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Category: Politics Lite

  • “Your protests won’t change anything” — Nasarawa Gov reacts to Supreme Court Judgment

    “Your protests won’t change anything” — Nasarawa Gov reacts to Supreme Court Judgment

    The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said that protests against his victory at the Supreme Court will not change anything.

    The governor said that the Supreme Court is the ultimate and final court in the country, adding that those who appreciate democracy should accept its verdict in good faith.

    Governor Sule said this during a visit to President Bola Tinubu at the State House on Friday.

    The governor was accompanied by  the immediate past national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Abdullahi Adamu and the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Tanko Almakura.

    His words: “Nasarawa is a state where we had over 600,000 votes, and we won with over 340,000 votes, so you will know that over 200,000 people did not vote for us. So if out of these 200,000 people who did not vote for us and other sets of 1,000 people are protesting somewhere, then you will know because it’s a day that not everybody will be happy.

    “In every state where the Supreme Court passed judgment in every one of these states, you will find some people happy and some other people not happy.

    “But I think people who understand what democracy is all about will understand that the Supreme Court is the ultimate and is the final, and those who appreciate or respect democracy should leave it right there because protests or no protest will not change anything; the Supreme Court has already passed its judgement.

    “So in our case, when we lost at the tribunal, we told everybody that nobody should protest, and that’s why nobody protested, but that is the level of maturity that you will see from one political party or the other.

    “We are a very mature political party; we’re the ruling party in the country; we’re the ruling party in the state; and we’re showing a good example, so that’s why we will not protest.”

  • LP National Chairman, Julius Abure Speaks On Arrest Rumours

    LP National Chairman, Julius Abure Speaks On Arrest Rumours

    The National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, has denied rumours of his arrest.

    A report emerged on Wednesday that operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, on Monday, reportedly arrested and detained Abure over alleged fraud linked to the party’s governorship primary in Plateau State.

    The report claimed that Abure’s purported arrest followed a criminal complaint against him by Yohanna Margif, who accused him of forgery

    Magif, a governorship aspirant of the LP in the 2023 governorship election in Plateau State, alleged in a criminal complaint to the Police that Abure forged his signature on a letter where he (Yohanna Margif) is supposed to have withdrawn from the governorship primaries.

    The report claimed the embattled LP chairman was released on bail after the police obtained his statement.

    It also stated the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), which investigated the matter, reportedly recommended that Abure be prosecuted after it was confirmed by the Chief Registrar of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    But in a chat with Channels Television on Thursday, Abure said he was never arrested by the police or any other security agency.

    Abure also said that security agencies would invite him personally if they needed him.

  • Ogun: Supreme Court Affirms Governor Abiodun’s Re-Election

    The Supreme Court has affirmed the victory of Governor Dapo Abiodun of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the March 18 governorship election in Ogun State.

    The Apex Court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja which dismissed the appeal filed by by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Ladi Adebutu, seeking the nullification of the re-election of Governor Abiodun.

    Delivering the Lead Judgement, Justice Tijani Abubakar dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit

  • Kaduna: Uba Sani wins at the Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court has affirmed the Victory of Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the March 18 governorship election in Kaduna state.

    The Apex Court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja which set aside the decision of the Kaduna governorship election tribunal sacking Sani and declaring the governorship election in the state as inconclusive.

    Delivering the Lead Judgement, Justice Tijani Abubakar dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.

    More Details later

  • S’Court Upheld Nasir Idris as Kebbi State Gov

    S’Court Upheld Nasir Idris as Kebbi State Gov

    The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Nasir Idris of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Governor of Kebbi State.

    The Apex Court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja dismissing the appel filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Aminu Bande challenging the victory of at the March 18 governorship election.

    Delivering the Lead Judgement, Justice Abba Aji dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit

    More Details later

  • Gombe Guber: Gov Yahaya election affirmed a S’Court

    Gombe Guber: Gov Yahaya election affirmed a S’Court

    The Supreme Court on Friday, dismissed an appeal by Jibrin Barde of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)challenging the election of Governor Muhammad Yahaya of Gombe state.

    The Apex court lead judgment read
    by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, unanimously dismissed an appeal by Barde for want of merit, incompetent and liable to be dismissed.

    Consequently, the apex court has affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, which had in November, 2023, upheld the election of Yahaya as Governor of Gombe State.

