Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2012—5
Alleged N21bn scam: Saraki withdraws suit against police •As court vacates arrest warrant BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI
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VISIT—From left: Miss Kelechi Esimogu, Publicity Secretary; Mr Mideno Bayagbon, Editor, Vanguard; Mr Ejugo Alfred; Mr Moses Ebahor, Project Director and Mr Frank Ilaboya, media consultant during a visit by members of First Nigerian Unity Football tournament to Vanguard Newspapers headquarters in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Shola Oyelese.
APGA 'll field presidential candidate in 2015 — Umeh zSays it is South-East turn to produce president BY PETER OKUTU
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NUGU—NATIONAL Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, yesterday, declared the readiness of his party to field a presidential candidate in the 2015 general elections, in line with the collective desire of Ndigbo to produce the next president of the country. Umeh, who spoke while receiving a delegation from the political office of the United States Consulate in Nigeria, said Igbos in the South East had remained the most cheated ethnic group in the country, especially in terms of the number of states and local government areas. He added that the persistent marginalization was principally caused by their involvement in the civil war. He stated that the numerous agitations from difference ethnic groups in the country had underscored the urgent need to convoke a national conference to enable Nigerians hold a roundtable and seek ways of solving the nation’s problems. His words: “This time around we (APGA) are going to field a Presidential candidate. The late Dim C h u k w u e m e k e Odumegwu-Ojukwu was our presidential candidate twice in 2003 and 2007.
“In 2011 we didn’t field a presidential candidate because things were very fluid, but by 2015, I am sure, APGA will field a Presidential candidate and we are determined to fight for an Igbo man to become president of Nigeria under any arrangement possible, be it coalition. “We must be prepared to work with some other political parties to form a coalition. In Germany what they have is a coalition government. Angela
Merkel party controls just 34 percent and through coalition arrangement they are leading the country. “So we want to see how APGA can engage in that type of process where our presidential candidate will also be available alongside presidential candidates of other political parties and after the first round of election we see the performance of each party. “Through negotiation we can pull our resources together , APGA, ACN,
FG pays corps members allowance ...regrets delay BY CALEB AYANSINA
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BUJA–FEDERAL Government said yesterday it had paid members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, their allowances. The government said it paid the allowances through e-payment as soon as it received the funds from the Accountant General of the Federation on May 17, 2012. A statement by the Head (Press and Public Relations Unit) of NYSC, Mrs. Abosede Aderibigbe, regretted the delay in the payment, promising to, henceforth, ensure the prompt payment of the next allowances. According to the
statement, “all corps members are thereby requested to check with their banks and lodge complaints with their NYSC State Secretariats where such payments have not been cleared. Efforts are on to ensure prompt payment of May 2012 allowances. “Management wishes to commend corps members nationwide for their demonstration of maturity and patience in the face of the delay encountered in the payment of the allowances. “Management further wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the welfare and security of corps members wherever they may be in line with the stance of the Federal Government.”
CPC and all the parties in opposition, we should be able to give PDP a run in 2015.
BUJA—THE former Governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki, yesterday, withdrew the application he filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja with a view to stopping the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigerian Police Force from arresting him over his alleged involvement in an N21billion loan scam. Presiding Justice Gladys Olotu, struck out the application after Saraki who is currently representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, told the court that the suit has been overtaken by events. Nevertheless, he persuaded the court to setaside the warrant of arrest Police earlier secured against him, decrying that the security agency declared him wanted despite the pendency of his suit before the High Court. Arguing through his counsel, Chief Rafiu Rabana, SAN, the embattled lawmaker, contended that Police over
reached the powers of the court when it branded him a wanted man following an arrest warrant he said was okayed against him by a Lagos High Court. Consequently, he urged Justice Olotu to not only reprimand the force, but to also declare that the action amounted to a gross abuse of the judicial process. Meanwhile, though Police did not oppose Saraki’s bid to withdraw the suit, it however justified its action against him, saying it decided to declare him wanted after its investigations revealed that the lawmaker had perfected a subterranean plot to run out of the country in order to frustrate his planned interrogation. Police lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, maintained that Saraki had no right to approach a court with a view to stopping the force from carrying out its statutory mandate, adding that it was even the lawmaker that abused the court process by attempting to stall investigation into his alleged complicity in a criminal act.