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Category: Politics

  • Supreme Court affirms Fintiri as Adamawa governor

    Supreme Court affirms Fintiri as Adamawa governor

    The Supreme Court of Nigeria, Wednesday, affirmed the election of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri as the authentic governor of Adamawa State.

    The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Inyang Okoro, dismissed as lacking in merit the application of
    Senator Aisha Dahiru Banani, alongside her party, All Progressive Congress Party (APC), challenging the outcome of the governorship election that was held in the state on March 18, 2023.

    Senator Binani, has through her Counsel, Chief Akinolu Olujimi, SAN, prayed the court to nullify the declaration of Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)as the valid winner of the gubernatorial contest.

    Specifically, she asked the court to set aside the concurrent verdict of the courts below that dismissed their case and upheld Fintiri’s re-election.

    She insisted that she polled the majority of valid votes cast at the election and was validly declared the winner by the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC.

    She, among other things, prayed the court to determine who ought to be the bona fide Returning Officer in a gubernatorial election.

    However, Fintiri, through his lawyer, Mr Damian Dodo, SAN, urged the apex court to dismiss the appeal and validate his election victory.

    Fintiri argued that he emerged victorious, having secured the majority of lawful votes and fulfilled all the requirements of the law.

    Delivering judgement in the matter, the apex court panel, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, held that the action of the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, who declared Senator Dahiru as the winner of the poll, was an act of irresponsibility and criminality.

    The court held that only a Returning Officer has the duty to announce the results of an election to avert chaos and anarchy in the process.

    According to the Supreme Court, the Electoral Act, 2022, specified who should declare results, stressing that such power was exclusively donated to the Returning Officer.

    Consequently, it resolved all the issues that were raised in the appeal against the appellants.

  • Kogi Governor Usman Ododo Speaks On Creating “Office Of The Immediate Past Governor”

    Kogi Governor Usman Ododo Speaks On Creating “Office Of The Immediate Past Governor”

    The government of Kogi State has swiftly dismissed a piece of fake news making the rounds on some social media platforms insinuating that the Governor Usman Ododo has created an office for Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the immediate past governor of the state.

    According to the press release signed by
    Oladele John NIHI, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ododo, the story is nothing but a “concoction of psychotic mischief makers”.

    The statement reads in full:

    “The attention of the Kogi State Government has been drawn to a mischievous report that the Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has approved the establishment of the “Office of the Immediate Past Governor” to be domiciled in the Government House.

    “The fake news should be disregarded as the handiwork of psychotic mischief makers, who have been thrown into confusion by the unprecedented achievements of our former Governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, CON, and the realisation that the good people of Kogi State sincerely appreciate this.

    “The laughable report was concocted to create disaffection and mislead the public but the authors failed woefully to confuse intelligent Nigerians.

    “We thank the media for exercising restraint and detecting, on their own, that the report was fake.

    “We, however, urge the general public to always fact-check before spreading fake news.”

  • Peter Obi Visits Family Of Nabeeha Who Was Killed By Kidnappers

    Peter Obi Visits Family Of Nabeeha Who Was Killed By Kidnappers

    The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has visited the family of late Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, a young Nigerian lady who was kidnapped and later killed by her abductors.

    Speaking during the visit on Tuesday, Obi said he visited the family to commiserate with them on the loss of their loved one and called on the government to see to it that criminality in Nigeria is contained.

    He said it is traumatic for any parent to lose a child and again stressed the need for the security agencies and the government to be alive to their responsibilities.

    Nabeeha was one of the victims kidnapped in a series of abductions that took place in the Sagwari Estate Layout in the Dutsen-Alhaji area of the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    In a tragic incident that shook the community, about 19 abductees were taken by bandits, with the kidnappers demanding a colossal ransom of N700 million for nine victims.

    Among those kidnapped was Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, a 400-level Biological Science student at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

    Four hostages, including Nabeeha, were killed by the kidnappers. Nabeeha was abducted with six other siblings, along with their father, Alhaji Mansoor Al-Kadriyar, from their home at Zuma 1, on the outskirts of Bwari town in Abuja, on January 2.

  • Ibadan Explosion: Atiku Reacts As Seyi Makinde Accuses Him Of Not Calling 

    Ibadan Explosion: Atiku Reacts As Seyi Makinde Accuses Him Of Not Calling 

    Former Vice President and 2023 Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has revealed that he commiserated with victims, people, and the Government of Oyo State following the Ibadan explosion.

     Atiku stated this in reply to a statement by Governor Seyi Makinde, who claimed that the former vice president failed to call him over the unfortunate incident.

    Recall that Makinde had berated Atiku over his failure to show concern regarding the explosion in Ibadan.

    Makinde stated this on Monday when he received the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, at his office in Ibadan.

