, US for satellite services. Now we can say by our local content policy we must patronise Nigeria.”
On the number of jobs the government was targeting to generate, Shittu said, “The major issue is not about employment but by providing satellite services to all companies which require it. Currently most Nigerians companies and even Nigerian government establishments patronize foreign satellite companies. So the first thing is that we want to make profit, we want to capture the local market and we also want to capture the African market.”
He is the only African that has ever won the World Best Player, most prestigious football award.
George Weah of Liberia first sought for Liberian presidency (2005, aged 39) He failed, obtained his SSCE (2006, aged 40), his degree (2011, aged 45) and masters (2013, aged 47). He won election to the Liberian Senate (2014, aged 48). He has just been declared the country’s president (2017, aged 51)
He accomplished all this all within 12 years interval. When you make up your mind to succeed you must also be willing to act on your convictions and prepare for for it with the requisite actions.
Innoson Motors has rejected claims that its founder and CEO, Innocent Chukwuma, was arrested because he ignored an invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. It said the businessman was never invited prior to his arrest and dared the anti-graft agency to present evidence of invitation to Nigerians.
Mr. Chukwuma was arrested on Tuesday morning at his residence in Enugu by EFCC officers who remanded him at their field office in the city. He was later released on bail on Wednesday evening.
The EFCC said anti-graft detectives decided to take the industrialist into custody after attempts to summon him were rebuffed.
“His arrest followed his refusal to honour invitation by the Commission having earlier jumped an administrative bail granted him in a case being investigated by the Capital Market and Insurance Fraud Unit of the Commission’s Lagos office,” the EFCC said in the statement signed by Wilson Uwujaren, its spokesperson.
Cornel Osigwe, a spokesperson for Innoson Group, debunked the account of the EFCC in a statement to PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday.
The statement was sent before Mr. Chukwuma’s release was announced by the EFCC.
Mr. Osigwe challenged the EFCC to bring out any evidence to support its claim that Mr. Chukwuma was invited or earlier granted administrative bail by the commission
Mr. Osigwe blamed the GTBank for orchestrating the arrest of his principal, a claim the bank denied in an exchange with PREMIUM TIMES shortly after Mr. Chukwuma was arrested Tuesday.
Mr. Chukwuma and GTBank have been locked in a prolonged legal battle over claims by the industrialist that the bank made arbitrary deductions in his bank accounts.
The bank countered the allegations, saying it was Mr. Chukwuma who allegedly falsified bank and shipping documents to obtain tax waivers from the Nigerian government.
Mr. Uwujaren did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ request for the anti-graft agency to present evidence that Mr. Innoson was summoned.
Read the full response of Innoson Group to the EFCC statement about Mr. Chukwuma’s arrest below:
Re: EFCC ARRESTS INNOCENT CHUKWUMA (INNOSON)
Our attention has been drawn to the Official Statement with the above caption released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, stating the reason Dr Innocent Chukwuma was arrested by the Commission.
According to the statement published on EFCC’s official website, Dr Innocent Chukwuma’s arrest “followed his refusal to honour invitation by the Commission having earlier jumped an administrative bail granted him in a case being investigated by the Capital Market and Insurance Fraud Unit of the Commission’s Lagos office.”
The statement went further to claim that Dr Chukwuma rather than honouring invitation by the EFCC, “mobilized six truckloads of thugs pretending to be staff of his company tohis residence, where they manhandled EFCC operatives”.
In as much that we would not want to join words with EFCC, but because their Official Statement has been widely circulated among many News media including various online blogs and social media platforms, we would for record purposes state the facts on the alleged invitation as well what
happened in his residence during his arrest yesterday.
1. We wish to deny EFFC’s claim categorically that Dr Innocent Chukwuma (Innoson) was invited by the Commission or was there any time or that he jumped an administrative bail granted by the EFCC. Dr Chukwuma (OFR) is a law-abiding citizen, a public figure
and a well-known industrialist of international repute. There is no how he would be invited by the EFCC and he would ignore or refuse to honour the invitation.
2. Dr Chukwuma has never had any issues or query from the EFCC recently. The last issue he had with EFCC was an invitation extended to him in 2012 based on a complaint against him by Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), which he duly honoured.
3. Upon the completion of investigation, EFCC requested him through a letter to pay some money to GTB saying that the money is what Innoson owes GTB after it-EFCC- deducted excess charge of about
N560M which GTB illegally and unlawfully took from their account.
Innoson rejected the demand maintaining that it was GTB that was owing it and that GTB is to pay interest on the excess and unlawful charges. This resulted in a stalemate between Innoson and EFCC. Consequently,
Innoson commenced a lawsuit against GTB at Federal High Court in Suit No: FHC/AWK/139/2012 at Federal High Court Awka division and thereat got a judgment in its favour in the sum of N4.7B against GTB.
4. As a consequence of the above, EFCC filed a charge against him at the Lagos High Court. The Charge was subsequently struck out after EFCC filed a notice of discontinuance.
However, Dr Innocent Chukwuma and Innoson Nigeria Ltd appealed against the order striking out the case on the basis that it ought to be dismissed and not struck out. The appeal- appeal no: CA/I/1330Cm/2017 till date is still pending at the court of Appeal Lagos State. Since then EFCC has never invited Dr Chukwuma again.
5. We challenge EFCC to show proof and evidence of EFCC invitation extended to Dr Chukwuma; the various dates of the invitation and the letter of invitation extended to him.
We further challenge EFCC to also show proof of how and when did Dr Chukwuma jump an administrative bail granted to him.
6. EFCC also claimed that Dr Chukwuma is being investigated by the Capital Market and Insurance Fraud Unit of the Commission’s Lagos office. We equally challenge EFCC to show proof of this investigation: On whose petition is this investigation being carried out and proof of any letter on this investigation ever written to Innoson from this unit stating also the month and year.
