Sagay attacks Salami panel, faults suspects’ testimonies against Magu [Punch]
The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itsay Sagay (SAN), on Monday, criticised the Justice Ayo Salami panel probing the allegations of corruption leveled against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and its suspended acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, for taking testimonies of suspects being investigated by the anti-graft agency.
Sagay, in a statement titled, ‘Press release by Prof. Itsay Sagay, Chairman of PACAC,’ also noted that Salami appeared to be the only neutral person on the panel which he stated was constituted by representatives of agencies that had leveled allegations against Magu.
Sagay who was denying a media report in which he was said to have been quoted as saying that Magu would not be prosecuted, however, expressed confidence that Salami would not allow injustice to occur in the panel.
He stated, “What I said was that Magu could not be prosecuted before the Salami Report is out and that Malami’s allegations are just what they are, allegations in a petition.
“No one is prosecuted on unverified allegations as the PDP wanted, otherwise it would be a lost cause from the very beginning. In my statement, I made it clear that Malami’s petition was just the beginning of a process that could lead to prosecution if solid evidence is established upon investigation.
“I did not say Magu may not be prosecuted. I am not privy to the politics of the Presidency. That was from the Daily Independent’s unnamed source in the Presidency.”
Principal who failed to receive Fayemi during visit suspended [Punch]
Students in Senior Secondary Schools Three in Ekiti State resumed on Monday preparatory to the commencement of West African Senior School Certificate Examinations.
This was as the state government on Monday announced the suspension of a school principal who was not available in the school on Sunday when the governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, visited some schools in the state on the level of compliance with the COVID-19 protocols.
The Commissioner for Education, Foluso Daramola, who announced the suspension of the Principal of Methodist Girls High School, Ifaki Ekiti, directed her to “hand over the management of the school to the most senior vice principal in the school pending the conclusion of appropriate disciplinary action by the Teaching Service Commission.”
A public service announcement signed by the Assistant Director (Information), Kunle Adeniyi, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, stated, “At Methodist Girls High School, Ifaki Ekiti, the principal was not available to receive the governor and his entourage and making the monitoring exercise impossible in the school in spite of the notice from the Ministry of Education.”
The statement quoted Fayemi as saying that schools must ensure that the sitting arrangement of students was done to conform with COVID-19 protocol for physical distancing and to allow teachers’ unhindered movement around the classrooms.
COVID-19 guidelines violation: PTF blames govs for crowds at Edo rallies, Kashamu’s burial [Punch]
- 85 LGs in 20 states yet to conduct coronavirus test, says task force
- Go into isolation, Ogun tells mourners at late businessman’s burial
- 200 COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in Lagos – Commissioner
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has blamed governors, traditional and religious leaders for allowing crowds to gather and break safety protocols during electioneering in Edo State and burial of Senator Buruji Kashamu in Ogun State.
The PTF, at its national press briefing on Monday, said it was dismayed by the development.
Kashamu, who died on Saturday at the First Cardiology Consultants Hospital, Lagos, from COVID-19 complications, was buried in his Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, home on Sunday, with a large crowd in attendance in deviance to safety protocols.
Both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party have also held campaign rallies in Edo State ahead of the September 19 governorship election.
The National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, was asked about the large crowds at the campaigns and at the burial, where social distancing rule was broken and many people failed to wear face masks.
Responding, Aliyu said, “I must say that we are dismayed with the level of compliance, when it comes to some of these activities.
“The issue is; we know that COVID-19 does not act like a proper pandemic. If you have a proper pandemic like Ebola, as I have always said, you will have dead bodies on the streets, people bleeding to death; that sharp factor is there and we do not need to do anything further to convince people to protect themselves and to do the right thing.
“We are faced with a pandemic that is an invisible enemy; we are faced with a pandemic where the majority of us would probably not have come across somebody with COVID-19.”
Aliyu said leaders in the respective states failed to ensure compliance with protocols at the events, urging them to ensure more enforcement of safety guidelines.
