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2015: Anioma Leaders rally behind President Jonathan, present Ndudi Elumelu, 2 others for Delta Governorship

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A high-level delegation of ‎Anioma people of Delta State led by the Asagba of Asaba, Professor Chike Edozien Wednesday, last week, had a closed door meeting with President Jonathan at the State House, Abuja.

Though, the details of the meeting was not disclosed, sources informed this paper that it was to express the support of the Anioma people for the second term bid of the President and also seek the President’s backing on getting an Anioma person as the next governor of Delta State.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting with the President, Professor Edozien said, “We are here to confer with the President on national issues, issue of security affecting the country and the coming elections”

He said the delegation pledged their support for the President, if he decides to seek re-election in 2015.

He also confirmed that the issue of the zone, which will produce the next governor of Delta State was also discussed, but did not zero it on a particular person.

Edozien also affirmed that the Anioma people are” very much in support of the President’s second term bid, whenever he declares his intention.”

He also confirmed that the agitation for an Anioma person to be elected governor of Delta State was also discussed with the President stating that “The issue of an Anioma person becoming the governor was one of the issues we discussed and I hope an Anioma son or daughter will be elected governor of Delta State in 2015.”

Asked who he had in mind, the monarch said, “We have many worthy sons and many people in our area that if elected will be good governors.

Sources close to the Presidency however, informed this paper that the delegation of the Anioma People presented three people as potential governorship candidates. The are Honourable Ndudi Elumelu’s, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health, Senator Okowa and Victor Ochei.

Recently, Ndudi Elumelu, who is the younger brother of reputable African Business Leader and philanthropist, Mr. Tony Elumelu, CON, had declared his intention to contest for the governorship position in Delta State, which becomes vacant in 2015 when the current Governor’s tenures comes to an end.

Declaring his intention during a special service to commit his ambition into the hands of God at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Onicha-Uku in Aniocha-North Local Government Area of Delta State, the younger Elumelu promised to prioritise the welfare of the people of Delta State if given the opportunity to lead the state.

Ndudi Elumelu also donated 10 vehicles and 30 tricycles for distribution to people in the three senatorial districts of the state as part of his empowerment programme. The donation was done under a non-governmental organisation, Ndudi Elumelu Foundation, which he runs.

Speaking to members of the foundation, Elumelu thanked them for their steadfastness and promised more incentives for the coordinators to facilitate the task of mobilising the electorate towards supporting him in the 2015 elections.

He advised them to avoid violence and distractions and remain focused on the task of mobilizing support for his election as governor of Delta State.

Pix 1: l-r: The Asagba of Asaba, HRH (Prof) Chike Edozien and Honorable Ndudi Elumelu, Chairman, House of Representatives  Committee on Health during the visit of the Anioma Leaders to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

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Finance Ministry Allegedly Spent N55million On Sendforth  Of Perm Sec, Udo Okonkwo Ekanem, Pays Money Into Personal Account…

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A  review of public payments portal, Govspend, has shown that a sum of over N55 million, was paid into the account of one Unoh Omolara, for the sendforth party of Udo Okonkwo Ekanem.

 

The payment was made by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

 

Okonkwo served as the permanent secretary, special duties of the ministry.

 

The payment for the party was made on September 13th, 2024.

According to the payment description, the event was scheduled to hold at Transcorp Hilton hotels on September 6th, 2024.

 

 

Further checks revealed that the event was confirmed by the ministry of finance on its website.

 

The ministry had noted that it celebrated the Ekanem in appreciation of his oustanding commitment.

 

 

This is despite the provision of Chapter Seven, Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009 states that “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account.”

 

The money spent on the sendforth was twice the amount spent to set up 28 boreholes in Jigawa State.

 

According to details on the Govspend website, N28.3 million was spent on drilling twenty-three solar powered borehole and five numbers hand pump boreholes in Jigawa State.

 

 

This would mean that this money spent on sendforth, half of it would have provided same number of solar powered boreholes and hand pumps in other locations of the country.

 

There have been concerns over prudence in management of government resources by different ministries’ department and agencies.

 

Although, the government has expressed its commitment to accountability, experts say there are loopholes exploited by different government parastatals.

 

 

 

Source: Sahara Reporters.

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ICPC Arraigns House Of Reps Ex-Member John Dyegh For Money Laundering

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The lawmaker was arraigned on Monday on a five-count charge before Hon. Justice M. Shitu Abubakar at the Federal High Court 1 sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, under case number FHC/MKD/CR/184/2024.

 

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences commission (ICPC) has arraigned a former House of Representatives, John Dyegh, for abuse of office and money laundering.

 

 

 

 

 

John Dyegh, who served as a member of the 9th National Assembly, representing Gboko/Tarka Federal constituency at the House of Representatives of Nigeria, was arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, for allegedly violating the provisions of the ICPC Acts 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

The lawmaker was arraigned on Monday on a five-count charge before Hon. Justice M. Shitu Abubakar at the Federal High Court 1 sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, under case number FHC/MKD/CR/184/2024.

 

 

 

 

 

The charges detail alleged corrupt practices, including Dyegh’s receipt of N18,970,000 (Eighteen Million Nine Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira) on May 19, 2014, intended for the construction of school facilities in Guma, Benue State.

