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Road To 2023: CBN’s Emefiele Retreats, Withdraws Suit Against INEC, AGF

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The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on Monday, discontinued a suit he filed against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) over his presidential ambition.

Mr. Emefiele had, in his suit, sought an order restraining INEC and the AGF from disqualifying him from contesting for the presidential ticket of any political party ahead of the 2023 general elections.

But the judge, Ahmed Mohammed, on May 9, rejected Mr. Emefiele’s application for an interim order against the plaintiffs.

Instead, Mr. Mohammed ordered the defendants – INEC and AGF – to show cause why Mr. Emefiele’s request should not be granted.

At the last proceedings on May 12, the judge joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and two lawyers in the case as interested parties, despite an objection from the attorney-general.

Monday’s proceedings
At the sitting on Monday, the CBN governor’s lawyer, S.T. Maliki, told the judge that a notice of discontinuance had been filed and served on the five defendants in the suit.

“Under the instruction of the plaintiff (Emefiele), we filed a notice of discontinuance dated and filed May 16, 2022,” Mr. Maliki, who held the brief for Mike Ozekhome, Mr. Emefiele’s lead counsel, told the court while withdrawing the suit.

“And the said notice of discontinuance was served on all the defendants on that said date of May 16, 2022, which proof of service is before your lordship,” Mr. Maliki said.

Citing the rules of the Federal High Court, Mr. Maliki urged the court to discontinue the case and make an order striking it out.

However, the lawyer of the 4th defendant, John Aikpokpo-Martins, opposed Mr. Emefiele’s application to withdraw the suit and demanded N1.5 million cost against the CBN governor.

In a ruling, the judge said the CBN governor had the right to file the notice of discontinuance.

Subsequently, Mr. Mohammed struck out the suit.

Emefiele’s Ambition
It was earlier reported that Mr. Emefiele, who filed the main suit on May 5, argued that no law exempts him from contesting the primary election of a political party while holding office as a sitting CBN governor.

“The plaintiff is legally competent to contest the primaries of any political parties while still serving as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, in so far as he gives 30 days’ notice of his resignation, withdrawal from the services of the CBN as its governor by the provisions of section 167 and 318 of the constitution,” the plaintiff’s lawyer said.

The CBN governor has been under pressure to relinquish his office since the information about his presidential ambition leaked to the public earlier this year.

After months of speculation, Mr. Emefiele finally spoke publicly about his ambition after a group purchased the N100 million presidential form of the ruling party, APC, for him.

He said although he had yet to decide to contest the presidential election, should he heed the call to run for the presidency, he would use his “own hard-earned savings from over 35 years of banking leadership to buy my Nomination Forms”.

In his suit confirming his political ambition, Mr. Emefiele sued INEC and the AGF and asked the court to restrain them from compelling him to resign as the CBN governor to run for office in 2023.

His lawyer, Mr. Ozekhome, expressed fears that INEC and the AGF are making “frantic efforts to disqualify” Mr. Emefiele “from participating in the presidential primaries scheduled for June 3, 2022, for not resigning from his office before the parties’ primaries.”

President Muhammadu Buhari later directed his appointees including Mr. Emefiele, seeking to contest for elective office, to resign from their positions.

Following the president’s directive, public condemnation of Mr. Emefiele’s actions, and the court’s refusal to grant his request Mr. Emefiele announced that he was dropping his ambition and would remain in office as CBN governor.

Many Nigerians have, however, called for his sack, saying he had become political and was no longer fit to head Nigeria’s central bank.

Credit: Premium Times

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NDPC Fines MultiChoice N766m For ‘Violating Privacy Of Subscribers’

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The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has imposed a fine of N766.24 million on MultiChoice Nigeria, the parent company of DStv and GOtv, for “violating the privacy of subscribers and their friends”.

In a statement on Sunday signed by Babatunde Bamigboye, head of legal, enforcement and regulations at NDPC, the commission explained that the sanction followed an investigation launched in the second quarter of 2024.

NDPC said MultiChoice was found to have breached the Nigeria Data Protection (NDP) Act after an inquiry into alleged violations of the privacy rights of its subscribers and the illegal cross-border transfer of personal data belonging to Nigerians.

“NDPC found, among others, that Multichoice violated the data privacy rights of subscribers and their friends who are not necessarily subscribers,” the commission stated.

“The Commission also found that Multichoice carries out illegal cross-border transfer of personal data relating to data subjects in Nigeria.

