Nigerian Concord Newspaper
In 2022, some social media influencers wrote to say that a former Minister for Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN was barred from holding public offices but they immediately abandoned the propaganda they were paid to do when they realized that their claim was false.
Recall that Chief Aondoakaa whom they claimed was barred from holding public offices was cleared by the All Progressive Congress Screening Committee to contest the primary election with Governor Hyacinth Alia and other aspirants.
Not only was Aondoakaa cleared by the Screening Committee, the former Chief Law Officer of the Federation participated in the primaries. He was in court for months to challenge the illegalities surrounding the nomination of Father Hyacinth Alia as the Governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress.
The question is how did Chief Aondoakaa manage to participate in the 2023 primaries and still went ahead with litigations up to the Appeal Court without being disqualified?
In Nigeria where our Constitution is clear, how can someone who was barred from holding public offices go through those processes successfully without anyone raising the issue at the point of his screening by the APC Screening Committee?
Were those that raised the issue today again sleeping while he was being screened? Were they sleeping while he was in courts fighting for his mandate In 2022?
Just this morning which is less than 15 hours that Chief Kaase Aondoakaa emerged as the consensus candidate for the People’s Democratic Party in the forthcoming governorship election, a paid social media handler of the Benue State chapter of All Progressive Congress came out to falsely write that Chief Aondoakaa is still barred from holding public offices. What was James Asortar, Governor Alia’s Special Assistant in New Media who wrote the article waiting for until Chief Kaase emerged as PDP candidate?
Whoever that takes Asortar James serious is doing that at his own peril because this is a man who raised an alarm on Facebook few days ago that Senator George Akume was sacked by President Bola Tinubu as a result of the leadership tussle between him (SGF) and Governor Hyacinth Alia.
This is the same Asortar James who wrote last month that President Bola Tinubu had given Governor Hyacinth Alia to nominate his own candidates for all the elective positions.
Recall that there was a judicial clarification on this on December 10, 2021 when Justice Mary Odili in a judgment on pages 21-23, stated unequivocally that the issue of Aondoakaa holding public office, relating to a 2010 judgment does not arise.
There is no rule in Nigerian law that prohibits an individual from holding public office for life due to misconduct. Even those convicted of crimes can hold office after 10 years, Aondoakaa has never even been arraigned or convicted in any court of law.
I think this report from Asortar James is just because someone feels threatened with Aondoakaa’s emergence as the PDP governorship candidate.
Also recall that under Nigerian law, political appointees and elective office holders such as the Governor are excluded from the category of public servants. This distinction has been upheld by the appellate courts in numerous cases, including Dada v. Adeyeye and Asogwa v. Chukwu. By virtue of the law, a Governor is not a member of the civil service. Therefore, a civil judgment regarding public service has no bearing on one’s eligibility to lead the state as an elected official.