Aliyu also stated, “When it comes to wearing of (face) mask for instance; when you wear a mask, it is actually an act of kindness and caring. What you are saying is that you care about the people that you will meet; you don’t want to infect them with COVID-19.
“The same thing applies when it comes to social distancing. It is much easier to be proactive. It is much easier for civil authorities, leaders and governors to make sure that those situations that pose a risk of mass gathering are avoided.”
He said Nigeria was lucky that it had not recorded the high number of deaths that other countries had recorded.
Aliyu stated, “Nevertheless, a lot of people have died – close to a thousand Nigerians have died – that would have still been with us today if not for COVID-19.
“We certainly have to continue to engage Nigerians, enlighten them and encourage them to take those simple steps that are necessary to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
The National Coordinator said the PTF would continue to urge the states to step up their enforcement of safety protocols and guidelines, especially those who had established mobile courts to try offenders.
Responding to a question on a World Bank credit facility to Nigeria in the fight against the pandemic, Aliyu said the $114m approved by the global bank was a credit facility to the Federal Government but would serve as a grant to the states.
85 LGs in 20 states yet to conduct COVID-19 test
The Chairman of the PTF, Boss Mustapha, disclosed that 85 local government areas in the country had so far not conducted any COVID-19 test.
As a result of this, he said the affected local government areas in the 20 states had not reported any case of the virus.
He added that five states still account for 60 per cent of confirmed cases while 50 per cent of all cases were in 20 per cent local governments.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, on his part regretted that Nigeria had lost 945 persons to the COVID-19 infection.
He said, “The figures show that Nigeria is also sadly approaching the symbolic 1,000 number of fatalities, a grim reality that should be a wake-up call for us.
“Many more Nigerians today personally knew a person who succumbed to COVID-19, and so I ask that we remind ourselves today that COVID-19 is still with us and will be for a long time.
“Until there is a vaccine, the only options we have to protect ourselves, are still the non-pharmaceutical measures that are proved to be cheap and effective, such as the appropriate use of face masks, physical distancing and avoiding crowds. If we do not adhere, there could be regrets. “
FG, NHIS mull new health insurance package
He added that Federal Government had started working with the National Health Insurance Scheme to create a new package of health benefits for Nigerians.
According to Ehanire, the package of health benefits, which would be more robust than before, would take care of a lot of basic illnesses that had to be covered by out of pockets.
Speaking on the delay in paying hazard allowance of health personnel frontline workers involved in the Coronavirus pandemic, he said it was due to human error.
On his part, Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said he was impressed with the conduct of school managements and students following the reopening of schools nationwide.
Go into self-isolation, Ogun tells Kashamu’s mourners
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Government on Monday, advised mourners at the burial of Kashamu to go into self-isolation to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
The Special Adviser to the state Governor on Public Communications, Remmy Hazzan, said this in an interview with The PUNCH.
Hazzan said the government would step up the surveillance team around Ijebu-Igbo and neighbouring communities to ensure anybody with COVID-19 symptoms would be immediately tested.
Hazzan confessed that the government never envisaged such a surging crowd at the burial of the former senator.
Hazzan said, “The state ministry of health will be making a statement which will be like a protocol for everyone who attended the burial and I am sure it is going to be more like advice for them to self-isolate.”
Lagos recorded 200 COVID-19 deaths, 1,400 shunned admission – Commissioner
In a related development, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi, on Monday said the state had recorded 200 COVID-19 related deaths as of August 8.
Abayomi, via his Twitter handle, @ProfAkinAbayomi, on Monday said 2,269 COVID-19 patients had been discharged from various isolation centres in the state following their full recovery from the virus.
He tweeted, “The total number of COVID-19 tests conducted so far in Lagos now stands at 68,929; 2,269 of the confirmed cases have since been discharged from COVID-19 care centres following full recovery. The total number of COVID-19 related deaths now stands at 200 as of August 8.