 

 

 

 

 

John Dyegh was accused of allegedly channeling the funds through the First Bank account of Midag Limited, a company in which Dyegh has a substantial interest. This alleged action violates Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Act, of 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

He was further alleged to have received and transferred these funds through Midag Limited and Kangnaan Global Resources Limited, companies associated with him, contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act.

 

 

 

 

 

Dyegh allegedly abused his office by privately benefitting from contracts awarded to the companies while overseeing the related funds as a signatory on their accounts, according to the charge sheet.

 

 

 

The Presiding Judge, Justice Abubakar, at the commencement of the trial last Friday ordered Dyegh’s to be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Center, Makurdi, pending the determination of his bail application and adjourned the matter till Monday 11, November, 2024.

 

 

 

However, at the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, November 11, 2024, Defense Counsel S.E. Irabo moved a bail application of his client Dyegh.

 

 

 

He prayed the court to grant his client the bail citing health concerns.

 

 

 

Justice Abubakar, after listening to the argument of the counsels, subsequently granted Dyegh bail in the amount of N20 million, requiring two sureties with international passports to be surrendered to the court and verifiable addresses.

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Justice Abubakar later adjourned the case until January 16, 2025, for a definite hearing of the corrupt case preferred against the former Federal Lawmaker.

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Nigerian Senator’s Wife Orders Policemen In Convoy To Arrest, Torture Skit-maker For Criticising Husband Over Bad Roads, Poor Health Facilities

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Personnel of the Taraba State police command acting on the orders of Hajia Fatima Lau, wife of the Senator representing Taraba North senatorial district, Shuaibu Isa Lau, arrested and detained a skit maker, Nafiu Hassan, for several days, SaharaReporters has gathered.

 

Lau is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Deputy Senate Minority Leader.

 

 

 

Hassan had done a skit where he decried the deplorable condition of roads in the senatorial district. He said that many of the roads are now killing zones due to their bad state.

 

However, sources said the Senator’s wife last Wednesday saw Hassan while passing by her street and called the police from GRA Division in Jalingo to arrest and detain him.

 

 

 

She was said to have created a scene publicly while accusing the skit maker of “cyberstalking and criminal character assassination.”

 

 

 

It was learnt that Hassan was tortured and released on Sunday.

 

 

 

The source said, “Nafiu Hassan made a video about a month ago about bad roads and dilapidated health facilities in Taraba North. However, this video led to his arrest last Wednesday and he was detained till Sunday,” a source told SaharaReporters.

 

“He was arrested by the police on the orders of the Senator’s wife. Nafiu was passing through the Senator’s street while the wife, Hajia Lau, was about to enter her residence in Old Commissioner Quarters in Jalingo.

 

 

 

“So, she saw him and created a scene knowing he was the one that made a video about bad roads and dilapidated healthcare facilities in her husband’s village. She termed that as defamation of character and then ordered policemen attached to her to immediately arrest him.

 

 

 

“These officers in her convoy then started beating him. Then they took him in their Hilux to GRA Division Jalingo and his bail was denied. He was however released on Sunday. He was accused of character defamation and criminal conspiracies, which are all null and void.”

 

 

 

Another source said it was not the first time the Senator’s wife would order security operatives to detain Nigerians.

 

 

 

He said, “This is the fifth time this woman is maltreating people in this state. There was an incident of two boys passing around Mayo-Gwoi. Her convoy was passing by at the time and one of the boys mistakenly touched the car leading her convoy which was moving slowly due to traffic.

 

 

 

“It wasn’t the car she was inside but one of the cars in her convoy; however, out of annoyance, she called the police to arrest the boy and he was detained for three weeks.

 

 

 

“The same woman ordered soldiers to beat about 10 people who went to see her husband at home. She sent them away, claiming there was one person out of them she did not like.

 

 

 

“They were exchanging words with her and then she informed soldiers to assault them. Guess what, they followed all the individuals to their homes and beat them mercilessly. These are the ones I can recall for now but there are more than those two cases. There are many cases linked to this same woman. There are others more deadly than them. But sadly, no one to stand for the victims.”

 

 

 

Efforts made by SaharaReporters to reach Senator Lau failed as he did not answer nor return calls to his mobile phone.

 

 

 

A text message sent to his mobile line had yet to be replied to as at the time of filing this report.

 

 

 

This comes a few days after a viral video showed Alex Ikwechegh, a member of the House of Representatives, assaulting a Bolt driver, Stephen Abuwatseya.

 

 

 

The footage showed the visibly angry lawmaker repeatedly slapping and insulting the driver after Stephen asked him to come outside to collect a package meant for delivery.

 

 

 

The incident, which occurred on October 27 in the Maitama district of Abuja, sparked outrage on social media. Ikwechegh then issued a public apology, acknowledging his actions and expressing regret over his behaviour during the altercation.

 

 

 

In a message posted on Instagram, the lawmaker apologised to the Bolt driver, Nigeria Police Force, and the National Assembly, admitting that his actions did not meet the standards expected of a public official, regardless of the provocation involved.

 

 

 

He was also arraigned at a magistrates’ court in Kuje, Abuja, where he pleaded not guilty to three counts bordering on assault and threat to life.

 

 

 

The defendant was released on N500,000 bail, and the court adjourned the case until November 8, 2024, for further proceedings.

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