ACN faults new aviation policy, call for Lagos governor’s probe

[TGD]

• Seeks investigation of charge against security outfit in Oyo

• Ekiti ACN chairman, others arraigned over alleged murder

STRESSING arbitrariness, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described as another hallmark of emerging despotism some of the provisions of the President Goodluck Jonathan led-administration's recently-unveiled aviation policy, especially the one that says owners of private jets can only carry members of their families aboard such planes.

In the same vein, the Lagos State chapter of the ACN has described as ridiculous the demand by the State's People's Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Tunji Shelle that the EFCC should probe the state government for alleged massive corruption.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State chapter of the ACN has urged an investigation into an allegation by the PDP in the state that the state anti-crime outfit, Operation Burst, was being used for witch-hunt of perceived political enemies and bring to book whoever was found guilty of unnecessarily heating up the polity.

In a related development, the Chairman of Ekiti State Chapter of the ACN, Chief Jide Awe and four other members of the party were yesterday arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti over the killing of a PDP member, Ayo Jeje in Erinjiyan, Ekiti on March 30, this year.

The party in a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said ''Aviation is global, yet nowhere in the world has this kind of policy been put in place, and it is simply impracticable.''

''Whoever is still in doubt about the transmogrification of the Jonathan Administration should have a second thought. This policy could only have been designed to satisfy the yearning for absolute power by a democratically-elected

President who will not hesitate to subject his compatriots to tyrannical rule,'' it said.

The party wondered how the President's spokesman, who as usual rushed to the blind defence of his boss over whether or not he is fast becoming an Emperor, will rationalise a policy that is unprecedented and impracticable, and could only have been formulated with some devilish intentions.

''The presidential spokesman describes his boss as 'a democratically elected leader who is running a people-oriented, inclusive and progressive government. ''Words are cheap! We will like to know how the kind of controversial and oppressive aviation policy put in place by the Jonathan administration will expand the scope of human freedoms, when in fact it has stifled such! We will also like to know how such a policy signifies respect for due process and the rule of law, when all it does is to negate the best practices in the global industry,'' the party said.

The party said that from all indications, Lagos PDP was brain dead and writhing under the throes of acute frustration and rustiness, which are all too manifest in the feeling that PDP will use the EFCC to achieve a feat it had never achieved nor will it ever achieve, which is capturing Lagos.

In a statement in Lagos by the Lagos ACN Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, the party said that "when a party notorious for corruption and incompetence makes a life business of forging and marketing lies so as to further its political interests, it can only detain itself to wolf crying and raising the kind of wild hoaxes Lagos PDP has made its primary business since it found out that it has no electoral value in Lagos."

The ACN made this call in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dauda Kolawole, alleging that the PDP had made a "baseless, puerile and illogical" allegation, adding that an end must come to "PDP's long years of tar-brushing its opponents for political advantage."

The ACN said that the investigation was necessary, so as to put an end to what it called a regime of lies and unfounded allegations.

Jeje, a native of Erinjiyan Ekiti in Ekiti West local council, was said to have been shot while holding a meeting with other members of the ACN who were to defect to the PDP the next day.

Awe and the five others are to face trial over four-count charge of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy and disruption of public peace, which are punishable under the law.

The yesterday's proceeding  sparked hot arguments between the prosecuting counsel and the officer in Charge of Legal Department in Ekiti State Police Command, Mr. Femi Falade and the Defence Counsel, Mr. Oso Adetunji over who has the power of prosecution between the police and Attorney General in a matter of this nature.

Adetunji argued that Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution as amended vests the powers to prosecute on the Attorney General, and urged the court to quash the charges until a clear cut instruction comes from the Attorney General.

Citing some cases, which were decided in the past, Adetunji submitted that the Attorney General was not meddling in the case by requesting that the file should be transmitted to his office, but was only performing his constitutional duty.

 

He argued that the Attorney General has unlimited power on any case brought before any court of competent jurisdiction.

But the prosecuting counsel replied that the power to prosecute by the police is contained in Section 23 of the Police Act, saying the idea that the police must seek legal advice from the Attorney General is not statutory or compelling.

He also cited some decided cases to buttress his argument that the police enjoy limitless powers to prosecute any accused person.

In his ruling, Magistrate Richard Adeboye, blamed the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Police for the arguments over who has powers to prosecute any accused person, saying he expected the matter to be settled administratively rather than bringing it to the courtroom for determination.

The magistrate averred that it has become a norm in the administration of criminal justice that the Police would have to send a duplicate file of a case of this nature to the office of Attorney General for legal advice.

He also ruled that Awe and others standing trial should be allowed to enjoy the administrative bail earlier granted them by the Police pending the time the charge sheet would be perfected by the office of the Attorney General the police.

The case was, however, adjourned till May 22, this year for mentioning.

The Guardian