Oyo state Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi who is also the Oyo South Senatorial District candidate of the All progressives Congress (APC) has declared that no sacrifice should be considered too much for individuals and institutions to pay to protect the sanctity of democracy as an all-inclusive and best form of government.
The governor stated this in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr Bolaji Tunji. It was made available to journalists in Ibadan Sunday.
Governor Ajimobi advised that with the situation at hand, Nigerians should give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)the benefit of the doubt by accepting the reasons adduced for postponing the last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections
The governor while cautioning Nigerians against speculations and spreading of fake news capable of igniting crisis in the country maintained that the present situation in the country called for sober reflection among the players in the election process on how to ensure the sanctity of the electoral process.
Stated, “But, I must also admonish INEC to ensure that the new dates remain sacrosanct so that the confidence still reposed in them by some Nigerians who believed that they have the best of intention will not be eroded.”
Falana to sue Dambazau, others over alleged fraud in contract for expatriate cards
A senior Nigerian lawyer, Femi Falana, says he would file a suit on Monday against the federal government over alleged corruption in the award of a contract for the production of the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Alien Card (CERPAC).
This is also as the Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP) for the Recovery of Public Property (RPP) said it is investigating the matter.
Those Falana want to drag to court are the Ministry of Interior, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Nigeria Immigration Service, he said on Saturday.
Particularly, Falana accused the Minister of Interior, Abdurahman Dambazau, of illegally increasing the CERPAC fee from $1,000 to $2,000, December last year.
He said the company handling the contract, Continental Transfert Technique Limited (Contec), would also be joined in the suit.
“We’re going to court on Monday,” he said weeks after he had vowed in a petition to initiate court proceedings if the allegations of fraud and abuses he raised were not investigated.
Late January, Mr Falana in a petition asked the Minister for Finance, Zainab Ahmed, to probe the contract between the Ministry of Interior and Contec after the CERPAC was hiked 100 per cent to $2,000 in December.
PREMIUM TIMES understands that the service provider for the production of CERPAC, Contec, wrote the interior ministry on December 11, 2018, seeking a review of the fee charged for the cards from $1,000 to $2,000.
Two days after, December 13, the ministry replied through the permanent secretary, Mohammed Bello. In the letter obtained by Premium Times, Mr Bello conveyed the approval of the minister, Mr Dambazau, to the company.
