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VOL. 7, NO. 1926 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011
TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH
N150.00
Tinubu to tribunal: you can’t try me •Panel ‘lacks jurisdiction’ From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja
F
ORMER Lagos Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday said the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) lacks the jurisdiction to try him for allegedly operating foreign accounts while in office. Besides, his lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), said he was not invited for questioning by the Code of Conduct of Bureau (CCB) as was in the case of other former governors who have been excluded from trial. CCB Chairman Sam Saba had on September 27 told reporters in Abuja that some of the former governors earlier accused of breaching the oath of public office had made some refunds; hence their exclusion from trial. “Tinubu has not been singled out for trial; it is an ongoing process. You will also note that some of those governors at that time made some refund to the federal government. Somebody like Saminu Turaki made refunds to the federal government and so it is an ongoing exercise,” he said. Saba did not name the others and how much they refunded. The Tribunal Chairman, Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar, lambasted the prosecution Continued on page 2
•Asiwaju Tinubu acknowledging greetings at the Tribunal ... yesterday. With him are Governor Fashola (SAN) and Ngige (SAN) left See also pages 4&5. PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE
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It is amorphous, nebulous ... When was the account opened? When was it operated? Looking at the charge, they mentioned some names; we don’t know them. Criminal trial is not a hide-and-seek game; there cannot be trial by ambush.
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Jurisdiction is an administrative matter ... it is premature to say we have not disclosed the nexus of the names on the charge. The CCB has the discretion on whether to charge an accused to Tribunal after making a written admission.
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Labour rejects govt’s stand on subsidy Minister’s ‘lamentation is rationalisation of criminality’
L
•Omar
ABOUR yesterday rejected the government’s argument over the planned removal of fuel subsidy. The NLC reinstated its opposition to the plan, which the government says will bring in more cash for better services. But its opponent insist it is a move to further impoverish Nigerians. President Goodluck Jonathan and Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke are justifying the proposal. Mrs Alison-Madueke said in Perth,
By Joseph Jibueze, Staff Reporter
Australia on Tuesday that the date for the commencement of the subsidy withdrawal had not been fixed. She said the government would stay action on it, until consultations with Nigerians are concluded. Besides, the government will raise a panel of eminent Nigerians to manage the cash that will be saved from the withdrawal of subsidy. This, according to the minister, will encourage transparency and efficiency. Besides, it will, she said, ensure that the cash is spent to better
the people’s lot. But the NLC, in a statement yesterday by its President Abdulwaheed Omar, rejected the government’s argument. Labour accused the minister of not speaking the truth. “These are untrue statements calculated to mislead the international community and to lure Nigerians away from the on-going mobilisation against this anti-people policy,” the workers said. The NLC recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan, in his letter to the National Assembly on the Me-
dium Term Expenditure Framework of his administration stated categorically that the fuel subsidy would be removed as from and that the take off date is January 2012. The NLC added that the President, on his way to the Commonwealth Summit, to which the Petroleum Minister accompanied him, reportedly said fuel subsidy must be removed because the alternative is the collapse of the economy. Labour said the workers’ body will Continued on page 2
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