Court Orders Forfeiture Of $49,700 Recovered From Former INEC REC

A Federal High Court in Abuja issued an order for the temporary forfeiture of $49,700, which was reportedly seized from Dr Nura Ali, the former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Sokoto State, during the 2023 general elections, under the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Emeka Nwite delivered this ruling following an ex-parte motion presented by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, the legal representative of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Naijaonpoint reports that the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) acted as the applicant, while Ali was identified as the sole respondent in the ex-parte motion designated as FHC/ABJ/CS/1846/2024.

The motion, which was dated December 20 and submitted on December 24, was filed collaboratively by the ICPC and the Department of State Service (DSS).

The application was signed by Usman Dauda, the Director of Legal at the DSS, while Akponimisingha, serving as the Assistant Chief Legal Officer at the ICPC, contributed to the drafting of the legal documents.

Meanwhile, the family of the late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to name a new High Court complex in his honour while the project remains incomplete.

In a press release issued on Monday, Babajide Akeredolu, speaking on behalf of the family, described the gesture as “premature and insincere” despite acknowledging that the project was dear to the late governor.

The statement reads, “We acknowledge and commend Governor Aiyedatiwa for performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed judicial complex, a project initiated by Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a passionate advocate for the judiciary, this project was close to his heart.

“However, the current politics surrounding the project are glaring. Naming a project after someone before its completion is both premature and insincere.

“True immortality lies in completing the project and ensuring its functionality. If the governor is genuinely committed to honouring Arakunrin Akeredolu’s legacy, he must demonstrate this through actions, not empty gestures.”

On December 27, 2024, Aiyedatiwa noted that it was his late principal’s desire to “provide a state-of-the-art high court complex to enhance the workload and welfare of our judiciary.

“Naming this project the Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu Judiciary Complex is a fitting way to immortalise his legacy.”

However, the late governor’s widow, Betty, rejected the planned memorial lecture in Akeredolu’s honour, as organised by the state government.

“Which legacy? Lecture, my foot! This is not for Aketi because my family and I are not aware. Damn it! As the saying goes: You and your co-travellers cannot shave Aketi’s head in his absence. You cannot weep more than the bereaved. This is insidious propaganda carried too far! Lucky, you are preoccupied with rubbishing Aketi’s legacy; you can’t succeed, anyway,” she lamented, among other remarks.

To corroborate Betty’s position, the late governor’s family stated the significance of addressing the controversies surrounding Akeredolu’s remembrance, notably the lecture series organised by Aiyedatiwa, which coincided with the family’s event in the Owo.