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PENALTY FOR STALKING

PENALTY FOR STALKING

by | Jun 8, 2015 | Uncategorized

Credit- womenshealth.gov
 Being a pretty girl
or handsome chap fitbe trouble can
be a curse sometimes because your fine boy or fine girl beauty or good
looks will attract the good, the bad and the ugly to you. LOL. A friend once
told me she gave her gate keeper strict orders not to let anyone into her house
unauthorized because a certain young man had been stalking her by showing up at
her door uninvited and calling her phone several times even though she didn’t
give him the time of day. I know this is a major issue facing a lot of ladies
but I am glad to announce that respite is here for ladies in Abuja as stalking
has been officially labelled a crime by the recent Violence Against Persons Act
(2015) passed into law by President Jonathan.
Section 17 (1) of
the Act provides that:

“ A person who
stalks another commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of
imprisonment not exceeding 2 years or to a fine not exceeding N500, 000 or
both.”
One must also note
that even an attempt to stalk another person can earn the stalker a jail term
not exceeding one year or a fine not exceeding N200, 000 or both.
Credits- Google
Inciting another to
commit the act of stalking is also a crime and the culprit will be liable to
not more than one year in prison or a fine of N200, 000 or both.
Also aiding a
stalker makes one an accessory after the fact and such person is liable to jail
term not exceeding a year or a fine not exceeding N100,000 or both.
If you know a
stalker, save them jail term or a fine and send this blog post to them and if
are the victim of a stalker, call the police because that person is definitely
going to jail according to the law. Note however that if your husband or
wife is a monitoring spirit, this law may not be able to help you,LOL.
AdedunmadeOnibokun,
Esq.
@adedunmade
CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTESTING ELECTIONS: OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY

CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTESTING ELECTIONS: OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY

by | Oct 17, 2014 | Uncategorized

General elections in Nigeria are
fast approaching, political parties, candidates, party thugs agents, INEC
and the whole country is immensely interested in how events at the elections
will play out. This post is a first in a series of articles informing about the
constitutional requirements for contesting elections in Nigeria, here we shall
be talking about the office of the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria. 

The Constitution provides for the
law regarding eligibility into the position of the President and other electoral
positions such as the position of the Governor, Senators and members of the
National and State Assemblies. Section 130 of the 1999 Constitution says that “there
shall be for the Federation, a President” and such “President shall be the Head
of State, the Chief Executive of the Federation and Commander- In –Chief of the
Armed Forces of the Federation”.
Qualification to the position of
the President is provided for in Section 131, which states that – A person
shall be qualified for election to the office of President if –
  • he is a citizen of Nigeria by
    birth;
  • he has attained the age of forty –
    years.
  • he is a member of a political
    party and is sponsored by that political party; and
  • he has been educated up to at
    least School Certificate level or its equivalent.
There have been comments on the
age qualification of the President, some believe that the age qualification
should either be reduced to 35 or totally removed from the qualifications for
the position of the President, do you agree? Other also comment that
Independent candidates who are not members of political parties should also be
eligible for candidacy. 

It is the duty of INEC to appoint
a date for election into the office of the President and the elections must
hold on a date not earlier than sixty days and not later than thirty days
before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of that office
as provided in Section 132.  
A candidate for an election to
the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected to such
office where, being the only candidate nominated for the election – 
  1. he has a majority of YES votes
    over NO votes cast at the election; and
  2. he has not less than one –
    quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all
    the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, but
    where the only candidate fails to be elected in accordance with this section,
    then there shall be fresh nominations. (section 133)
Section 136 provides that if the
person elected as President dies before taking the Oath of Allegiance and oath
of office, or is for any reason is unable to be sworn in, the person elected as
his Vice-President shall be sworn in as President. However, when both die
before the inauguration of the National Assembly, INEC will have to conduct
fresh elections. 
As stated in the Constitution,
the following people are disqualified from seeking elections into the office of
the President- 
  • persons who have voluntarily
    acquired the citizenship of another country other than Nigeria
  • he has been previously elected as
    President twice
  • he is under a death sentence
    imposed by a competent court of law or tribunal
  • within 10 years before elections,
    he has been found guilty and sentenced of a crime involving dishonesty or
    contravention of the code of conduct.
  • he is an undischarged bankrupt  
  • he is employed into the civil or public
    service of the Federation or of any State, he has not resigned or retired from
    the employment.
  • he is a member of any secret
    society
  • he has been indicted for
    embezzlement or fraud by a Judicial Commission of Inquiry or an Administrative
    Panel of Inquiry.
  • he has presented a forged
    certificate to INEC
  • he has been adjudged a lunatic or
    person of unsound mind.

The position of the President is a very sensitive one as such person is the leader of the nation, he determines a lot about policy development and execution and as such must be a person with a heart to serve and the drive to move the nation forward. Everyone who is eligible to vote in the coming election is urged to vote wisely and not sell their votes. 

Adedunmade Onibokun, Esq
@adedunmade
Adedunmade is a lawyer who
practices in Lagos, Nigeria.