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•Sect ‘ll fizzle out, says minister
•Violence at Solarin Varsity, Nekede Poly
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VOL. 6, NO. 1835 THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011
TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH
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Osun, Ekiti: Oyinlola, Oni lose at NJC Panel T
HE five-man panel of the National Judicial Council (NJC) yesterday cleared Court of Appeal President Isa Ayo Salami of engaging in nocturnal telephone calls with some counsel to influence the court’s decisions in the Ekiti and Osun governorship disputes. It also declined to entertain petitions to review the Court of Appeal verdicts, which gave Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) victory in the 2007 governorship elections.
Call logs declared fake CJN didn’t influence as Salami is cleared Sokoto judgment
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The panel finds that the call logs relied on by the petitioners lack authenticity and therefore have no evidential value. From Yusuf Alli, Abuja
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On the controversial Sokoto Governorship Appeal Petitions, the panel held that there was no leakage of the judgment of the Court of Ap-
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In view of the surrounding circumstances, the Panel finds that the CJN was motivated by an apparent urge to protect the administration of justice and avoid breach of peace.
peal. It, however, absolved Chief Justice of Nigeria Aloysius Katsina-Alu of any attempt to influence the judgment of the appellate court through Jus-
tice Salami. The panel said under the 1999 Constitution, neither the NJC nor the CJN has any power to interfere in any judicial proceedings as Justice
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Katsina-Alu did in the Sokoto Governorship Election Petitions before the Court of Appeal. The positions of the panel were contained in a 151-page
report presented to the NJC yesterday in Abuja. Members of the five-man panel are: Justice Umaru Abdullahi(Chairman); Justice Emmanuel Ayoola; Justice D.O. Edozie; Justice M.E. Akpiroroh; and Mrs. Rakiya Sarki Ibrahim. The fact-finding panel was set up at an emergency meeting of the NJC on March 2, 2011 to look into the petitions against Justice Katsina-Alu and Justice salami. Although the panel was Continued on page 2
PDP rejects Obasanjo’s bid to force Speaker out
F •Obasanjo
ORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo’s bid to get Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and others to step down in 2013 has failed. The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday night overruled Obasanjo. Besides, they decided that Obasanjo’s proposal should not be part of the meeting’s resolution.
Parties say no to one term •ACN: it’s fraudulent From Augustine Ehikioya, Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja and Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin
P
OLITICAL parties and rights groups yesterday dismissed President Goodluck Jonathan’s single-term proposal for president and governors. But some Senators and Representatives endorsed the plan. Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati on Tuesday announced that the President was set to forward a bill to the National Assembly, seeking a single term of office for the President and Governors, beginning from 2015. Although the statement said the President will not benefit from the proposal, if it is
From Yusuf Alli, Abuja
Although they rejected Obasanjo’s proposal, the trustees set up a seven-man panel to look into zoning and party discipline. Some BOT members asked Obasanjo to put the PDP in the Southwest in order before making any demand for a higher stake for the zone. It was gathered that Presi-
dent Goodluck Jonathan, who spoke briefly at the meeting, backed the decision of the majority. Most BOT members were shocked by the address of the ex-President, which they felt could ignite a deeper crisis in PDP, it was learnt. Sources at the meeting said Obasanjo had hardly ended his controversial address when some BOT members began to protest.
“All those who spoke condemned the speech, which they described as unexpected. “They asked Obasanjo to exercise caution in making inflammatory remarks that could affect the rapprochement policy of President Jonathan.” A BOT member from the Northeast was quoted as saying: “The ex-President should not have made such
a statement because the party cannot dictate to the House of Representatives what it should do. “What does Obasanjo want to achieve by setting the South against the North again when the party is already trying to resolve the stalemate?” Another BOT member from the Northwest said: Continued on page 2
•Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Oluseyin Petinrin addressing members of the Joint Task Force. On operation restore Order in Maiduguri … yesterday. PHOTO: NAN
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•POLITICS P17•SPORTS P23 •EDUCATION P25 •E-BUSINESS P43