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Tag: Soludo

  • CJN orders disciplinary action against Abuja judge over criminal summons against Soludo

    CJN orders disciplinary action against Abuja judge over criminal summons against Soludo

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, has ordered a disciplinary action against a judge of the Upper Area Court in Abuja who recently issued a direct criminal summons against, Charles Soludo.

    Mr Soludo, who is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the forthcoming election in Anambra State, is a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    Gambo Garba of the Upper Area Court, Zuba, Abuja, had in July, issued a direct criminal summons against Mr Soludo over his alleged failure to declare his assets while serving as the CBN governor between 29 May , 2004 and 29 May , 2009.

    The complainant, Oliver Bitrus, had alleged that Mr Soludo held the CBN governor’s office as a public officer flagrantly violating the Code of Conduct for public officers by buying property not attributable to his legitimate earnings.

    The direct criminal summons issued by the Upper Area Court was an approval to Mr Bitrus to prosecute Mr Soludo at the court.

    However, the CJN, who had earlier warned judges against issuing orders that are capable of exposing the judiciary to public scrutiny, was said to have been embarrassed by the action of the Upper Area Court which lacked jurisdiction to entertain such matters.

    A source in the office of the CJN who spoke under condtion of anonymity to journalists said the Acting Chief Judge of the FCT, Hussein Baba Yusuf, who is Chairman of JSC, is expected to submit findings of the Committee on the matter, within 21 days.

    “The CJN ordered the immediate initiation of disciplinary action after his attention was drawn to the matter.

    “Charges bordering on false declaration of assets are exclusively vested in the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, but the Upper Area Court Judge assumed jurisdiction contrary to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution”, the source added.

  • CJN orders disciplinarian action against FCT judge who issued criminal summon against Soludo

    CJN orders disciplinarian action against FCT judge who issued criminal summon against Soludo

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and Chairman National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice Tanko Mohammed has directed the Judicial Service Committee (JSC) of the FCT, Abuja to immediately initiate disciplinary action against the Upper Area Court Judge who issued direct Criminal Summons against the Anambra State APGA governorship candidate Professor, Chukwuma Soludo.

    This directive was issued to the JSC under the Chairmanship of the Acting Chief Judge of the FCT, Justice Husseini Yusuf-Baba last week and confirmed by the spokesperson of the NJC, Soji Oye.

    The Abuja Upper Area Court, presided over by Gambo Garba had in July 2021 issued a direct Criminal Summons against Prof. Soludo over perjury, corruption and false assets declaration, an action which is said to be completely outside the jurisdiction of the Court.

    The court said the criminal summons against Soludo was for alleged serial abuse of office and breach of Code of Conduct for public officers when he was the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria between 29 May 2004 – 29 May 2009.

    The acting Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory is expected to submit his findings to the CJN within 21 days.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the CJN recently met with the Chief Judges of FCT, Rivers, Kebbi, Cross Rivers, Jigawa, Anambra and Imo States and directed them to admonish the judges in their jurisdictions on the danger of granting ex parte injunctions.

  • Anambra guber: A’Court affirms Soludo as APGA flagbearer, awards N10m against appellant

    Anambra guber: A’Court affirms Soludo as APGA flagbearer, awards N10m against appellant

    The Court of Appeal Abuja Division, Thursday affirmed Prof Charles Soludo as the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the November 6 governorship election in Anambra state.

    While dismissing the appeal marked CA/AW/256/2021 by Chief Edozie Njoku against Sylvester Ezeokenwa, the court described it as constituting an abuse of court process.

    The three members of the appellate court led by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Messen unanimously agreed that allowing the appeal would tantamount to sitting on appeal on the judgment of the Kano Division of the court.

    Justice Jummai Sankeyl while delivering ruling on the appeal, held that the appeal constituted an abuse of court process, having been bound by the judgement of Kano Division delivered on August 10.

    The court also held that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit, saying doing so will amount to sitting on its own judgment.

    The sum of N10 million was also awarded against the appellant, in favour of Sylvester Ezeokenwa and All Progressive Grand Alliance

    APGA this medium, recalled, has been engulfed in intra-party crisis which has led to its factionalisation. While one is led by Victor Oye, the other faction is headed by Jude Okeke.

    While Prof Charles Soludo is the governorship candidate of an APGA faction led by the former, the other candidate from the same party, Chukwuma Umeoji on the other hand, emerged from the latter group for the November 6 election.

    Recall that the Kano Division of the Court of Appeal had set aside the judgment of the Jigawa Hgh Court on the leadership tussle in APGA, saying it has no territorial or substantive jurisdiction to hear the suit.

    In setting aside the judgment of the Jigawa High Court, the Appeal Court said all the proceedings at the lower court were null.