7. The Commission is being economical with the truth by stating that Dr Chukwuma “mobilized six truckloads of thugs pretending to be staff of his company to his residence, where they manhandled EFCC operatives”.
The truth available at our disposal is that some factory workers on hearing their boss was being arrested, mobilized themselves to his residence to protest what they said was an illegal arrest. However, the EFCC operatives together with the Police team fired tear gas and dispersed them. We have pictures to back up our claim. At no point did these factory workers manhandle the armed
EFCC and Police officials at his residence. This is pure falsehood aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Dr Innocent Chukwuma (OFR).
8. EFCC as a law-abiding organisation and a strong advocate of rule of law as constantly shown and practised by its Head led by Ibrahim Magu should allow the court processes to reach its logical conclusion.
Dr Chukwuma’s case against GTB is already at the Supreme Court. We have absolute faith the Nigeria Judiciary. They should be allowed to adjudicate over this matter without undue interference from any quarters.
A MILD drama played out between the Chairman of Innoson Group, Chief Innocent Chukwuma and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, as the agency tried to arrest him in Enugu.
The EFCC claimed that Innoson staff tried to stop Chief Chukwuma’s arrest by the blocking his residence with trucks but EFCC operatives overcame the hurdles and arrested the business tycoon, who accused a tier-one bank of being behind his arrest. Chukwuma, who spoke with Vanguard while in EFCC custody in Enugu, yesterday, said the bank owed him undisclosed sum of money of which a court decided the matter in his favour “but instead of the bank paying me my money, they are using EFCC to intimidate me.” He promised to give details of the transaction and his encounter with the EFCC, once he was through with the agency. He was arrested yesterday, at about 11:00 am at his Savage Crescent, GRA Enugu residence where his staff allegedly put up resistance against his arrest but EFCC operatives finally had their way and whisked him away to their Enugu office. EFCC’s Media Officer in Enugu, Mr. Chris Oluka, who confirmed his arrest in Enugu, said there was resistance by the business mogul before his arrest. “He did put up some resistance by using some trucks to block our way to his residence but we finally arrested him,” said Oluka. The EFCC officer added that Chukwuma was still being kept in the Enugu office as of 3:30 pm but would be taken to Lagos before the end of the day. Spokesman of Innoson Group of Companies, Mr Cornel Osigwe, decried Chukwuma’s arrest. He told an online newspaper that “his arrest is in connection to the ongoing case he has with the bank.” Claiming that Chukwuma was accused of jumping bail, Osigwe wondered how someone who was never invited by the EFCC much less being arrested would be accused of fleeing from the law. Innoson Group has accused the first tier bank of being indebted to the auto manufacturing company to the tune of N8.5 billion in a series of damages stemming from illegal service deductions by the bank. An initial fraud case brought against Mr. Chukwuma was withdrawn earlier this year. But the Attorney-General Abubakar Malami revived the case at the Federal High Court in Abuja as the bank maintains its allegations that Chukwuma manipulated bank and shipping documents to obtain tax waivers from the Nigerian government. Why we arrested Innoson MD – EFCC However, EFCC Head, Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement gave reasons the anti-graft agency went after the business man. He said: ‘’His arrest followed his refusal to honour invitation by the Commission having earlier jumped an administrative bail granted him in a case being investigated by the Capital Market and Insurance Fraud Unit of the Commission’s Lagos office. ‘’Chukwuma rather than honouring invitation by the EFCC, mobilized six truckloads of thugs pretending to be staff of his company to his residence, where they manhandled EFCC operatives. It took reinforcement from the Enugu office of the EFCC to effect the arrest of the industrialist who is currently being grilled by a team of investigators.’’
The Ecomonomic and Finacail Crime Commission has released the Managing Director, Innoson Groups/Motors Limited, Chief Innocent Chukwuma who was arrested yesterday.
The EFCC, on Wednesday flew Chief Innocent Chukwuma, to Lagos wearing only shorts and a shirt.
He was flown on Air Peace airline that left Akanu Ibiam International airport at 1:45pm after Chukwuma was driven in convey from the EFCC Enugu office where he was detained beyond 24 hours after his forceful arrest in his Enugu residence. The EFCC in a statement on the release said ‘Chief Innocent Chukwuma was released on bail and that he was arrested on Tuesday at his Enugu residence, following his refusal to respond to invitations by the Commission, after initially being granted administrative bail by the Commission, while his surety could also not be found. The agency also said that him nd his brother, Charles Chukwuma (who is still at large), were being investigated by the Insurance and Capital Market Fraud Section of the Commission’s office in Lagos over matters bordering on N1, 478, 366, 859.66 fraud and forgery and other infractions. The statemet read thus ‘Unfortunately the industrialist resisted arrest and stirred controversy by bringing six truck-loads of thugs to block the entrance to his Plot W1, Industrial Layout, Abakaliki Road, Emeni, Enugu, home. ”This was after he initially misled the Police Command by informing them that his home had been invaded by armed robbers and kidnappers despite the fact that operatives of the Commission duly identified themselves to policemen guarding his home. ”His unruly thugs encircled and manhandled operatives of the Commission who had gone to effect the arrest. Consequently, a distress call was sent to the Commission’s Enugu Office for reinforcement. In all of this, the Commission’s operatives acted with decorum and civility. ”No one was manhandled or assaulted by the EFCC team, and not a single shot was fired, despite the provocation. ”Chief Chukwuma and his brother, Charles Chukwuma (who is still at large), are being investigated by the Insurance and Capital Market Fraud Section of the Commission’s office in Lagos over matters bordering on N1, 478, 366, 859.66 fraud and forgery. The industrialist, among other infractions, allegedly used forged documents to secure tax waivers.