“11,860 of the confirmed cases monitored in communities by the COVID-19 Lagos response team have either fully recovered or positively responding to treatments; 68 of the cases are currently under isolation in public and private care centres.
“1,400 active cases in communities have yet to turn up for admission in COVID-19 Lagos care centres.”
Appeal Court Verdict: INEC, 22 Parties Wrangle Over Edo, Ondo Polls [Leadership]
The verdict of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which nullified deregistration of 22 political parties has pitched the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the hitherto deregistered parties who are insisting on fielding candidates in the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
Following their victory at the appellate court yesterday, the parties declared that they have started preparations to participate in the forthcoming polls.
But INEC, in its response, ruled out the inclusion of new parties in the elections, maintaining that it had concluded pre-election matters in both states.
In the judgement delivered by a four-man panel led by Justice Sodipe Lokulo, the court held that INEC’s deregistration of the parties was illegal having failed to follow due process.
The court therefore ordered INEC to reenlist the political parties in the list of parties in the country.
It also held that INEC’s action wasn’t in compliance with Section 225(A) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as the electoral body did not indicate reasons for deregistering the political parties.
INEC had said that the deregistered parties breached their requirements for registration because they failed to win at least 25 per cent of votes cast in one state of the federation during the presidential election.
While making reference to Section 40 of the constitution, the appellate court held that citizens are entitled to freedom of association and as such the right conferred on a party cannot be taken away except by due process.
The court further held that the parties are challenging the process of their deregistration and not the act.
The reenlisted parties are Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP), All Blending Party (ABP), All Grand Alliance Party (AGAP), Alliance of Social Democrats (ASD), Change Advocacy Party (CAP), Democratic People’s Congress (DPC), Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), Masses Movement of Nigeria (MMN) and Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN).
Others are New Generation Party of Nigeria (NGPA), Nigeria For Democracy (NFD), Peoples Coalition Party (PCP), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), People for Democratic Change (PDC), Young Democratic Party (YDP), Re-Build Nigeria Party (RBNP), Save Nigeria Congress (SNC), Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), United Democratic Party (UDP), United Patriots (UP) and We The People of Nigeria (WTPN).
The parties were among 74 political parties that INEC deregistered on February 6, 2020.
We’re Set For Gov’ship Polls, ACD, MPN, YDP, Others Declare
Reacting to the judgement chairman, Contact and Mobilisation and member, Steering Committee of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Rev Olusegun Peters, declared that the affected political parties will participate in the forthcoming governorship elections.
According to a statement signed by Peters in Abuja, the coalition said that it was obvious that INEC erred by hastily deregistering political parties in flagrant violation of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act as amended.
It noted that Nigeria is a nation governed by the rule of law, not rule of might that breeds dictatorship and autocracy.
The statement reads in part: “With this judgement of the Court of Appeal, affected political parties look forward to participating in the forthcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
“The judgement is sweet music in the ears of all lovers of democracy in Nigeria. Nigerians demand widening of the political horizon not stifling it which results to do-or-die politics as being witnessed in Edo State governorship poll.
“CUPP will continue to champion good governance, social justice and restoration of genuine democracy in Nigeria. It is a task that must be done in the interest of the nation. We are all in it together.”
CUPP said the judgement of the appellate court has reinforced Nigerians’ confidence in the judiciary, rule of law and due process, adding that the verdict has proved that the judiciary is indeed the last hope of all aggrieved people in the quest for a strong, virile, progressive and egalitarian democratic nation.
No Political Party Will Be Added In Our List – Commission
But responding to the declaration of the parties, INEC declared that no political party will be added to the list of accredited political parties slated for the Edo governorship elections.
Speaking exclusively with LEADERSHIP in Abuja, the chief press secretary to INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, noted that so far there are seven court judgements on the issue, stressing that six of the judgements so far agreed with INEC’s decision on the matter.
