Court sends A’Ibom gov candidate back to prison

Posted by admin Akwa Ibom, Latest Politics, State News Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

The Akwa Ibom State Action Congress of Nigeria governorship candidate, Mr. John Akpanudoedeh, who is standing trial for treason and felony charges, was on Monday returned to police custody by Justice Adamu Bello of a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The accused, who was a two-term senator and a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, was ordered to remain in police custody till March 31 when verdict on his bail application would be decided.

The ACN governorship candidate had assembled four leading legal practitioners to argue his application for bail.They are Chief Kola Awodehin (SAN), Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), Mr. Ricky Tarfa (SAN) and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), who passionately argued and pleaded that the politician and former local overnment chairman be granted bail.

But at the end of their submissions, Justice Adamu Bello adjourned ruling on the bail application of the accused till Thursday.

He explained that the ruling would not be given until March 31 because of pressing judgments, which he had to write and deliver.

Awodehin, who led the SANs, pleaded with Justice Bello to have a change of heart on the premise that the liberty of the accused person was at stake.

The wife of the accused person, Mrs. Julian Akpanudoedeh, and sympathizers wailed uncontrollably in court as policemen took away the governorship candidate.

The ACN chief had been remanded in police custody since Friday when the Federal Government first brought the four-count criminal charge against him in Abuja for allegedly causing mayhem in Akwa Ibom that led to the death of four persons and the burning of over 500 vehicles.

The mayhem was said to have started when supporters of the governorship candidate clashed with those of the state governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio.

During the bloody clash, the convoy of governor Akpabio was said to have been shot at severally by suspected thugs of the accused person.

But while moving the motion for his bail, his legal team insisted that he was not sighted in the mob that caused the mayhem.

Awodehin alleged that the accused was arrested, detained and put on trial in order to destabilise and keep him out of circulation so that Akpabio would gain upper hand in the April 16 governorship election.

He also alleged that there had been a previous attempt to get at the accused when an alleged phantom case of murder was brought against him to whittle down his popularity.

Besides, the accused was said to be suffering from four major diseases: Polyuria, Polydypsia, blurred vision and fast blood sugar of 200112 MMHG, which required urgent and constant medical attention.

But the prosecution vehemently opposed the bail motion on the ground that the conduct of the accused was a threat to the security of the state and the generality of the people.

The prosecution, led by Reuben Ikem, described as baseless insinuations the claim that the accused was arrested for political reasons.

-Punchwp_posts