By Alex Enumah
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has written the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, asking her to halt the issuance of a Promissory Note to one Dr. Ted Edwards, being payment for legal services rendered to the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).
The NGF in the letter written on its behalf by its lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), said the request was predicated on a court action instituted to “challenge the decisions of the court relating to or connected with payments of legal and consultancy fees arising from London Club Debt, Buy Back and London Club Debt Exit Payment, which is the fulcrum of the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja in Suit Nos FHC/ABJ/CS/130/13 — LINAS International Ltd & ORS.Vs The Federal Government of Nigeria & ORS.
The letter, dated April 19, 2021 and titled: Re: Issuance of Promissory Note to Dr. Ted Iseghone Edwards.
“Our attention has been drawn to a letter from the firm of Ikechukwu Ezechukwu (SAN) & Co dated April 8, 2021 urging you to issue promissory notes to Dr. Ted Iseghoni Edwards.
“We respectfully urge you not to accede to the request because these promissory notes are to be deducted from the accounts of the states for the next 10 years. It is therefore expedient to await the outcome of legal steps being taken by the states as represented by the NGF.
“Section 162(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) mandates any amount standing to the credit of local governments to be paid directly to the states for the benefit of their local government councils. The states therefore have a responsibility to ensure that funds standing to the credit of the local government councils are protected as custodians of such funds”, Falana wrote.
The senior lawyer added that all court processes challenging the judgments of courts as well as those seeking for stay of execution and/or injunction pending appeal had been prepared and would be filed immediately the ongoing strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has been called off.
“We need to inform you of your sacred duty of staying action on this matter in view of the injunctive reliefs sought in the processes to be filed in court on these matters.
“While extending the assurances of our highest regard, we hope that you will exercise restraint by resisting any urge to issue promissory notes to anyone, including Dr. Ted Iseghohi Edwards, Mr. Ned Munir Nwoko, Panic Alert Security Systems, Dr. George Uboh, Riok Nigeria Ltd, Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu & Mr. Bello Olaitan Busayo, pending the determination of these actions by the Court”.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) had on April 6, debunked media report that he had been pushing for suspicious payment to some contractors involved in the Paris and London Club refunds to Local Government Councils in the country.