    In addition, the court held that for denying APGA and Victor Oye fair hearing by hearing the suit behind their back, the judgment of Musa Ubale of Jigawa State High Court, was unconstitutional and a complete nullity.

  • My opponents can’t govern Anambra with only WAEC certificate – Soludo

    My opponents can’t govern Anambra with only WAEC certificate – Soludo

    The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has chided his fellow governorship candidates from other political parties for declaring only WAEC certificates as their highest educational attainments.

    Soludo who spoke at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka during the inauguration of the APGA National Campaign Council, said Anambra had outgrown being governned with such lowly educational qualification.

    The candidate who was on Thursday enlisted as standard bearer of APGA by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after series of legal battle said the November 6 governorship election in the state is APGA’s.
    “APGA has a star-studded team for this election, and it is the party with the best brains.

    “Look at other political parties and their candidates, and you will find out that they have just First School Leaving Certificate and others WAEC as their highest qualification.

    “Is it First School Leaving Certificate and WAEC that they will use to govern Anambra? Anambra has outgrown such kind of state and you cannot use those certificates to govern Anambra. Look at my running mate, Dr. Onyekachi Ibezim, a medical doctor. You can’t beat our team.”

    Soludo thanked God for the Appeal Court judgment that gave him victory over Hon Chuma Umeoji. He reiterated that with the judgment, there was no longer anything like faction in APGA.

    He added that: “APGA will contest for every vote, in every ward, in every church, in every local government, and we are confident of victory.”

    National Chairman of the party, Dr. Victor Oye who also spoke at the event said
    APGA was indestructible, and that anyone who planned to destroy the party will himself be destroyed.

    “APGA has grown above destruction. We are warning those who are working towards destroying the party to desist from doing so, or they will be destroyed.

    “Anambra people have spoken, and they want soludo. Let those vying for governor against Soludo bring their certificate let’s see. We have a candidate that has first class in every level of his education. He is a renowned professor of Economics and a former CBN governor.

    “Let that candidate who is assembling governors from everywhere to come to Anambra, come and show us his certificate first. He has none. We will remain steadfast and continue to pray and we hope that victory trumpet will sound on November 6. Soludo has won the election already and we are confident of it.

    Governor Willie Obiano, the leader of the party and also chairman of the APGA national campaign council inaugurated the team. “By the power conferred on me as the leader of the party, I hereby inaugurate this campaign council.”

  • Anambra guber: INEC finally recognises Soludo as APGA candidate, exempts PDP

    Anambra guber: INEC finally recognises Soludo as APGA candidate, exempts PDP

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has named Mr Chukwuma Soludo as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State.

    This was contained in a list of governorship and deputy governorship candidates released on Thursday and signed by the Secretary to the commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.

    The list, which has the names of 12 political parties, however, exempted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, in another statement, disclosed that the commission met on Thursday and deliberated on a number of issues, including the nomination of candidates for the election scheduled for November 6, 2021.

    According to him, the timetable and schedule of activities approved by INEC on January 18 provide for the withdrawal and substitution of candidates in line with Section 35 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

    Okoye stated that by the deadline of July 30 fixed by the commission, seven governorship and 11 deputy governorship candidates were substituted by 11 out of the 18 political parties.

    Speaking about the recognition of Soludo, he said, “The commission was served with the judgement of the Court of Appeal (Kano Division) which set aside the judgement of the High Court of Jigawa State on the leadership of APGA and the nomination of its candidates for the Anambra Governorship election.

    “The final list of candidates will be published on October 7, 2021, as provided in the timetable and schedule of activities for the election.”

    See the list of the candidates released by the electoral umpire below:

  • Anambra guber: Ex-APGA chairman tells INEC to publish Soludo’s name as party candidate

    Anambra guber: Ex-APGA chairman tells INEC to publish Soludo’s name as party candidate

    Senator Victor Umeh has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Prof. Charles Soludo as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in Anambra.

    Umeh, a former National Chairman of the party, made the call on Tuesday during an interactive session with newsmen in Awka.

    He was reacting to the judgment of the Appeal Court in Kano, which restored Soludo as APGA’s governorship standard bearer in the Nov. 6 election in Anambra.

    He said it was expected that INEC would publish his name with the legal battle against his candidacy now decided in his favour, to enable his campaign to kick off in earnest.

    Umeh, who is a member of Soludo Campaign Organisation, said the judgment also affirmed that Dr Victor Oye, remains the authentic national chairman of the party and not Mr Jude Okeke.

    He described the judgment as “one without flaws”, adding that all along, the party had never questioned the authenticity of Oye’s chairmanship.

    “We were convinced that the High Court judgment of Burnin Kudu in Jigawa should have been a nullity, but some people, including INEC, used it to torment us.