    The appellate court had upheld Yahaya’s election after dismissing two separate appeals challenging his declaration as winner of the March 18, governorship election in the state.

  • Nasarawa: Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal Seeking To Sack Gov Sule

    Nasarawa: Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal Seeking To Sack Gov Sule

    A 5-man panel of the Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by David Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party seeking to upturn the electoral victory of Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State.

    Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Sule as winner of the election with 347,209 votes to beat his closest challenger, Ombugadu, who polled 283,016 votes.

    Not happy with the results declared by INEC, Ombugadu and his party, the PDP, filed a petition at the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to challenge the outcome of the polls.

    On October 2, 2023, a 3-man panel of the election petition tribunal led by Justice Ezekiel Ajayi, in a split decision of two-to-one, declared Ombugadu, the validly elected governor of Nasarawa State.

    However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja, affirmed the election of Abdullahi Sule as Nasarawa State governor, after overturning the earlier decision of the election petition tribunal that removed him from office.

    Delivering judgement on the appeal filed by Sule, a three-member panel of the appeal court held that the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal was wrong to have declared David Ombugadu, as the winner of the 18 March election.

    Not relenting, Ombugadu appealed at the apex court.

    But in a lead judgment, Justice Kudirat Kekere Ekun dismissed Ombugadu’s appeal for being ‘devoid of merit, vexatious and incompetent.

    The panel unanimously held that all the sister appeals abide by the instant judgment.

    More so, the panel ordered parties to bear their respective costs.

    Recall that Governor Sule was initially declared the winner of the polls by INEC.

    But Ombugadu challenged the election outcome at the tribunal, arguing that he won the majority of valid votes during the contest.

    In a split decision of the tribunal on October 2, two members, forming the majority, declared Ombugadu the winner of the election, while the minority opinion of the only other member affirmed Sule’s victory.

    Sule subsequently appealed against the majority decision of the tribunal, and won.

  • Delta Guber: Ovie Omo-Agege lose, Supreme Court affirms Oborevwori

    Delta Guber: Ovie Omo-Agege lose, Supreme Court affirms Oborevwori

    The supreme court, Friday, dismissed judgments on three separate appeals seeking to nullify the election of Sheriff Oborevwori as Delta state governor.

    The court held that the appeals instituted by the aggrieved candidates, including Ovie Omo-Agege, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ken Pela of the Labour Party (LP) and Kenneth Gbagi of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), is incompetent and lacks merit.

    In separate judgements, delivered by a five-man panel of the Justices read by Justice Inyang Okoro, the Apex court held that the appallants failed to prove that the court below erred in it’s judgement by affirming the election that declared Sheriff Oborevori winner of the March 18 election in the state.

    The court held that haven considered the arguments of the Counsels, the extent laws and evidences therein as far as the authorities cited, it concluded that appeal has no singular merit.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Oborevwori, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the governorship election held on March 18.

    Aggrieved by the outcome of the poll, other candidates, including Ovie Omo-Agege, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ken Pela of the Labour Party (LP) and Kenneth Gbagi of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), filed separate petitions before the governorship tribunal.

    However, all the appeals were dismissed by the tribunal.
    The court of appeal also affirmed Oborevwori’s election.

    At the supreme court session on Tuesday, the appellants, through their respective counsels, faulted the verdicts of the two lower courts.

    Omo-Agege contended that the election was not conducted in substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act.

    He told the apex court that the results of the governorship election were not properly recorded at some polling units, adding that the forms that contained some of the recorded results did not have serial numbers.

    Gbagi on the other hand prayed the court to declare that Oborevwori was not eligible to contest the election.

    Pela, the LP candidate, prayed the supreme court to nullify the entire election and order a fresh one.
    After listening to all parties, a five-member panel of the court said a date for judgment would be communicated.

  • Breaking News: Guber legal battles: Delta, Nasarawa, Sokoto, 7 other know fate today

    Breaking News: Guber legal battles: Delta, Nasarawa, Sokoto, 7 other know fate today

    The Supreme Court will today determine the fate of nine governors whose victory in the governorship election held on March 18, 2023, are being challenged.

    The states that the apex court has heard cases that were lodged by aggrieved candidates and reserved its judgement, are Delta, Rivers, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Taraba, Sokoto, Gombe, Kaduna and Ogun.

