Metro
Opinion: Anambra 2021: The Insurmountable Legal Challenges of Andy Uba’s Governorship Quest
By Leonard Vin Chukwuma
The governorship quest of Mr. Andy Uba appears to be an impossible dream. It may as well be an impossible dream going by the rules and guidelines of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), and the current direct legal challenges to Mr. Uba’s candidacy. Mr. Andy Uba, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate is facing insurmountable legal battles that border on legitimacy and fitness.
The Federal High Court in Abuja is set to deliver judgment on December 20, 2021 in a suit challenging the declaration of Andy Uba as the governorship candidate of the APC party for the forthcoming November 6, 2021 governorship election in Anambra State. Mr. Andy Uba was declared the APC governorship candidate on June 26, 2021 after a purported primary election. However, Mr. George Moghalu, a governorship aspirant running under the APC banner is challenging the outcome of said primary, and Mr. Uba’s candidacy. He claims that APC did not hold a valid primary in Anambra State. This has been confirmed by officials of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) who said that a primary election did not hold till 5.30pm when the INEC officials left the venue.
Under INEC’s regulation for the conduct of political party primaries, the regulation is that all primaries be direct or indirect primaries, and that all primaries of political parties must be held in the presence of officials of INEC who will make a determination that the primaries have been conducted in compliance of the Nigerian constitution, the Electoral Act 2010, and INEC regulation for the conduct of party primaries.
Clearly, the APC party primaries that supposedly produced Andy Uba as the party’s flag bearer was not held in the presence of INEC officials, and therefore was not in compliance with the Nigerian constitution, Electoral Act 2010, and INEC’s regulation. If the party primaries that produced a candidate was not held in the presence of INEC officials, that party’s primaries did not hold, and that makes the candidacy of Andy Uba illegitimate, and null and void.
The party is therefore taking a big risk by going full steam ahead while placing hopes on Mr. Andy Uba’s candidacy in the November 6 poll, when the Court is set to rule on the matter on December 20. All evidence suggests that APC party primaries did not take place, and when the court rules against him, and officially declares the candidacy null and void, it will throw the APC party and their chance to hold the governor’s office into total disarray.
Anambra state cannot afford to throw itself into the chaos experienced by Rivers State in 2007 when the Supreme Court ruled that Governor Celestine Omehia was illegitimate and that Mr. Rotimi Amaechi who never participated in the election, was the rightful winner of the elections. Coincidentally, Mr. George Moghalu is Mr. Amaechi’s candidate in the race, and Mr. Moghalu has legal standing to challenge Mr. Uba’s candidacy so there is a distinct possibility that the Federal High Court will rule in favour of Mr. George Moghalu, therefore invalidating Mr. Andy Uba’s candidacy. It is also a distinct possibility that Mr. Rotimi Amaechi is advising and guiding Mr. Moghalu, and there is a plan to implement the 2007 strategy Mr. Amaechi used to come into the governor’s office without contesting or even having his name on the ballot.
Apart from the challenge of the legitimacy of Mr. Andy Uba on the APC governorship ticket, he is also facing a legal challenge based on the claim that he submitted forged certificates to INEC. In 2017, a report was published that a document was obtained from West African Examinations Council (WAEC) which declared that Andy Uba forged his secondary school certificate, as well as his “confirmation result” which he had presented to British authorities. He also falsified the grades he earned in secondary school on his fake WAEC result.
In a letter dated February 12, 2014 and addressed to the attention of George Smith of Public Agencies, located at 57 Peel Road, Wembley Middlesex, HA9 7LY in the United Kingdom, WAEC stated, “Letter reference no. L/CR/CONF/05465089 dated 21st November, 2013 is fake.” WAEC further said regarding Mr. Uba’s purported certificate, “Mr. A.A. Okelezo, as you rightly observed, reported as the Controller of our branch office in Calabar on 7th October, 2013 having been deployed from the Ikeja Zonal Office. He was never the Head of National Office, as indicated at the foot of the letter under reference. The signature on the document is in no way similar to his signature.”
