Mr. Salisu Zuru Sued For Keeping 2 Public Offices, Receiving Double Salaries

 

All is not nicely within the National Assembly Legislative Aides’ Forum as a legal professional, Mr Joshua Okah, who's Senior Legislative Aide to a member of the House of Representatives, Mr Ben Igbakpa, has dragged the Chairman-opt for, Mr Salisu Zuru, before a courtroom for allegedly keeping  public offices and drawing salaries from them.

Okah is accusing Zuru, who these days received NASSLAF’s recent chairmanship election, of refusing to give up his in advance function as a member of the board of the National Orientation Agency earlier than taking every other appointment as SLA to Senator Sahabi Ya’u, who represents Zamfara North.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), had in December 2017 appointed 209 chairmen and 1,258 contributors of the governing boards of departments, groups, parastatals and organizations of the Federal Government, some of whom have been later confirmed to have died earlier than the appointments.

In the suit filed inside the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on October 26, 2020, with Number FCT/HC/BW/CV/311/20, Okah joined other legislative aides who performed numerous roles in the behavior of the election, as defendants.

They are Idris Ejima Aruwa, Mon-Charles Egbo, Olushola Olugbani, Oyorokoto Ogheneruemu, Ndudi Nwagbara, Jackson Collins Ette, Haruna Abdullahi Kure, Bamidele Ajibola, Garbriel Garba Silas, Umar Farouk Ahmed, Yakubu Shano Garba and Okwudili Nwankino.

Among different reliefs, Okah is praying the courtroom to trouble an intervening time order directing Zuru to step apart as NASSLAF’s chairman-decide on and/or significant chairman, pending the hearing and backbone of the motion on note for interlocutory injunction.

Okah is also praying for an order of Interim injunction restraining the 2nd to thirteenth respondents, as well as the Clerk to the National Assembly, Olatunde Ojo, from “performing on or taking further steps in respect of the chairmanship election of NASSLAF hung on sixteenth October, 2020, and/or accepting or giving any similarly popularity to the 1st defendant/respondent (Zuru) because the NASSLAF chairman-pick or noticeable chairman or in any other case but known as and/or issuing the 1st defendant/respondent a clean Certificate of Return…”

The petitioner told the courtroom, “The 1st defendant is a Senior Legislative Aide appointed by the National Assembly Service Commission on the advice of Senator Alhaji Ya’u Sahabi at the 27th of August, 2019, and also currently a member of the Board of National Orientation Agency appointed via the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the 29th of December, 2017. Sequel to the above, he has been receiving emoluments from both offices and the first defendant is a public servant and bound with the aid of the extent provisions of the Public Service Rules, 2009.

“It isn't lawful for the 1st defendant to get hold of and/or be paid emoluments in respect of his workplace as Senior Legislative Aide appointed with the aid of the National Assembly Service Commission and at the equal time as a member of the Board of National Orientation Agency appointed by way of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The 1st defendant, who was elected as Chairman of the NASSLAF on the delegates election hung on sixteenth October, 2020, has positioned himself in a role wherein his non-public interest as Senior Legislative Aide appointed by means of the National Assembly Service Commission conflicts along with his obligations and responsibilities as a member of the Board of National Orientation Agency appointed with the aid of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and, therefore, he is, in the attention of the regulation, now not eligible to participate and/or contest within the NASSLAF Election 2020.”

Ukah argued that the chairmanship elections have been void and must be nullified, adding that a sparkling election must be performed for the remaining chairmanship candidates.

The plaintiff, in the affidavit he deposed to, stated that upon appointment by means of the NASC, all legislative aides, as a part of their situations for appointment, are entitled to emoluments inclusive of salaries, allowances’ price of first 28 days in lieu of lodging upon assumption of responsibility, severance gratuity at the fee of 300 in line with cent of annual fundamental revenue for the completion of every tenure, and trainings among others.

The SLA also referred to that each one the 13 defendants were receiving the emoluments besides severance gratuity, at the same time as folks who served in the 8th National Assembly have been paid all their entitlements.

According to him, as of the time Zuru contested the NASSLAF election, he remained a member of the NOA board. He also connected a duplicate of a letter from the Office of the Director General of the NOA, dated October 19, 2020, confirming the first defendant’s club of the present board of the business enterprise, in addition to a image taken by means of the board’s participants on April five, 2018.

The affidavit partially examine, “That the first defendant intentionally refused, failed and/or overlooked to disclose the above said records of his club of the board of NOA to the 2d to thirteenth defendants throughout screening all in his desperation for power. That had the first defendant disclosed the records below reference, he would no longer have been screened and/or cleared to contest for the NASSLAF chairmanship election.

“That the NOA is in Category ‘B’ beneath the categorisation of board of federal parastatals. Since inauguration of the board due to the fact that 2008 so far, the first defendant, being a member, has sat 4 instances and the 5th meeting in 2020 changed into carried out virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first defendant has been receiving emoluments from the company.”

A member of NASSLAF, who is an aide to one of the leaders of the National Assembly, instructed our correspondent that many participants of the forum were aggrieved with how the electoral exercise changed into carried out. According to him, the electoral committee for delegates’ election is an equivalent of indirect number one by way of political events.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, also alleged that Zuru turned into the preferred candidate of the National Assembly management, which did not cross down nicely with a few contributors.

The aide said, “There are over four,000 aides inside the National Assembly however most effective forty eight delegates voted to determine the new chairman. There is a division among members. Since the fit became filed, the situation has become worse as a few contributors want Okah to pursue the case to a logical end, even as others are caution towards permitting the problem to degenerate right into a crisis.”