Politicians support Wike on ADR

Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

Some politicians on Thursday said that using Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to settle political conflicts, as suggested by Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers, will save money and time.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday that litigation would be expensive and time-consuming.

Wike had last week said that ADR would allow more time for governance, reduce bickering and cost and time spent in tribunal, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

He made the suggestion when the executive members of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators paid him a courtesy call in Port Harcourt last week.

Chief Martin Onovo, the 2015 Presidential Candidate of National Conscience Party, said that ADR would be useful in resolving all political conflicts.

“Alternative Dispute Resolution is good for all cases; electoral matters can be resolved through it, instead of legal technicality that can lead to miscarriage of justice.

“I will suggest that it be appropriately established for election disputes; it is a standard practice in Lagos State judiciary,’’ Onovo said.

Prof. Lai Olorode, a former National Commissioner of INEC, also told NAN that ADR was a good way of settling political disputes.

He noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under the leadership of Prof. Attahiru Jega, established an ADR desk which later became a full department.

“Alternative dispute resolution is in tandem with our culture; it is cheap and saves time. It is also convenient.

“The challenge is the political class which covets court drama,’’ Olorode said.

Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, the 2003 Presidential Candidate of African Renaissance Party, said that the governor’s suggestion was welcome.

“However, we should ask ourselves as Nigerians why we have so much electoral disputes.

“Is it as a result of any genuine and patriotic competition to serve our motherland, or is it as a result of competition to position ourselves to loot our resources?

“What we should be talking about is how to ensure that no matter who is elected into any position, opportunities to loot our resources are totally eliminated or at least radically reduced,” Ndu said.

Comments

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...

Man docked for defiling 9-year-old girl

magistrate-court A 33-year-old man, Godwin Otobo, was on Monday docked at a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.For allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, ‎Otobo, who lives at No. 10, Borrow Pit St., Sangotedo-Ajah area of Lagos, was said to have defiled the underage girl whose parents also reside in the same compound. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 9.00 p.m. sometimes in September. “The accused defiled the girl in the night when she was fetching water.‎ “The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,’’ Osayande told the court. The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of defilement. Ruling on a bail application filed by the accused, Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. She said one of the sureties must be a property owner in Lagos State, while the other must be a civil servant on grade...

Global Naija Info

Search This Blog