Akwa-Ibom, ACN guber candidate slapped, whisked away by police

Posted by admin Action Congress of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom, Elections 2011, Party Politics, State News Thursday, March 31st, 2011

A Federal High Court yestersday admitted to bail the gubernatorial candidate of he Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Akwa Ibom State, Senator John James Akpan Udoedehe. He has been under police custody since March 25 when he was arraigned by the police on a four-count charge bothering on treason.

Justice Adamu Bello in his ruling on the bail application held that the police have failed to established a nexus linking Akpanudoedehe with the cahrge of treason.
Besides, the court held that the police did not deny the averrements of the applicant which clearly exonerated him from the offence other than embarking on a general denial which in law, amounts to acceptance.

However, the joy of the former minister was shortlived as he was re-arrested and whisked away for undisclosed offence about 2.45 pm while in the process of perfecting his bail conditions.
Before the ugly incident which took place in the hallowed chambers of the court, the ACN gubernatorial candidate was slapped and rough-handledby the police.

Earlier, Justice Bello had granted him bail to the tune of N10million and a surety in the like sum. The surety must be a responsible citizen with a landed property within the jurisdicion of the court. In addition, he was directed to write an undertaking not to breach the peace, of not only the state, but also of the nation failing which his bail would be revoked. But the court said in the event that he failed to meet the bail conditions, he should be remanded in prison.

Justice Bello said by the general denial, the police have admitted that as at the time the accsused person was arrested and charged to court, they did not have any charge against him. Few hours after the ruling, there was an uproar in court as the policemen who had laid seige to the court premises surged into the courtroom to re-arrest the politican and in the process, an overzealous officer slapped him.

Reacting to the development, counsel to the Senator, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) said the public must resist this form of injustice as an injustice against one is injustice against all. “Those who were perpetrating this form of injustice five years ago are the same people facing similar ordeal today.” Meanwhile, the ACN has accused the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Hafiz Ringim of compromising the security of lives and property of the citizenry and called on President Goodluck Jonathan to sack him now.

Addressing a world press conference in Lagos yesterday, the National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande said his party at an emergency meeting chronicled various biased attitudes of the IGP against the opposition parties in the country and passed a vote of no confidence in the IGP. According to Akande, with an IGP like Hafiz Ringim around as the first law enforcement officer duringv the coming election, “the 2007 horrors may turn out to be a child’s play,” asserting that, “we are not comfortable with him and we call for his immediate removal.”

While chronicling Ringim’s perceived sins, Akande alleged that “the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has gone into an holy alliance with the police thus enabling its members to perpetrate violence with impunity without the slightest fear of apprehension and punishment.”

-Sunwp_posts