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Conviction: We will not declare Orji Uzor Kalu's seat vacant until he exhausts all le - Edoman - 12-08-2019
Conviction: We will not declare Orji Uzor Kalu's seat vacant until he exhausts all legal options- Nigerian Senate
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The Nigerian Senate says it will not be declaring vacant the seat of one of its member, Orji Uzor Kalu, despite his conviction by the Federal High Court Lagos.
The Federal High Court in a landmark judgement delivered on Thursday December 5th, sentenced Orji Uzor Kalu to 12 years imprisonment for N7.1 billion fraud perpetrated while he was governor of Abia state.
Following the judgement, there have been calls for the senate to declare Kalu's seat vacant.
However, spokesperson of the Senate, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, said Kalu's seat will not be vacant until he exhasuts all legal options.
Quote:“The Senate has no reason to declare his seat vacant. This is not the first time that such a thing would happen. There is no provision in the constitution that says the seat of any senator facing prosecution or convicted at a lower court should be declared vacant. He still has the opportunity to appeal the case.
“Even the tenure of a former governor Joshua Dariye, who has been in prison for some time now, ran its course until the end of the 8th National Assembly. Nobody declared his seat vacant. The Senate President cannot declare the seat of Kalu vacant. It is against the law.
“Tell those who are canvassing such things that there is nothing like that, it is a non-issue'' he said
He however did not confirm if Kalu will still be receiving his salary as a senator while in prison.
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RE: Conviction: We will not declare Orji Uzor Kalu's seat vacant until he exhausts all le - Edoman - 12-10-2019
Orji Uzor Kalu: Abia groups ask FG, EFCC to return loots to State Govt
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Two socio-political Organizations, Abia Good Governance Initiative and Ndi-Abia United, have insisted that the loots recovered from ex-governor Orji Uzor Kalu be returned back to the state’s coffers.
DAILY POST reported that a Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday found Kalu guilty of 39 counts of N7.2 billion fraud and money laundering.
Kalu was charged alongside Jones Udeogo, the state Commissioner for Finance during his tenure as the governor.
Addressing newsmen on behalf of the groups on Monday in Aba, Emeka Kanu and Chidi Nkume asserted that it would be a gross injustice if the Federal Government diverted the money to the centre, pointing out that that itself would also be another corruption.
They said, “The money belongs to Abians and should be returned to Abia. We want the anti-corruption agency (EFCC) to look deeper into the activities of other past and even present political office holders in the state, as a lot of money belonging to the state was looted by her political rulers.
“They bought houses, estates, factories, cars, shops, malls all over Nigeria and outside. Some are even building Universities in Ghana and other places.”
Meanwhile, a group, a Coalition of Civil Society Organizations of Nigeria, (COSCON),has commended the EFCC and the Judiciary for the jailing of Kalu after twelve years of trial.
Reacting to the 12-year jail term slammed on Senator Kalu, who represents Abia North district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, the Director of Programme of the Coalition, Nelson Ndukwe on Monday, opined that the anti-graft commission, and the judiciary had further proved they were not rubber stamp to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government of Nigeria.
It commended the President for not interfering in the matter despite Orji Kalu being a member of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).
Orji Uzor Kalu: Abia groups ask FG, EFCC to return loots to State Govt