The war of attrition between Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state and his immediate past predecessor Gbenga Daniel still continues.Daniel in a statement today by Adegbenro Adebanjo his media assistant accused the incumbent of further assault on the rule of law. The statement draws attention to an “act of direct assault on the rule of law by the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led Ogun State Government. In flagrant disobedience to ongoing litigations and stay of action processes in courts of competent jurisdiction, the Government has gone ahead to take over private property, the Abeokuta Golf Resort Hotels limited, a privately owned concern, under the spurious claim that there were allegations that the funds used in its construction belonged to Ogun State Government. The purported white paper reads, “the government shall take over the subject property in the public interest as there is allegation that state funds were used in the construction of the hotel”. This, no doubt, is a brazen act of illegality as, a man cannot be punished on an unproven allegation. It is also more worrying because the government carried out this illegal act in flagrant disobedience to the judicial processes already on-going.
“We are also at a loss as to how the executive arm of government led by Senator Amosun could, with impunity, usurp the powers of the judiciary, pronounce judgment on a dispute and then proceed to execute its judgment with military fiat.
“It should be noted that the government occupation of the premises of the Hotel predated the issuance of the purported white paper. And why the rush to carve out a white paper to solely to deal with a particular matter while the panel which the government set up on matters relating to land administration in the State was still sitting? It is therefore clear that what is going on is nothing but official persecution of the promoters of the hotel.
I what appeared to be the incumbent’s attempt to deal with Daniel, a Church belonging to his late father was pulled down recently just has the dead father had barely been laid to rest.
Read the full text of Daniel’s statement today
Senator Ibikunle Amosun’s Assault On The Rule Of Law
We are constrained to once again draw the attention of members of the public in Ogun State and well meaning Nigerians to another act of direct assault on the rule of law by the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led Ogun State Government. In flagrant disobedience to ongoing litigations and stay of action processes in courts of competent jurisdiction, the Government has gone ahead to take over private property, the Abeokuta Golf Resort Hotels limited, a privately owned concern, under the spurious claim that there were allegations that the funds used in its construction belonged to Ogun State Government. The purported white paper reads, “the government shall take over the subject property in the public interest as there is allegation that state funds were used in the construction of the hotel”. This, no doubt, is a brazen act of illegality as, a man cannot be punished on an unproven allegation. It is also more worrying because the government carried out this illegal act in flagrant disobedience to the judicial processes already on-going.
We are also at a loss as to how the executive arm of government led by Senator Amosun could, with impunity, usurp the powers of the judiciary, pronounce judgment on a dispute and then proceed to execute its judgment with military fiat.
It should be noted that the government occupation of the premises of the Hotel predated the issuance of the purported white paper. And why the rush to carve out a white paper to solely to deal with a particular matter while the panel which the government set up on matters relating to land administration in the State was still sitting? It is therefore clear that what is going on is nothing but official persecution of the promoters of the hotel.
It is settled law that a person should not be tried for the same offence twice or suffer double jeopardy. We are aware that the issue of the hotel and associated land matters is part of the counts entered against one of its promoters as counts 5, 6, 7, 8 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The full trial of the case is yet to begin and therefore it is unsettling that the Ogun State Government has moved to quickly reach its own verdict and execute it.
In spite of this flagrant abuse of the due process, assault on the rule of law by the Senator Ibikunle Amosun administration and obvious provocation, we shall continue to exercise dignified restraint and would not resort to self help like Governor Amosun and his government are currently doing. We believe that the judiciary will once again rise up to the occasion and acquit itself creditably well on this issue and will not allow its powers to be emasculated by any individual however highly placed
Adegbenro Adebanjo,Media Assistant to Otunba Gbenga Daniel,immediate past Governor of Ogun State.28th Feb, 2012.