    A top official at the Supreme Court who pleaded not to be mentioned, told Vanguard that judgement in some of the cases were brought forward to Friday after the court vacated the whole of next week to allow its overworked justices to rest.

    While Justice Inyang Okoro will head the panel that will decide some of the appeals, the other panel will be led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.

    Even though all the cases were heard by a five-member panel, however, last Friday when the apex court delivered marathon judgements on governorship election appeals from eight states of the federation, eight Justices sat for the proceedings.

    A panel of the court led by Justice Kekere-Ekun had on Thursday, announced that it would on Friday, deliver judgement on the appeal that is seeking to nullify the election of Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State.

    The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Mohammed Barde, are praying the apex court to set aside the concurrent verdict of the Court of Appeal and the Gombe State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which dismissed the case they filed to challenge the declaration of governor Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the gubernatorial contest.

    The panel okayed the matter for judgement, after all the parties adopted their briefs of argument.
    The court, however, dismissed another appeal that was filed against governor Yahaya’s election by the candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Nafiu Bala.

    The Appellant withdrew the matter after the apex court panel drew his attention to the fact that his case was premised on pre-election issues.

    Similarly, the court reserved its judgement on Kaduna state governorship election dispute after the parties also adopted their arguments.

    The PDP and its candidate, Mohammed Ashiru, are praying the court to sack Governor Uba Sani, who won his election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared that governor Sani garnered a total of 730, 001 votes to defeat the PDP candidate, Ashiru, who polled 719, 196 votes.

    However, dissatisfied with the result of the election, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal to challenge it.

    The petitioners alleged that governor Uba was not duly elected by majority of valid votes cast in the election, adding that the election was invalid by reason of corrupt practices and non compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

  • Taraba: Deputy Gov Alkali confident of victory at S’Court

    Taraba: Deputy Gov Alkali confident of victory at S’Court

    Deputy Governor of Taraba State, Aminu Abdullahi Alkali has expressed optimism that the People’s Democratic Party PDP and governor Kefas Agbu will emerge victorious in a legal battle against them at the Supreme Court.

    The New Nigeria People’s Party NNPP and its governorship candidate, Prof Yahaya Sani are contesting the victory of the governor and PDP in the last year March 18 gubernatorial election in Taraba State.

    The Deputy Governor, who was at the Apex Court on Wednesday to witness proceedings in an appeal filed by NNPP and Sani said that the coast has appeared very clear for the two respondents to be victorious.

    He praised the transparent and unambiguous ways and manners proceedings at the Supreme Court are being conducted adding that the court has shown that there can never be miscarriage of justice.

    The position of the Deputy Governor followed the request by the lead counsel to governor Agbu and PDP, Kanu Agabi SAN to the apex court to either strike out the case the appellants or dismiss it outrightly.

    Agabi who led a retinue of senior lawyers told Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun led panel of five Justices that the case of the NNPP and its governorship candidate was lacking in merit and substance.

    He said that the appeal of the appellants was grossly incompetent to be considered because of the several flaws in the way the case was couched and presented at the Apex Court.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC adopted the arguments canvassed by the governor’s lawyer in resolving the dispute on the governorship election.

    However, lead counsel to the NNPP and Sani, Olusegun Jolaawo SAN appealed to the Justices to allow the case of his clients and grant all the reliefs they are praying.

    The Court of Appeal had in Abuja affirmed the election of PDP and Kefas Agbu as Governor of Taraba State.

    The three-member panel of the appellate court in two separate appeals held that Agbu, was lawfully declared winner of the March 18 governorship election in Taraba State.

    The appellate court held that the allegations of non-compliance, irregularities and other malpractices were not proved by the appellants in line with the provisions of the law.

    In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Peter Affen, the appellate court had faulted the appellants for dumping documents on the court, stressing that even if there was manifest incidents of malpractices or irregularities on the face of the documents, the appellants ought to have led oral evidence to support the allegations.

    Besides, the court of appeal had dismissed the appeal for being incompetent and lacking in merit on grounds that the record of proceedings transmitted to the appellate court was not complete.

    It will be recalled that a three-man panel of justices led by Justice G. A. Sunmonu of the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had on September 30 dismissed the petition filed by the NNPP and its governorship candidate for lacking in merit.