Oyekanmi said that the commission was yet to receive the enrolled court orders and do not know what is contained in the judgement.
He stressed that when the court judgement gets to the commission they will meet and take a decision on the next line of action.
He said, “With regard to the Edo governorship election, you will recall that in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities issued for the election, the last day for the submission of Nomination Forms by political parties was 20 July, 2020, therefore, no political party can be added to that list at this point.
“We are yet to receive the enrolled court orders and we do not know what is contained in the judgement.
“However, there have been seven court judgements on this deregistration matter, six of which agreed with INEC’s decision. Some issues relating to the matter are also pending before the Supreme
Court”.
Insurgents Recruiting More Members, North East Govs Tell PMB [Leadership]
State governors from the North East geopolitical zone of the country yesterday appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to address the causes of the deteriorating security situation in the zone without further delay, lamenting that the rate at which more members were being recruited into terror groups in the region calls for concern.
At a security meeting with the president and security chiefs at the presidential villa, the governors recommended that more sophisticated equipment should be provided for the Nigeria Police Force in order to cover the manpower deficit in the nation’s military.
Borno State governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, disclosed these to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.
The meeting was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Service Chiefs, Inspector-general of Police, Mohammed Adamu, and the heads of intelligence agencies.
President Buhari gave strong assurances to the governors that security would be restored to Borno State, the Northeast and the nation at large following the recent adoption of new strategies, and the acquisition of modern military equipment.
He said, “Things will improve very soon. We are acquiring modern equipment; some are here, some are being cleared, and others still coming. We need patience with the acquisition of equipment. You need to train the trainers for their usage ahead of their deployment to the field.
“I have listened to your presentation,” he told the governors, who spoke through their chairman and governor of Borno State, Prof.
Babagana Zulum, adding, “I assure you, the Northeast governors, especially that of Borno, that we go to bed and wake up thinking about you, how to secure our country, that is the responsibility of every government. Our party campaigned in 2015 on three major objectives, among which is Security. We said the same thing in 2019 and Nigerians believed us. We are doing our best and we will continue to do even better.”
A statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, noted that the president lamented the impact on the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, making scarce resources even scarcer, coupled with its severe impact on the supply chain of military equipment and spare parts.
“Our government is doing its best on the question of equipment and the military know. We have equipment coming from some countries. The acquisition of military wares and spares is not easy, especially if you are not the manufacturer,” Buhari emphasised.
The secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; the chief of staff to the president, Prof Ibrahim Gambari and all the Service Chiefs as well as the National Security Adviser who spoke in support of the president assured that things would get better soon.
They made a strong case for strengthening ties among the military, state governments, traditional institutions, and all communities and the residents of the region.
President Buhari also said the federal government would have used the military to win Adamawa and Bauchi State during 2019 general elections but did not.
He noted: “It is true that we lost some states as a ruling party in a developing country, which is normal. I am proud of that because we are impartial, that is why as the ruling party, we lost some states. That means we have our own mistakes.
“Some of those that defeated us are sitting here. We know we are a developing country but we respect our country; otherwise, with the use
of Army, the police, and the rest of them, we could have overrun you. We just wanted to show that we are humane and we are Nigerians. We will continue to do our best”.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai gave an assessment of the current efforts, stressing that Boko Haram terrorists have been flushed out of all the states in the region, leaving Borno State as the last stop.
He said, “There are no Boko Haram terrorists in neighbouring states. They have been pushed out, and now cornered in Borno State. We are coordinating with civil and traditional authorities, mobilising and reinforcing and all we need is patience. We will not relent.”
For his part, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, briefed the meeting on the acquisition of military aircraft, stressing that the imminent arrival of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), known as drones with more than 10 hours of flying time, would strongly reinforce the battlefront.
Briefs were also received on equipment needs of the Police as well as the changing alliances between criminal gangs and terrorist groups in the region from the intelligence community.