    “With this, the judiciary has redeemed itself. It has also shown that it is the hope of the people. “Nothing in that judgment in Jigawa should be allowed to be alive.

    “The attempt was simply to derail the momentum of APGA, but the judiciary has intervened.

    “We have now rebound. Previously we had said Soludo will contest and it has come to pass.

    “He is our candidate and the person the party nominated.

    “As the chairman of peace and reconciliation committee of our party, I want to call on Chukwuma Umeoji to come back to the party with his supporters.

    “We will welcome them to our fold again,” Umeh said.

    He called on the Anambra electorate to understand why they should vote for APGA in the election.

    “We have solid achievements here in the state and I do not see why any sensible person would want to vote out APGA.

    “APGA may not have made everybody happy, but I can score APGA up to 85 per cent,” he said.

    Umeh said the party had not failed the state, citing some of its achievements, including the Anambra Airport, billed to begin commercial flight next month

  • Anambra 2021: Obiano vows to make Soludo his suceessor

    Anambra 2021: Obiano vows to make Soludo his suceessor

    Anambra Governor Willie Obiano has vowed to make former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Prof Charles Soludo his successor.

    He spoke on Wednesday at the Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport at Umueri after his three-week vacation abroad.

    Obiano landed with a private jet at the airport exactly by 11.45am and was received by Anambra lawmakers led by Speaker Uche Okafor.

    Addressing the crowd that came to welcome him, Obiano said Soludo would be the next Governor.

    He left the State immediately after the primary conducted by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at the Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre, Awka that produced Soludo as candidate.

    Since then, the party had been enmeshed in crisis with two candidates produced for the November 6 election.

    But the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had refused to recognise Soludo as the candidate.

    Instead, the Commission published Chukwuma Umeoji as the candidate based on a High judgement from Jigawa State.

    Obiano described the omission of Soludo’s name on the INEC list as a ‘mistake’, which he said would be corrected soon.

    The Governor said: “Prof. Soludo is the next Governor of Anambra State as issues about APGA crisis will be a thing of the past soon”.

    He assured of delivery of the Anambra International Airport in record time, saying “I feel fulfilled to have a test of my legacy project- the airport this day.”

  • Anambra 2021: New twist as two High Courts order INEC to recognise Soludo, Uba as APGA, PDP candidates

    Anambra 2021: New twist as two High Courts order INEC to recognise Soludo, Uba as APGA, PDP candidates

    Two High Courts in Anambra have directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the names of two governorship candidates for the November 6 election without further delay.

    They are: Senator Ugochukwu Uba of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Prof Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    In their separate judgments on Monday in Awka, Justice Obiora Nwabunike, who presided over the case involving Uba, Valentine Ozigbo and the PDP, said the party erred by using what it called ‘Super delegates’ without vacating the Abuja Court order.

    “With the evidence before me and having heard from parties involved in the matter, I rule that Ugochukwu Uba is the duly elected candidate of PDP.

    “It’s not for nothing that court judges are called my lords. When a court makes a pronouncement, it must be obeyed no matter how foolish or ugly, it must be obeyed.

    “So, it was wrong for the PDP to go ahead to conduct the primary election at the Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre that produced Valentine Ozigbo, with what they called super delegates against a live judgement of a court without overturning the judgement.

    “That action cannot be vitiated or mitigated by the argument adduced by defence counsel that party primaries are internal affairs of political parties.

    “And I order that Ugochukwu Uba’s name should be enlisted by the INEC without further delay and the defendants should pay a cost of 10 million naira to the applicant,” Justice Nwabunike said

    Another High Court presided by Justice CC Okaa reinstated Prof Soludo as the APGA candidate and ordered INEC to publish his name immediately.

    The Court also ordered INEC to remove the name of Hon Chukwuma Umeoji already published and ordered him to stop parading himself as candidate of APGA.

    The court reaffirmed Victor Oye as the indisputable National chairman of APGA and ordered Edozie Njoku and Jude Okeke to stop parading themselves as National chairmen of APGA.

  • Anambra guber: Soludo speaks on INEC’s omission of his name on list of governorship candidates

    Anambra guber: Soludo speaks on INEC’s omission of his name on list of governorship candidates

    Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo has reacted to the conspicuous omission of his name by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the list of candidate for the November 6 governorship poll in state.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that instead of Soludo, INEC listed the names of Chukwuma Michael Umeoji as the governorship candidate and Urogbu Obiageli Lilian as the deputy governorship candidate of APGA.

    TNG reports that Soludo, a former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had earlier emerged winner of the primary election conducted by the Governor Willie Obiano faction of APGA.

    Also, the commission did not list the name of any candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP both for governorship and the deputy governorship.

    The electoral umpire explained that its decision was based on a court order.

