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Tag: #Mba Ukwueni

  • Ayade’s Case Against Sen Jarigbe Dead On Arrival – Mba Ukweni, SAN

    Ayade’s Case Against Sen Jarigbe Dead On Arrival – Mba Ukweni, SAN

     

    The lead counsel to Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe in the Senatorial elections petition tribunal ,Mba Ukweni, SAN has stated that the case instituted against the election of Senator Jarigbe by the former governor of the state, Ben Ayade requires no opposition to fail.

    While presenting his final address to the tribunal, headed by Justice M. A Sambo, Mba Ukweni, SAN during his adumberation, told the tribunal that the grounds of the petition and the relief sought is dead on arrival.

    He argued that Ben Ayade cannot be said to have won the elections and at the same time is seeking for its nullification.

    Ukweni maintained that seeking to be returned winner of the election and at the same time saying the election is null and void is an inconsistency that is bizarre and strange.

    The Senior Advocate told the tribunal that the petitioners called 34 witnesses and complained of results in 420 poling units and even if the respondent calls no witness, the case of the petitioners fails on its own.

    According to Ukweni the evidence by the witnesses contradicts their written statement on oath and therefore cannot stand.

    He held that “The written statements on oath of the witnesses contained complaints of corrupt practices, violence, vote buying, inducement of voters and that these are serious criminal allegations but with no backing of a single report from any security agency before the court.”

    In his presentation, counsel to INEC, Habib Lawal told the tribunal to dismiss the petition in its entirety.

    He held that before an election is invalidated, it must be on the basis of substantial non compliance.

    He said in this case there is evidence that there are 874 polling units in Cross River North Senatorial District and the petitioners disputes results in 367 of them and called only 36 polling units agents which is of terrible insignificance.

    He told the tribunal that the commission did not withhold the BVAS machine and never in the pleadings of the petitioners did they list the BVAS machine as one of the evidence to be relied upon.

    On his part, counsel to the PDP Ruben Egwuaba told the court that all the witnesses called by the petitioners pleaded the presidential election results and not the Senatorial elections result and this makes their case Sui Generis.

    While he equally held that a party cannot plead a document and then during trial bring another document, he urged the court to dismiss the petition on all grounds the petition was predicated with substantial costs.

    Counsel to the petitioners, Professor Mike Ozekhome, SAN, on his part, prayed the tribunal to uphold their petition and tongue lashed INEC for committing serial acts of illegalities and seeking to take benefit and advantage from it.

    He pointed out that the same INEC that gave them form EC8A is the same party arguing it should have been EC81 and that they used presidential instead of Senatorial form.

    He said the commission should be tongue lashed and whipped with judicial koboko as they are the ones who provided form EC8A.

    The tribunal after listening to the final arguments adjourned the case for judgment and said the date will be communicated to the parties.

  • Sen. Gershom Bassey Facilitates The Training And Empowerment Of Constituents On Installation And Maintenance Of Street Lights & Inverters

    Sen. Gershom Bassey Facilitates The Training And Empowerment Of Constituents On Installation And Maintenance Of Street Lights & Inverters

    By Admin

    Over 200 youths and women across the seven Local Governments that makes up Cross River Southern Senatorial District were trained and certified on Street Lights and Inverters installation and maintenance. The trainees after a 5-Day intensive training were empowered with tool boxes and financial grants of one hundred thousand naira (#100,000) each as part of a human capacity development program courtesy of Sen. Gershom Bassey.

    The Senator was represented by Barr. Mba Ukweni SAN and Barr. Ekpo Ada while presenting the toolboxes and financial grants to the trainees promised that more human capacity development programmes will be unveiled.

    Barr Mba Ukweni stated that Senator Gershom Bassey is poised to changing the old order where the youth will cluster at the gates of politicians begging for money, he said it is better to empower the youths with relevant skills that will make them independent. He also added that this informed the Senator’s decision to train constituents on installation and maintenance of solar streetlights and inverters and other empowerments which would help create jobs for the teeming youths and make them self reliant.

    Also speaking, Barr Ekpo Ada said, Senator Bassey’s perception of government and representation is to create centers to develop people to be self reliant and become professionals on their own. He believed this training will make our youth and women become self employed and some gainfully employed by the government.

    Mr Ogban Samuel, a beneficiary from Biase Local Government Area thanked the Senator for training them in 21st century skills and empowering them at this hard time to in turn build others. He maintained that he will never forget this kind gesture and acknowledged that it is real representation.

    Mr Ekikere Ekanem, ward 11 chairman from Calabar south said the Senator has changed the narratives and enjoined other representatives to emulate him.

    Mr. Ita Francis from Odukpani Local Government said if all the representatives can do this yearly, unemployment will be reduced and he prayed for more Grace for the Senator. Other Beneficiaries also expressed their gratitude to the Senator and promised to make judicious use of the training in fending for themselves and their families.

  • Controversy Trails The Appointment Of A substantive Chief Judge In Cross River As NJC Turns Down The Extension Of Justice Eyo Ita

    Controversy Trails The Appointment Of A substantive Chief Judge In Cross River As NJC Turns Down The Extension Of Justice Eyo Ita

    Chiemeka ADINDU, Calabar

    Culled From TNN Online

    There seems to be uncertainty in the Cross River State Judiciary after the National Judicial Council, NJC turned down the request of the state governor demanding for the extension of Justice Eyo Ita as the acting chief judge of the state.

    A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mba Ukweni disclosed this during an interview with him in Calabar. He said the governor has kept the state’s judiciary in a shameful state following his continuous refusal to confirm Justice Akon Ikpeme who is the most senior judge in the state as the chief judge.

    He therefore appealed to the governor to do the needful by approving the recommendation of the NJC and confirm Akon Ikpeme as the substantive chief judge of the state.

    He said: “reliably, the National Judicial Council has turned down the request of the governor for the extension of Eyo Ita; which means by 12 midnight today, the tenure of Justice Eyo Ita will come to and end. The only option as I’ve said, open to the governor, and the most honourable option is for him to go back to the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, retransmit his request for the house to confirm Justice Akon Ikpeme as the chief judge and swear her in before we turn into another crisis.

    “The junior lawyers may not be restrained from going to the streets any longer because it has become a cycle of shame, cycle of foolishness. You know this is a foolish act and you continue doing the same thing. If he can’t do that, the option open to him, is the cycle of foolishness I am talking about, is to appoint Honourable Justice S. M. Anjor as the fourth person in acting capacity who will stay for another 3 months.

    “That is the major problem. The other one is the punishment the National Judicial Council has been meting on us. This is the third time judges are been appointed across the states of the federation and we don’t have one because of the attitude of the governor. The implication is that our number will continue depleting in the judiciary and we are not having our share with regards to the judiciary.

    ”His major agenda is to appoint his in-law, Maurice Eneji who will do his biddings, as the chief judge. He wants to appoint a crony so as to take over that office as he has taken charge of other arms of the government. That is the domineering pattern he wants to take”, the senior lawyer frowned.

    Ukweni also noted that unusual things are beginning to happen in the state, bemoaning the recent withdrawal of magistrates in the state from sitting in court because of the governor’s inability to pay them for over one year.

    He also said the governor owe residents of the state an apology for his inability to fulfill his campaign promises which has made him to go back to repairing potholes which he earlier said he was not a governor of potholes.