Mr. Uba’s real results, as certified by WAEC in its letter to Mr. Smith, showed that Mr. Uba performed woefully, scoring “credit” in only one subject, Chemistry. He failed Bible Knowledge, English Literature, and Economics. He earned grades of mere “pass,” which are one step to an outright “fail,” in the following subjects: English Language, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, and Biology. By contrast, Mr. Uba’s falsified results claimed that he earned the following grades: English Literature 4, English Language 7, Christian Religious Knowledge 7, Economics 4, Statistics 6, Mathematics 6, Physics 4, and Chemistry 6. Reports say that Mr. Uba submitted his falsified WAEC result to INEC.
These legal challenges are insurmountable and make the candidacy of Mr. Uba a shaky affair that can throw Anambra into untold massive chaos with a constitutional crisis to boot if he is elected governor of the state.
Another legal/legality hurdle Mr. Andy Uba faces is that the national party chairman of APC who is currently a sitting governor is serving illegally in the role in the sense that a sitting governor of a state cannot hold another role such as the national party chair of a political party. This automatically invalidates him and disqualifies anyone he nominates to INEC, such as Mr. Andy Uba as governorship candidate of APC in Anambra State. A Supreme Court ruling in July, 2021 in the Ondo State Government race affirmed that according to section 183 of the Nigerian constitution, “the governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever”. It therefore implies that the current APC national chairman who is the current governor of Yobe state, Mr. Mai Mala Buni is holding the position of APC national chairman illegally, and so this illegality invalidates his role as chairman, and consequently invalidates his nomination of Mr. Andy Uba as the party’s flagbearer for the governorship race.
With a basket full of valid legal challenges to Mr. Uba’s candidacy at play, he is dreaming an impossible dream. To ensure that his impossible dream does not turn into a nightmare for the people of Anambra and its future, every Anambra voter needs to avoid voting for the APC ticket in the gubernatorial election of November 6, 2021.
Leonard Vin Chukwuka is a political analyst who writes from Abuja.
A rancorous scene occurred at the premises of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Ona Iye Parish in the Iloye area of Sango-Ota, Ogun State penultimate week as a commercial driver swathed by his family members and associates clashed with the pastor and founder of the church, Prophet Abiodun John, in a scandalous paternity row.
The driver, Badiru Folarin, who is the husband of a female church member brought to the church for spiritual healing, screamed that the pastor claimed ownership of his four-year-old child after he caught him having an illicit affair with his wife, Morufat.
Folarin claimed the pastor’s sexual escapades with his wife was revealed by his 14-year-old son, Saheed, who told him that his mother was always visiting and cooking for the clergyman while he was away and that the cleric in turn visited their home at odd hours.
He said: ”The pastor claimed that my in-law had given my wife to him as his wife. However, the question is, can a woman be given to two men as wife?
”The pastor confronted me to my face that he is the biological father of our last child, a four-year-old. Yet my wife rained curses on me, saying that Ogun (Yoruba god of iron) should strike me dead so she can enjoy her benefactor.
”I am a driver. I never enjoyed my wife at home. She was always away to church for several days in the guise of vigils and special spiritual protection. My mother-in-law was disturbed about my wife’s continuous absence from home under the pretext of participation in church activities.”
Amid the yelling, screaming and cacophony of noise at the scene, Morufat told her husband’s family members and bystanders that she was not in the least prepared to leave her husband, although she conceded the paternity of the child in question to the embattled pastor when asked to choose between the latter and Folarin.
She said: ”No one should blame me for what has happened…and If you all must know, I cannot be married to two men in my life…but my husband is not ready to take care of me, he is a shameless man…I will deal with him when we return home.”
Folarin, however, retorted: ”You cannot come back to my house…anything can happen to you if you come back to my house.”
Recalling how the messy affair between the pastor and her wife began, the father of six said he did not believe that the clergyman was having an affair with his wife when neighbours alerted him until his son tipped him off that his wife was having a tryst with the cleric at his house within the church premises.