In their addresses at the beginning of the meeting, the Northeast governors noted that the security situation in the region had greatly improved, compared to the time the president assumed office.
While commending President Buhari for the establishment of the Northeast Development Commission and the take-off of Mambila Dam Power Project, they called for attention to the condition of roads in the region.
They also warned of the consequences of a “War Economy” and the need to address the root causes of the insurgency.
The governors said “a large population in the region, especially in Borno State, has no access to their homes and farmlands” even as they called for efforts to curtail the “increasing trust deficit between the population and the armed forces.”
Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, Governor Zulum said his colleagues commended the president on efforts in securing the region.
He said, “The government of the region has commended the efforts of the federal government in securing the region. However, we told the president that there is need for the federal government to address the causes of insurgency, which are not limited to the endemic poverty, hunger among others.
“One of the root causes is that of access to farmlands. People need to go back to their farmlands, people need to be resettled in their original homes so that they can restart their means of livelihood.
“This is one of the reasons the insurgents are recruiting more into the sect and therefore creating an enabling environment will enable the
people to go about their normal duties will no doubt reduce the cases of insurgency.
“We also recommended that Police should be empowered, to be provided with certain state of the art equipment, armoured personnel carrier and so on, with a view to bridging the manpower gap that we are having in the Nigerian military”.
COVID -19: 5 States Account For 60% Confirmed Cases – PTF [Leadership]
The presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 yesterday revealed that only five states out of 36 states of the federation account for 60 per cent of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country.
The chairman of the taskforce and secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Mustapha, explained that “689 out of 774 local government areas have so far reported a case, 85 in 20 states still remain with no testing done and no case reported, while 50 per cent of all cases are in 20 per cent of the local government areas.
He further noted that Nigeria, with 46,577 confirmed cases and 945 cumulative deaths remains the third and fourth highest in these parameters respectively.
The SGF stated: “As we emphasized at the last briefing, Nigeria is yet to reach the peak of the pandemic. Therefore, the low test/ case confirmation numbers coming out daily should not be misinterpreted to mean that we have overcome.
“We have over time ramped up testing but more needs to be done to raise the quantum of test per million.”
On the new phase of the eased lockdown, the PTF chairman said, “As we progress in this new phase of the eased lockdown, continual monitoring of global and national science and data remains the basis for strengthening our efforts to contain the virus.
“Key sectors that the PTF will be watching in addition to general level of compliance are the education and transportation sectors. Schools are gradually reopening with the commencement of preparations for critical examinations. Guidelines have already been issued by the Federal Ministry of Education to all stakeholders”.
He noted that many survivors are telling their stories and sharing them in the social media.
Varsities, polytechnics, others to begin post-UTME test Sept 7 [Sun]
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), yesterday, announced that post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (post-UTME) screening for the 2020 admission processes will begin not earlier than September 7 in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The decision was part of the outcome of a virtual meeting between JAMB, institutions and other stakeholders, following the recent decision of the Federal Government to reopen schools to enable students (exiting students) to participate in 2020 Senior School Certificate Examinations.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, in a statement released in Abuja, explained that shift in the date of the admission process from the earlier announced 21 August, was to accommodate candidates who would be taking part in this year’s school-based SSCE.
He said: “Presently as you are aware, WAEC starts the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination on 17 August. It will go on till 7th of September. On the 21st of September or thereabout, NABTEB will commence its own examination that will run till 15th October, and immediately after that, NECO starts on the 5th and run till 18 of November.
“Rather than making candidates run, particularly, when they will have to write their school certificate examination in different towns and rush to university elsewhere for post-UTME, like somebody rushing from Sokoto to Ibadan for post-UTME, we believe as custodian of the highest sector of the education system, we should avoid that.”
The JAMB boss asked institutions whose post-UTME screening is mandatory for candidates to spread such exercise in two phases.
Malami writes Buhari, denies allegations of corruption [Sun]
- Says I was wealthy before becoming minister
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has written to President Muhammadu Buhari, debunking allegations of corruption.
