The Action Congress of Nigeria has described the legal tussle between the incumbent First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and her predecessor, Hajiya Turai Yar’a dua over a juicy plot of land in the Federal Capital territory as a study in despicable sycophancy, insider abuse, arbitrariness and manifestation of the culture of impunity all of which are the hallmarks of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
In a statement issued in Lagos on yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary? Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said in more decent climes this scandal would have seen the immediate exit of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed from office and severely affected the political fortunes of President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said while the party was not holding brief for Hajiya Turai Yar’adua, it is clear from the court records that the disputed land was first duly allocated to her non-governmental organization: Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation by the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory and a statutory right of occupancy duly issued under the same minister.
“From the same court records, the organization paid all levies and dues running into several hundreds of millions of naira. Shortly after, the Minister of FCT without reasons, issued a notice of revocation of the said property ostensibly on the grounds of overriding public interest only to swiftly re-allocate the same land to another non-governmental organization, the African First Ladies Peace Centre, believed to belong to the current First Lady Dame Jonathan.’