Folarin said: ”I did not realise that the pastor was sleeping with my wife.
“I am a Muslim while my wife is a Christian. She was having some spiritual attacks and went to the church for deliverance.
“Suddenly, she started frequenting the church, and when I heard that she was having an affair with the pastor, I confronted her but she denied it.
”She would send my children to me for upkeep while at the church and I usually sent money to her, not knowing that she was using my money to prepare meal for her pastor-lover.”
”The pastor knows me very well. He had even given me some spiritual items for use that would attract fortune, but my transport business witnessed a reversal of fortune instead.
”I have been married to Morufat for more than 30 years and our first child is 30 years old. I was giving her about N6,000 every day for upkeep.
“When I got home a few days ago, she rained curses on me. Her action got my 14-year-old son, Saheed, angry, and he opened up that his mother had been flirting with the pastor to the extent that she was cooking for the cleric with the money I have been giving her as daily upkeep.
“My son said his mother had just returned from the church where she took food to the pastor shortly before I returned home on that day.
”The pastor told me to my face that he is the biological father of my last child, a daughter (Alimot).
“I gave my wife the sum of N68,000 when she was pregnant with our last child, but she gave the money to the pastor and relocated to the church for several months under the pretext of seeking spiritual protection.
“Along the line, we had accommodation problem, and that was when I gave her money for a new accommodation. Instead, she spent the money on her lover and later claimed she was sick and that she used the money for treatment.
“I warned her against having any close affair with pastor and asked her to stay in the new apartment.
“Surprisingly, she complained she did not like the fact the apartment is in a one-storey building.
“Last week, my son told me that his mother had been with the pastor’s house for four days. I stormed the place and I was shocked to find them together in a room half naked.
“The pastor tied a towel around his waist while my wife also tied a piece of cloth around her waist while she pushed two of my little children to play outside the room.
“We tried to take my children away from her but she bit off my hand while the pastor claimed that he is the father of my last daughter, who is my sixth child.
“The pastor told all of us at the scene that he is the biological father of my daughter and that I cannot take the girl away from him.
“I later discovered that she had aborted a pregnancy for the same pastor some years ago.
“I cannot take my wife back and because the pastor has vowed to deal with me.
“I don’t want the pastor to kill me. Nigerians should save me from the ruthless pastor.”
Speaking with our reporter, Saheed, Folarin’s son, who allegedly exposed his mother’s illicit affair with the pastor, said his mother threatened to poison him for exposing her affair with the pastor.
”My mother threatened to poison me for exposing her escapades with the pastor of our church to my father.
“She called me an unfortunate child for telling my father that she even cooked for the pastor.
The Nation
The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed has assured Nigerians of freer road environments during this Yuletide, saying FRSC personnel have been motivated by the special presidential attention given to the Corps by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his logistics support for the Corps, according to a statement made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP)
Speaking during the end of year get-together held at the FRSC National Headquarters Abuja on Thursday, to appreciate staff and strategic stakeholders for their sacrifices and commitment to the success of the campaign for safer road environment during the outgoing year, Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed stressed the need for sustained sacrifice and devotion to duties.
According to him, he does not have enough words to adequately express his appreciation to the staff for the sacrifices they have made to keep the nation’s highways safer during the year despite the various challenges that could have hampered the efforts. “I cannot thank the staff enough for their sacrifices during the year, but let me assure everyone that in our commitment to taking FRSC to greater heights, I will personally continue to lead from the front in sacrifice as the servant,” he stated.
The Corps Marshal who assured staff that payment for the second batch of the transfer allowances for those affected would commence next week enjoined staff not to rest on their oars but to remain focused and committed in all their assignments. He promised to continue to evolve programs that could address the health and welfare needs of the staff towards ensuring conducive working and living environments.