    The governor said the former vice president has neither called nor sent a condolence message to commiserate with him and the people of his state over the explosion.

    He stated that President Bola Tinubu, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had called him over the incident, but Atiku, a member of the same political party as him, had not reached out to him.

    Reacting in a statement on Monday, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, stated that the former Vice President released a statement to commiserate with victims and the people of Oyo State.

    According to him, Makinde has been too busy to take track of media reports on the incident.

    The statement reads: “With due respect to Governor Seyi Makinde, we wish to correct his expression about the response of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar to the recent explosion in the city of Ibadan.

    “Atiku Abubakar made a condolence message about the Ibadan explosion, less than 24 hours of its occurrence, where he shared his commiseration and empathy with the good people and government of Oyo State over the incident.

    “Perhaps the Governor has been too busy to take track of media reports on the incident. But we wish to put on record that on the 17th of January, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar did make a widely available message on the Ibadan incident, which reads as follows:

    “‘I wish to express my condolences to the good people and government of Oyo State over the explosion that rocked the capital city of Ibadan late yesterday night.

    “‘While the government continues to provide humanitarian support to victims of the explosion, I commiserate with the families of those who might have lost their lives and property to the explosion. -AA’”

  • Impeached Ogun Speaker docked over Alleged N2.5bn fraud

    Impeached Ogun Speaker docked over Alleged N2.5bn fraud

    The impeached Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, was on Monday docked in a Federal High Court sitting in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.

    The former Speaker was docked alongside two other officers of the state Assembly, Dayo Samuel and Adeyemo Adedeji.

    Oluomo and the duo were dragged before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged misappropriation of N2.5 billion.

    Oluomo allegedly committed the fraud while serving as the Speaker of the Assembly in 2022.

    Aside from the N2.5 billion fraud case, 18 out of 26 lawmakers signed for his impeachment over allegations bordering on high-handedness, gross misconduct, arrogance, poor leadership style, lack of focus and transparency, and pitching members against themselves.

    This former Speaker has, however, vowed to fight back as he told journalists that he had instituted a legal battle against the members of the Assembly.

    On Monday, shortly after the trio entered the dock, the court discovered that the counsel to the EFCC was absent.

    The Judge, Justice O.O Okeke, however, adjourned the case to 29th February and 1st of March.

  • Supreme Court Reserves Judgment On Binani’s Suit Challenging Fintiri’s Victory

    Supreme Court Reserves Judgment On Binani’s Suit Challenging Fintiri’s Victory

    The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Aisha Dahiru, popularly called Binani, against the governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Fintiri.

    The tribunal and Court of Appeal had dismissed Binani’s petition challenging the victory of Finitiri in the governorship election held last year.

    The five-member panel led by John Okoro adjourned the matter for judgment after listening to the arguments of the parties involved in the matter.

    The main contention of Binani, through her counsel, Akin Olujimi, at the day’s proceeding, is that the controversial declaration by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Ari, was lawful.

    Monday’s decision came months after the Court of Appeal affirmed the victory of Fintiri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as Governor of Adamawa State and dismissed Binani’s challenge as lacking in merit.

    It also awarded the cost of N500,000 in favour of Fintiri and the PDP against Binani.

    That judgment aligned with the verdict of the tribunal on October 28, which dismissed Binani’s petition for failing to prove her allegations of over-voting by not tendering documents to prove her case faulting the outcome of the election.

    Before the legal tussle, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Fintiri as the winner of a dramatic governorship poll.

    Fintiri polled 9,337 votes besting Senator ‘Binani’ who scored 6,513 votes.

    But in a controversial move, Ari, while collation was going on, prematurely declared Binani as the winner of the election. This was contrary to the provisions of Section 25 of the Electoral Act, 2022, which gives only the returning officer the right to declare election results for governorship polls.

    Immediately after the announcement, INEC declared the pronouncement as of no effect. It thereafter suspended the collation of results of the supplementary election in Adamawa and invited the REC, Returning Officer, and all officials involved to report to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja.

    Later on, police authorities arrested Ari, confirming that the INEC REC was in their custody. He is still in court facing charges.

  • Kidnappers Release Abducted Lagos PDP Chairman 

    Kidnappers Release Abducted Lagos PDP Chairman 

    The chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Philip Aivoji, who some yet-to-be-identified gunmen abducted along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, has been released.

    The  Lagos State PDP Chairman had spent four days in captivity after he was abducted last Thursday.

    News of his release was disclosed by the State Publicity Secretary, Hakeem Amode, in a short statement issued around 1.15 am on Monday.

    Amode said, “Lagos State PDP Chairman released by the kidnappers.

