The Attorney General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has vowed to comply
with the order of a Federal High Court which directed him to recover monies
being paid to former governors that are currently serving as senators and
ministers.
The AGF stated this in a
statement made available to journalists by his media aide, Dr. Umar Gwandu.
Recall that Justice Oluremi
Oguntoyinbo made the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on Wednesday.
The suit was filed by SERAP, who
had approached the court for an order of mandamus to compel the Attorney
General of the Federation to file action to challenge states’ pension laws for
former governors and recover public funds collected by them in the interest of
the public.
The group further sought an order
directing the AGF to challenge the legality of states’ pension laws permitting
former governors and other ex-public officials to collect such pensions.
Responding to the judgment on
Thursday, Malami said that “the Federal Government will be guided by public
interest in complying with the court order.
“We will work and be guided by
the legalities of the case, the dictates of justice and public interest in complying
with the judgment”, the minister said.
A total of 21 states had at
various times promulgated pension laws allocating huge benefits to their former
governors despite public objection.
They are Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Edo,
Delta, Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Bauchi, Abia, Imo, Bayelsa, Oyo, Osun, Kwara,
Ondo, Ebonyi, Rivers, Niger, Kogi and Katsina states
Immediately affected by the order
are five ministers in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari and nine
senators.
The ministers are Mr. Babatunde
Fashola (Lagos, Housing and Urban Development), Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa
Ibom, Niger Delta), Hon. Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers, Transportation), Mr. Rauf
Aregbesola (Osun, Interior) and Chief Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa, State Petroleum).
The senators caught by the
judgment are Orji Uzor-Kalu and Theodore Orji (Abia), Kassim Shettima (Borno),
Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Danjuma Goje (Gombe) Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Ibrahim Shekarau
and Kabiru Gaya (Kano) and Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe).
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