Malami in the letter listed all his sources of income, which he declared in the assets declaration form filed with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in 2015 when he was appointed minister and reappointed last July.
He said he was already wealthy before being appointed minister, having engaged in enterprises such as hotels, farms, food production and processing, restaurants and legal services.
The letter followed allegations of corruption by a group, an action Malami described as campaign of calumny by his detractors to tarnish his hard-earned reputation.
The letter read: “I have taken a personal decision to seek remedy from the court as a result of the series of derogatory contents so published against me. In the same vein, I have written the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter. I nonetheless, felt it is imperative to write Your Excellency on the subject above. This is because the crux of their campaign is to falsely portray me as a corrupt officer who used public office to acquire wealth and build an empire.
“On the contrary Your Excellency, since my appointment as minister in your cabinet, I have conducted myself strictly within the confines of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers contained in Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended.
“It is to be noted that apart from my successful legal practice of more than 20 years, seven of which were as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) before my appointment, I have as allowed by law had intrests in business ventures, all of which I had resigned from active participation upon my appointment.
“Among other things, I owned lucrative business ventures of Rayhaan Hotels and Rayhaan Food & Drinks, both in Kano, since December 13, 2013, years before the 2015 election that saw to the victory of President Muhamadu Buhari and long before I was appointed minister in the first term. That informs why those items were included among 27 property listed in the Code of Conduct Bureau form filled by Malami when he was first appointed a minister.
“Apart from the above as income from the government, Your Excellency is invited to also note that while the Code of Conduct for Public Officers prohibits my active participation in the running of my already established ventures, it does not preclude me from gaining the fruit of my establishments. Hence, earnings from mainly the hotels, restaurants, farms are used to either improve these ventures or to expand and build new ones. In all these, the requirement of the law is that I declare at the point of exit from office as I have declared at the point of entry.
“On assumption of office in 2015, I had course as a constitutional requirement to file my assets declaration form at the point of assuming duty as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria detailing my assets which include: my houses (both residential and others) farmlands, hotel, school and other enterprises. Statements of accounts from all my banks were also submitted to the Code of Conduct which were duly verified as is the procedure after submission is made. A copy of the form is attached hereto as annexure1, should Your Excellency wish to personally review it.
“As a public officer, my sources of income were streamlined and narrowed to my entitlements from the government coffers. These entitlements come in the form of salaries, allowances and estacodes. For the period, I have served as a minister,for the 1st term, starting from November 11, 2015 to May 28, 2019, the cumulative figure of what constitutes these entitlements is as provided for in our laws relating to the salary and emoluments of political office holders.’’
“As Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, I pledge to continue to uphold the highest ideals in respecting the professionalism of the office and to continue to serve the government with the best intent in mind in order to enable President Buhari’s administration achieve all the development goals set out.”
He also attached the Code of Conduct Bureau forms he filled, the statement of accounts of all the businesses he owned regarding the turnover, covering the period of his appointment to date.
Deregistered parties: INEC to go to S’ Court [Sun]
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would challenge the Appeal court judgment on the 2e deregistered parties.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, made the clarification, yesterday.
The Court of Appeal held that the deregistration of ACD and 22 others was ultra vires the powers of the Commission and ordered the Commission to reinstate them.
INEC spokesman recalled that on July 29 the Court Appeal, Abuja Judicial Division in an appeal filed by the National Unity Party (NUP) had affirmed the power of INEC to deregister political parties that failed to meet the constitutional threshold in section 225A.
“The Commission is therefore faced with two conflicting judgements from the Court of Appeal; one affirming the powers of the Commission to deregister political parties and the other setting aside the deregistration of ACD & 22 others.
Faced with two conflicting judgements from the same Court, the Commission is not in a position to pick and choose which one of them to obey.
Consequently, the Commission will approach the Supreme Court for a final resolution of the issues raised in the two conflicting judgements.