    “Hon Philip Olabode Aivoji, the Lagos State PDP Chairman, is free at last after four days in the kidnappers’ den.

    “We use this opportunity to appreciate your prayers, most importantly because God’s mercies was visible all the way.

    “Thank you all for your concerns and prayers.”

    Recall that Aivoji and some other party chieftains were abducted at the Ogere area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Thursday while returning from the party’s Stakeholders’ Zonal Caucus meeting convened by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and held in Ibadan, the state capital.

  • Lagos PDP Chairman Kidnapped 

    Lagos PDP Chairman Kidnapped 

    The Lagos State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Philip Aivoji, has been abducted.

    He was abducted along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway around 6 p.m on Thursday, according to sources.

    The state publicity secretary of the party, Hon. Hakeem Amode, confirmed the abduction.

    He called on security agencies and government authorities at all levels to intervene promptly and secure his release.

    Amode stated that the chairman was returning from a stakeholders’ meeting in Oyo State convened by Governors Seyi Makinde and Ademola Adeleke.

    He said, “It is disheartening that kidnapping has become a prevalent issue in our country, and the government’s inability to address this menace is deeply concerning.

    “The abduction of Aivoji underscores the pressing need for decisive actions from the government and stakeholders to eradicate this menace.

    “Aivoji’s abduction was a violent incident, and his current whereabouts or any communication from the abductors remain unknown.

    “We implore the governments of Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos States, alongside security agencies, to expedite efforts and secure his safe return to his family and well-wishers. We firmly believe that, with increased efforts from security agencies, Aivoji can be rescued from these criminals, and we call on the public to support initiatives aimed at ending this threat to innocent lives.”

  • Ondo Assembly Confirms Adelami As Deputy Governor

    Ondo Assembly Confirms Adelami As Deputy Governor

    Ondo State house of Assembly has screened and confirmed Dr. Olayide Owolabi Adelami as the Deputy Governor of Ondo State.

    Adelami was confirmed as the Deputy Governor at a plenary presided over by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji.

    His confirmation was sequel to the submission and consideration of a report by the house selection committee Chaired by the Speaker.

    It would be recalled that the House of Assembly yesterday received a letter of his nomination from the Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa.

    The house had earlier conducted screening exercise for the nominee at the assembly complex.

    The Clerk of the House, Barr. Jaiyeola Benjamin read the letter sent to the House by Governor Aiyedatiwa for the consideration of the nominees for the vacant position of a Deputy Governor.

    While submitting the report, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Prince Abayomi Akinruntan recommended the confirmation of the appointment of the nominees whom he affirmed have been properly screened.

    Akinruntan said the nominee responded to all questions raised by the Committee in a very eloquent and explicit order, noting that he has a clear understanding of the position, adding that he possess the required academic qualifications, physically, mentally and emotionally stable and fit to accomplish the task.

    The report also stated that he possess the required experience, Charisma and the much needed exposure to function effectively.

    The Majority leader of the House, Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi moved the motion for the report to be considered and the nominees be confirmed and was seconded by Felix Afe representing Akoko North West 2.

    The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oladiji who ruled for the confirmation congratulated the Deputy Governor designate , urging him to put in his best and pledged the house support to the executive for the people to enjoy more democracy dividend.

    In his acceptance speech, Adelami who hails from Owo appreciated Governor Aiyedatiwa for finding him worthy of the position pledging not to betray his emotion and confidence reposed in him.

    He also appreciated the lawmakers for the efforts they have put in place during the screening and confirmation noting that promoting understanding between arms of government will be his priority.

    Dr Olayide Owolabi Adelami mni, a retired Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly promised to do everything at his disposal to function effectively, pledging not to disappoint the people of Ondo State .

  • Police React to Abuja explosion 

    Police React to Abuja explosion 

    The FCT Police Command has reacted to reports of an explosion in the Maitama area of the Federal Capital Territory.

    In a series of tweets via X on Wednesday, some residents attributed the incident to bomb.

    But the FCT police command in a statement by its Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said the incident was as a result of an overheated metal refuse bin.

    “The FCT Police Command hereby wishes to update the public on an alleged explosion on 24/01/2024 at about 1145 hrs, near a refuse dump outside the Bureau of Public Enterprise premises in Maitama, Abuja.”

    “A rapid response team and members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit was deployed to assess the situation and preliminary findings indicate than an overheated metal refuse container activated under intense heat, exploded, thereby causing injury to two of the refuse evacuator, who are currently receiving medical attention in Maitama General Hospital.

    “The FCT Police Command urges members of the public to exercise caution and refrain from using metal refuse bins. Instead, we recommend the use of plastic or rubber containers for waste disposal, as they pose a reduced risk of incidents related to overheated metal refuse containers,” the statement said.