Speaking directly to the stakeholders, the Corps Marshal thanked them for always standing by the FRSC, stressing that their actions were clear manifestation of road safety being a shared responsibility. He appealed for sustained collaboration from them, especially as the nation comes to the critical periods of year when Christmas and new year celebrations always lead to increased human and vehicular traffic.
In his message at the event, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services in his office commended the staff of the FRSC for their resourcefulness which he said has been demonstrated in managing road traffic across the country. While congratulating the Corps Marshal for successfully hosting the staff and presenting awards as a mark of appreciation for excellence, he pledged to support the Corps for its logistics and welfare needs in order to enhance the organization’s capacity to deliver on its mandates. The SGF urged the staff to work harder to make movements during the end of the year smoother and safer to avoid the yearly agony associated with the season.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of merit awards to some deserving staff and stakeholders of the Corps for their exceptional contributions to the ideals of the FRSC in making the roads safer. Among the recipients were the National President of Road Safety Officers’ Wives Association (ROSOWA), Dr Nafisa Shehu Mohammed; some Media organizations and transport unions as well as a Marshal from Lekki Unit Command of the FRSC in Lagos State, Sayid Habib who was commended for his endurance in the face of provocation in a recent encounter with a lady passenger n the command.
On hand to entertain the staff and the guests was the newly refurbished and rebranded FRSC band whose members appeared publicly in their new uniform for the first time. And in appreciation of the investment made by the Corps Marshal within the short period of his leadership of the FRSC, the Band rendered a special tune devoted to him as directed by the representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation which left everyone satisfied and in joyful mood, hoping for greater achievement in the coming year.
After 35 years of active service to the country, 656 senior non-commissioned officers (SNCOs) were on Thursday, retired by the military after subjecting them to a six-month demilitarization training.
The retirees were disengaged from service at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, Lagos amid fanfare.
Those retired comprise 535 soldiers of the Nigerian Army (NA), 86 from the Nigerian Navy (NN), 35 from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and two from the Nigerian Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Commending the retirees for their invaluable service to the country, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, said the culmination of their unwavering commitment, relentless hard work, and steadfast discipline throughout their service years led to the graduation.
He said: “No doubt, this six-month training has equipped you with the knowledge and skills to transition effectively into civil life, becoming resourceful managers, entrepreneurs, and contributors to national development.
“The essence of our gathering today brings to mind a local adage: “Soja come, soja go, but barracks remain.”
“While many of us may have joked about this saying during our careers, it holds a profound meaning worthy of reflection. It reminds us that the Nigerian military is more than the individuals who serve within its ranks; it is a resilient institution that safeguards our nation’s existence and endures the test of time.
“As individual service members, transition to new chapters in life; the values, traditions, and impact of their service live on, continually shaping the Armed Forces and the nation as a whole.
“This adage also highlights the significance of the foundation you have built and the legacy you leave behind.
“Although you may no longer wear the military uniform daily, the discipline, courage, and commitment that defined your careers will continue to inspire those who follow in your footsteps, ensuring that the strength of the military remains steadfast.
“As you reintegrate into civilian life, I urge you to carry these values forward, becoming pillars of strength and ambassadors of the military profession in your communities. As ex-servicemen and women, I trust that you will set exemplary standards in your communities, contributing to peace, security, and progress. While the barracks remain, your legacy will resonate far beyond its walls, fostering security, peace, and development in our nation.”
He reminded them that retirement from active service marks the beginning of a new chapter of their lives filled with opportunities and challenges.
“Do not entertain fears about your future, do not be discouraged about leaving the profession, comrades, and the environment in which you have lived for so long.
“With the discipline, training and skills you have received, as well as with God on your side, you will enjoy a bright and prosperous future, filled with long life, good health and a sound mind,” he added.
Earlier in his welcome address, NAFRC Commandant, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Bashir Mamman, said NAFRC has trained over 51,000 personnel and equipped them with relevant self reliant and managerial skills needed for post service life.
Mamman highlighted achievements of the centre under his watch and listed the goals that would be attained next year, noting that the aim was to make NAFRC the best institution for vocational and management training.
