News / politics

How Tambuwal’s senatorial ambition forced only Sokoto PDP senator to defect to APC

Facts have emerged that the secret ambition of the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, to come to the Senate if he eventually loses the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party forced the Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate, Ibrahim Danbaba, to defect to the All Progressives Congress.

Governor Tambuwal and Senator Danbaba are from same Senator District: Sokoto South Senatorial District.

There are indications that Tambuwal has bought both presidential and senatorial Expression of Interest and Nomination forms of the PDP.

In order to avoid facing Tambuwal in a senatorial race, Danbaba was said to have taken the easy way out, with assurances from the APC that he would be given the ticket. The lawmaker’s decision to join to the APC was conveyed in a letter read at the start of plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday.

Danbaba was nominated by the PDP on July 15, 2021 for the position of Deputy Minority Whip following the defection of the former Deputy Whip, Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u, representing Zamfara North Senatorial District, from the PDP to the APC.

Danbaba’s defection brings the total number of APC Senators in the upper chamber to 71, and PDP 37.

The lawmaker, in his letter, explained that his decision to leave the PDP was informed by the lingering and multifaceted crisis at the zonal level.

Senator Danbaba’s letter reads: “I write to formally inform you and distinguished colleagues of my decision to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

“My decision is anchored on the continuing multifaceted crisis that have bedeviled the PDP, especially at the zonal level which has created not only credibility problems, but has undermined party discipline, cohesion and focus.

“The situation at the state level has not helped matters either as depicted by lack of political sanity, focus and credible leadership.

“I have in APC, the political ideology in consonance with my personal political philosophy. This Ideology also seems the best suited to meet the expectations and aspirations of my constituents.…

Fraud / Law / News / politics

Probe: Court orders CCT Chairman to appear before Senate

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, to appear before the Senate.

In his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo said the order was to allow Umar to face his probe over alleged public misconduct.

The judge held that Umar is answerable to the Senate on moral standards and conduct as a public officer administering the law.

Justice Ekwo stated that Umar’s suit seeking to stop his probe by the Senate lacked merit and was consequently dismissed.

The Senate asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit filed by Umar seeking to stop his probe for alleged misconduct.

Umar had initially gone to court to challenge the powers of the Senate to investigate him over an alleged assault he perpetrated against a security guard at the Banex Plaza.

He was alleged to have publicly assaulted one Sargwak, a security guard at the Banex Plaza in Wuse 2, Abuja, following a disagreement between them over a parking space on the premises.

Details later……

Crime / News / Security

Senate moves to re-amend Proceeds of Crime Bill 2022

The Senate, on Tuesday, moved to re-amend the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Bill, 2022, passed by the chamber on March 9, 2022, last week.

The decision to re-amend the bill followed the consideration of a motion for re-commital sponsored by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North).

In his presentation, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, relied on Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders 2022 (as amended) to move for the amendment of the bill.

He explained that the re-amendment of the bill became imperative in view of the amendment that was made to Clause 74 which placed the Burden of proof on the investigating Agencies but not on the Defendant as recommended by the Joint Committee in its report. According to him, the amendment runs contrary to the provision of Article 12(7) of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).

Article 12(7) of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime provides that, “States Parties may consider the possibility of requiring that an offender demonstrate the lawful origin of alleged proceeds of crime or other property liable to confiscation.”

On the need to amend the Clause 74 of the bill, Abdullahi said, “the implication of the amendment is that civil forfeitures would be a thing of the past in Nigeria as there would not be final forfeitures without a conviction.

“Implying that all property seized are included in the clause, even those that may be incidental to an arrest and may contain evidence needed for investigation of the crime.”

“For example, phones, computers, documents, photographs etc recovered from suspected kidnappers, drug barons, human and child traffickers, cyber criminals, terrorists and the like would also wait for convictions before they can be seized, even in situations where the suspects are at large and the properties can be recovered for the benefit of the victim and Nigerians where applicable.

“Another example of a conundrum, is the “Ikoyi Loot” case, where no one has yet come to claim ownership of the funds and since there are no suspects …

News / Oil & Gas / politics

PIB: Buhari approved 5% for host communities, Minister changed it — Senator

A former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Henry Dickson, has exposed how the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, allegedly proposed 2.5 per cent operating surplus to Host Communities while President Muhammadu Buhari proposed 5 per cent in the Petroleum Industrial Bill.

The Senator made the revelation when he spoke with newsmen on the contentious issue on Thursday in Abuja.

According to Dickson: “Nigerians should ask the Minister of State for Petroleum why (late President Umaru) Yar’Adua proposed 10 per cent, Buhari proposed 5 per cent, but he came to the National Assembly to propose 2.5 per cent.”

The representative of Bayelsa West Senatorial District explained that before the passage of the bill, Sylva and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari, told the Senators that it is either they agreed to 2.5 percent or no investment. He said: “Senator (George) Sekibo and I were mandated to reach out to other senators who are not in our region and we did.

“We spoke to lot of them and they all supported us for the 5 per cent.

“Before we took that deliberation and the vote, the Minister of State for Petroleum and the GMD of NNPC were invited to give us the executive perspective.

“I don’t know why it was done, but it was not parliamentary, but it was a decision the leadership took and they came supposedly to enlighten us on the technical  aspect of the bill.

“They told us that it is either we agree to 2.5 percent or no investment.

“So, I can feel how most members who had earlier given us their commitment felt when they heard the tough position by the executive.

“The minister said there won’t be investment inflow if we approve anything higher than the 2.5 per cent.…

Business / News / politics

N84b misappropriated in four years by NSTIF — Senate

The Senate on Monday disclosed that about N84 billion was mismanaged by the management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund within four years from 12 out 50 queries investigated so far.

The Chairman, Senate Public Accounts Committee, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, who made this disclosure, said the agency is a cesspool of corruption with the investigation so far by the committee.

According to Urhoghide, 12 out 50 queries investigated so far by the Committee showed that over N84 billion was misappropriated.

He said: “Just unfortunate in a pace of four years, they depleted our resources.

“Just few human beings who are mindless.”

He added that it is unfortunate that the Management of NSTIF and board of NSTIF colluded between 2012 and 2017.

He said: They are all guilty, they are implicated, they stole the place dry.

“The agency is most defiant and most nutritious.”

One of the query reads: “Audit observed that the Fund had been implementing a salary structure that is not approved by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.

“As a result, irregular payment of N38,219,919,530.32 by way of personnel cost was made to the staff of the Fund from 2012 to 2017.

“Implementation of unapproved salary structure may result in wastage of public funds as remuneration may be higher than the productivity level of staff.”

“Recommendation: The Managing Director is required to provide the approval of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission for the implementation of the Fund’s salaries structure.”

But the Managing Director of NSTIF, Dr. Michael Akabogu, claimed that the amount was approved by the through a letter dated July 4, 2019.

However, when the Committee looked at the letter from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission on the illegal salary at the commission, it was observed it was written five years after the Commission started paying the salaries.

The Committee further discovered in the letter from National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, an objection was raised about the payment of unapproved salaries by the commission.

The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages …