8 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 5, 2013
Appeal Court dethrones Obong of Calabar BY EMMA UNA
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ALABAR—APPEAL Court sitting in Calabar, yesterday, confirmed a Calabar High Court ruling which, in October 2012, nullified the processes for the selection of Obong of Calabar through which Etubom Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu emerged as Obong. The court ordered for another selection process to elect an Obong for the Efik. In a unanimous decision, Justice Mohanmmed Lawal, Justice Uzor Ndukwe and Justice Onyekachi Okisi, the Appeal Court judges agreed that the selection processes through which Etubom Abasi Otu emerged to become the Obong of Calabar was not all inclusive and thus new processes should be instituted for all eligible persons to undergo the selection of Obong. The judgment also disqualified Chief Anthony Ani, who is the first respondent from contesting since he was not a capped chief, which is a prerequisite for the qualification to contest for the post of Obong. Reacting to the judgment, counsel to Chief Anthony Ani, Mr. Bassey Offiong said: “The court delivered judgment in part. "So many issues were in contention including first, whether Etubom Anthony Ani was qualified to contest for the stool. "The court ruled that since he was not capped, he was not qualified to contest for the Obongship stool based on the constitution of Obong council.” He said secondly, the court considered the issue of natural justice and said Etubom Ani was not given fair hearing during the selection process because his complaints were not listened to and therefore another selection exercise should be conducted which is all inclusive. Reacting, Etubom Anthony Ani said he would study the judgment before taking a decision whether to appeal.
ECOBANK BREAKFAST: From left— Mr. Albert Essien, Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank; Mr. Bismarck Rewane; Mrs Foluke Aboderin, ED, Corporate Banking, and Mr. Jibril Aku, MD, both of Ecobank, at the bank's corporate banking breakfast meeting in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Biodun Ogunleye.
Mandela in permanent vegetative state, doctors tell court D
OCTORS, who are treating anti-apartheid activist, Nelson Mandela, who is entering his fourth week of hospital treatment for a recurring lung infection, have advised Mandela’s family to consider letting him go rather than “prolonging his suffering,” according to a news agency which cited a court
document it had seen. “He is in a permanent vegetative state and is assisted in breathing by a life support machine,” read the document, dated June 26, which was submitted by lawyers acting for Mr. Mandela’s oldest daughter Makaziwe and others in a court battle with another family faction over burial rights.
According to the report, “the Mandela family have been advised by the medical practitioners that his life support machine should be switched off. “Rather than prolonging his suffering, the Mandela family is exploring this option as a very real probability.”
The claim came as Mr. Mandela’s wife, Graca spoke publicly for the first time about her 94-year-old husband, saying he was “fine” and not in too much pain. Referring to Mr. Mandela by his clan name, she said: “Madiba is sometimes uncomfortable. Sometimes he is in pain. But he is fine.”
PDP TO TINUBU: Allow Ekiti people decide for themselves BY HENRY UMORU
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B U J A — N AT I O N A L leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, urged the national leader of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to leave the people of Ekiti State to decide for themselves, accusing him of trying to bar some persons from contesting in Ekiti governorship election in 2014. In a statement, yesterday, by PDP Acting Publicity Secretary, Mr. Tony Okeke argued that it was extremely “ wicked and undemocratic” for Tinubu to ask House of Representatives member from Ekiti State, Opeyemi Bamidele, to forget his governorship ambition. The PDP Acting Publicity Secretary said: “By ordering a House of Representatives member from Ekiti State, Opeyemi Bamidele, to forget his governorship ambition in the 2014 governorship election, Tinubu has once again displayed his despotic tendencies and utter disdain for democratic process. “This is extremely wicked
and indeed the height of tyranny and outright disparagement for the people and their right to choose their leaders as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution as amended.” Reminding Tinubu that he was not from Ekiti State and as such should not decide for the people, PDP urged the people of the state “to rise up to the occasion and defend their rights by rejecting the usual practice of allowing godfathers to select their leaders for them. He said: “In openly endorsing Ekiti State governor,
Dr. Kayode Fayemi, for a second term and ordering Opeyemi to forget his ambition, Tinubu has clearly shown his resolve to truncate laid down electoral processes. "This will retain the system through which the resources of the state are being diverted to private purses." Noting that ACN had shown that it was not ready to respect the rights of the people, PDP urged all lovers of democracy to come over to the “national party where no individual sits in his room and decides who will be can-
didate for an election.” Meanwhile, indications emerged, yesterday, that the Special National Convention of PDP, which had been postponed indefinitely, may suffer a major set back. As part of moves against the Professor Jerry Gana-led Committee, some members of the party have gone to a Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order to set aside the pronouncement of PDP's last National Executive Committee, NEC, where the appointment of about 18 acting national officers of the party were endorsed.
NLNG, NIMASA resolve feud BY SEBASTINE OBASI
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HE feud between Nigerian LNG Limited, NLNG, and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, appears to be settled as NLNG has opted to settle its indebtedness to NIMASA, in compliance with NIMASA Act. This emerged after yesterday’s court session, where
the counsel to NLNG, Mr. Wale Akoni (SAN) informed the court that NLNG was in the process of finalising the terms of a proposed consent order on its agreement with NIMASA and other parties for the vacation of an earlier order made against the Attorney-General of the Federation, Global West Vessel Specialist Limited and NIMASA in the suit.
Akoni, yesterday, asked the court for an adjournment to come back today for the matter, to enable NLNG shareholders come to terms on the consent order to be proposed to the court on the basis of the terms of the consent order agreed by the parties. The court had earlier, yesterday, adjourned the matter briefly at NLNG’s request for it to be able to tidy up its side.