    Meanwhile, in a swift reaction, the Chukwuma Soludo Campaign in a statement signed by Joe C. Anatune said the former bank chief turned politician will contest and win the November 6 poll convincingly.

    It also directed its supporters not be dispirited by INEC’s publication.

    Read full statement below:

    Soludo Will Contest the November 6 Election and Win Overwhelmingly

     

    1. The Chukwuma Soludo Campaign has been briefed on a publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) where The Honourable Chukwuma Umeorji has been published as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the November 6 2021 gubernatorial election in Anambra State. The INEC publication is based on a judgment by a High Court in Jigawa State, and the electoral body sensibly wrote that its inclusion of Umeorji as a candidate in the election is “By Judgment”.

    2. Our millions of supporters in Anambra State and elsewhere in the world are advised not to be dispirited by the publication seriously. Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo will participate in the governorship election as the APGA candidate. His nomination was strictly in line with the Electoral Law and INEC guidelines. INEC observed the APGA Congress on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, where he was nominated after winning 93.4 per cent of the valid votes cast in a free, fair and transparent manner which was broadcast live on national television networks as part of deepening the democratic process in Nigeria.

    3. Our team of dedicated and competent legal experts has studied the judgment and is confident of overturning it effortlessly. The party is at liberty to nominate the rightful candidate so long as due process is followed. Soludo’s nomination followed due process religiously.

    4. Therefore, there is no need for Anambra people and all lovers of progress in Nigeria to be worried about the judgment. The judgment will be set aside the way orders by Mr Justice Stanley Nnaji of the Enugu State High Court and Mr Justice Egbo Egbo of the Federal High Court in Abuja were thrown out when they embarrassed the legal profession with their decisions on the struggle for the governorship of Anambra State a few years after the inception of democratic governance in 1999. Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state were then toying with the destiny of a great state.

    5. Millions of Ndi Anambra are understandably shocked that there are still desperate politicians in the state who want to reenact the years which the locusts consumed. They are determined to go to any and every length to acquire power for its own sake. We thought that the state had passed the stage where some of its politicians were moving from one end of the country to the other in the dead of the night in search of judicial orders to impose themselves on the people as their rulers, not leaders.

    6. Our supporters and indeed all Anambra people, who have been waiting patiently for Soludo’s leadership of the state, are advised not to be deterred by the Jigawa State Court order. They should rather remain supremely confident of not only Soludo’s participation in the November 6 gubernatorial vote but also his triumph in the polls with a big margin which will lead to a new era in our state for the benefit of all. The campaign for Soludo’s emergence as the successor to Governor Willie Obiano has become a movement of the people through and through. The movement will come to fruition.

    Signed

     

    Joe C. Anatune

     

    For CeeCee Soludo Campaign

  • Anambra guber: Confusion in APGA as another candidate, Edozie Njoku emerges flagbearer after Soludo

    Anambra guber: Confusion in APGA as another candidate, Edozie Njoku emerges flagbearer after Soludo

    from Chuks Collins, Awka

    A factional National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Edozie Njoku has been elected governorship flagbearer of the party in the forthcoming Nov 6,2021 election in Anambra state.

    Chief Njoku who commended the very peaceful disposition of the party delegates all through the process thanked them for believing in him.

    He reiterated that “the party had to move swiftly immediately the court order which had prevented the party primary from holding before now elapsed yesterday”.

    Flanked by other bigwigs of the party including the National Youth Leader -Chuks Nwoga and the Anambra state chairman of the faction -Chief Freedom Henry Okwuchukwu said his group carefully complied with all the electoral guidelines as enunciated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and it was well acknowledged by the Commission.

    He reminded the delegates who thronged the Finotel Suites, venue of the event that their efforts was to reposition and strengthen the party. He lamented that things had been left in decadence for too long.

    Taken up on the fears of members over the festering crisis within the party leadership, and the possibility that it could hamper its fortunes in the coming Nov 6 Anambra governorship election, but Chief Njoku allayed everyone’s fears and apprehensions. He pointed out that APGA has challenges, but that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has even bigger challenges, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenges are multifarious.

    On the Jude Okeke factor, who was claiming leadership of a third faction of the party, the new flagbearer said he “never know or hear about Jude Okeke, he only emerged June 15,2021 from nowhere.

    “And if he emerged June 15, he need to give INEC 21 days statutory notice, and which is not possible. His emergence was all because the right things were not done by the party.

    He therefore assured that soon all the disagreement would be sorted out and go ahead to win the coming Nov 6,2021 governorship election.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Prof. Chukwuma Soludo had last week emerged the party’s flagbearer.

    Soludo scored a total of 740 votes out of 792 valid votes cast by delegates.

    Declaring the results of the exercise, Samson Olalere, the Returning Officer said Soludo fulfilled the provisions of Electoral Act and APGA guidelines.