“The depth of data processing by Multichoice is patently intrusive, unfair, unnecessary and disproportionate. This is a grave affront to fundamental right to privacy as enshrined in section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Nigeria is entitled to protect her citizens, and data sovereignty under both international and extant municipal laws – as these have far-reaching implication for rule of law, national security and economic growth.

“In line with its standard remediation procedure, the Commission directed Multichoice to carry out appropriate remedial measures. However, the Commission found the measures undertaken by Multichoice in this regard unsatisfactory.

“For want of cooperation, the Commission has directed Multichoice to pay N766,242,500 for violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act.”

NDPC also stated that Vincent Olatunji, the national commissioner of the agency, has directed that every outlet through which MultiChoice collects Nigerians’ personal data be investigated for possible non-compliance.

Olatunji emphasized that any outlet processing personal data in violation of the NDP Act would be subject to a penalty as stipulated by the Act.

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US Court Jails Nigerian Pastor Over $4.2million COVID-19 Fraud As Monarch Forfeits Properties

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They appeared before Justice Christopher Boyko at the US District Court of Ohio.

A Nigerian pastor, Edward Oluwasanmi, has been sentenced by a United States District Court to 27 months in prison for defrauding the COVID-19 relief fund.

His associate, the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, forfeited his property to the US government while awaiting a court ruling set for August 1.

Oluwasanmi and Oba Oloyede were arrested in early 2024 for fraudulently obtaining $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

They were charged with 13 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminal proceeds.

They were brought before Justice Christopher Boyko at the US District Court of Ohio.

Reports indicated both men pleaded guilty to some of the charges under a plea agreement.

According to court documents, Judge Boyko sentenced Oluwasanmi on Wednesday, July 2, to 27 months on counts one, 11, and 12 of the indictment.

The sentences will run concurrently.

The court also ordered Oluwasanmi to pay a $15,000 fine and report to the U.S. Marshal Service.

The court stated, “Supervised release three years on each of counts 1 and 11-12, all such terms to run concurrently, with standard and special conditions.”

It also declared, “As a result of the foregoing offenses, defendants Joseph Oloyede and Edward Oluwasanmi shall forfeit to the United States: all property, real and personal, which constitutes – or is derived from – proceeds traceable to the commission of the wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy offenses; all property constituting, or derived from, proceeds the defendants obtained, directly or indirectly, as the result of the wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy offenses and any and all property, real and personal involved in the money laundering offenses, and any property traceable to such property.”

Oluwasanmi will forfeit a commercial property located at 422 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio. Meanwhile, the court scheduled Friday, August 1, for the sentencing of Oloyede after the monarch pleaded guilty to counts one and 13 of his indictment.

On Monday, April 21, Oba Oloyede, a US-based accountant and information systems professional crowned Apetu in July 2019, entered his guilty plea before the court.

Oba Oloyede and Oluwasanmi were accused of submitting fake applications for the Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loans under the US Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act between April 2020 and February 2022.

They allegedly used falsified tax and wage documents to obtain funds intended to help struggling businesses during the pandemic.

The Act was meant to offer emergency financial relief to Americans facing the economic consequences of COVID-19 by providing loans to small businesses and nonprofits.

Oba Oloyede was alleged to have used some of his companies, including Available Tax Services Incorporated, Available Financial Corporation, and Available Transportation Company, to commit the fraud.

Following the monarch’s disappearance, the Osun State Government said it would wait for the conclusion of his trial before deciding on any action.

The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said, “A person is innocent until a court convicts them. So, we don’t want to jump the gun; let us wait for the court’s pronouncement on the matter.”

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UK Grants Duty-free Access To 3,000 Nigerian Products Under New Trade Scheme

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The United Kingdom has revealed that more than 3,000 Nigerian products, such as cocoa and cashew, are now eligible to enter the UK market either duty-free or at reduced tariffs. The Country Director for the UK Department for Business and Trade, Mark Smithson, announced this development as part of the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) in a recent video released by the UK in Nigeria.

“Up to 3,000 products from Nigeria qualify for low tariff or no tariff access to the UK through the Developing Countries Scheme, one of the most generous trading schemes in the world,” Smithson stated.

He added that the UK has streamlined the process for Nigerian exporters, making it simpler to trade a wide range of goods, including cocoa and textiles.

Smithson urged Nigerian exporters to take advantage of this opportunity.

“The UK is open and looking to do business with Nigeria. So why don’t you go to the website and find out more about the Developing Countries Trading Scheme and begin to trade with us?”

The DCTS, launched in 2023, replaced the UK’s former Generalised Scheme of Preferences. It aims to lower tariffs and simplify trading regulations for over 60 developing countries, Nigeria included.

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