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Court of Appeal affirms Alia as Benue governor

Bankole ABE
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Court of Appeal affirms Alia as Benue governor

THE Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday, November 20, affirmed Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the governorship election held on March 18 in Benue state.

The court dismissed the appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the election, Titus Uba.

In their appeal, Uba and the PDP contested the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal’s ruling, which affirmed Alia as the winner and dismissed their petition. 

A three-person tribunal panel, led by Ibrahim Karaye, dismissed the petition because it was statute-barred and was a pre-election matter.

The appellate court presided over by Onyekachi Otisi concluded that Uba had not established forgery charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

Citing section 29(5) of the Electoral Act,  Otisi held that the High Court and not the tribunal had the jurisdiction to hear the matter.

The judge further stated that as the appellant did not participate in the party’s primary, he did not have the locus standi to contest the deputy governor’s qualifications.

She added that the deadline set by the Electoral Act for name submissions would be missed and that the rerun primary election was carried out in compliance with a court decision.

“There is a difference between an election conducted based on court order and that of the Electoral Act.  The timeline by the Act will collapse where there is a court order”, she added.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Alia the winner of the governorship election held on March 18, having polled 473,933 votes to defeat Uba, who garnered 223,913 votes.

Uba went on to challenge Alia’s victory at the tribunal.

In April, the tribunal confirmed 19 petitions by the candidates of various political parties who participated in the poll.

However, the chairman of the three-man panel of justices, Ibrahim Karaye, said that the tribunal had no jurisdiction to entertain the petitions as the matters raised before the tribunal were pre-election issues as captured in section 285 of the Electoral Act.

Speaking on Uba’s case, the tribunal said the PDP candidate ought to have pursued his case of non-qualification, the nomination of Alia by the APC, and the allegation of a forged certificate and false information on form EC9 against his deputy, Sam Ode, before INEC.

The ICIR reported that the tribunal upheld Alia’s victory as announced by INEC and dismissed the PDP and Ubah’s petition.

 The ICIR also reported the sack of Caleb Mutfwang, Dauda Lawal, and Abba Yusuf, of Plateau, Zamfara and Kano state, respectively, by courts. 

Osun judiciary workers protest non-payment of wardrobe allowance, shut court

Bankole ABE
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Osun judiciary workers protest non-payment of wardrobe allowance, shut court

JUDICIARY workers in Osun state, under the aegis of the Judiciary Staff Union (JUSUN) on Monday, November 20, protested the non-payment of their wardrobe allowance since 2021.

The protest in the state capital, Osogbo, is against the embattled Chief Judge, Adepele Ojo, and the state’s judiciary management.

Led by the JUSUN chairman in the state, Oluwagbemiga Eludire, the workers displayed placards with inscriptions, including  “We are tired of oppression and stagnation”, ‘judiciary staff deserves better”, and ‘unlawful suspension of judiciary staff without recourse to Judicial Service Commission is barbaric.”.

The workers prevented human and vehicular movement from and into the court premises. They also accused the chief judge, Oyebola Adepele Ojo, of denying workers wardrobe allowances in the last three years.

Addressing journalists on Monday, Eludire said the protest was because they demanded from the chief judge why their wardrobe allowance from 2021 had not been released despite funding by the state government.

“We want to know why the government directive on promotion and advancement made available by the Osun government was not used for the approved purpose.

“We want to know why notable JUSUN members were unlawfully suspended without proper investigation against public service rules. We will not back down until appropriate action is taken,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has reversed the appointment of Olayinka Afolabi as the state acting chief judge to replace Ojo.

The call by the Osun state House House of Assembly for Ojo to resign due to accusations of ‘serious wrongdoings’ generated so much controversy over the last week, 

Consequently, Adeleke designated Olayinka as the acting chief justice. 

However, the Nigerian Bar Association and other judiciary stakeholders have opposed the decision.

Adeleke said in a statement on Sunday, November 19, that he sent the House of Assembly’s resolution and proposal to the chief justice of the federation for consideration and action through his commissioner for information and public enlightenment, Oluomo  Alimi.

“Governor Adeleke has only duly notified the chief justice of the federation as the chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC) in writing about the resolutions of the House of Assembly following a series of petitions made against the sitting chief judge of Osun state,” the statement read.

 

Sanwo-Olu paid lawyers N200m from state’s pocket to avert his disqualification

Nurudeen AKEWUSHOLA
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Sanwo-Olu paid lawyers N200m from state’s pocket to avert his disqualification

THE governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu paid a sum of N200 million to four law firms to avert his disqualification at the governorship election petition tribunal, data obtained from the Lagos state Procurement Portal has shown.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had filed a suit against the All-Progressives Congress candidates for the Lagos State House of Assembly and Gubernatorial candidate, Governor Olusola Sanwo-Olu seeking their disqualification in a Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/ 1979/ 2022. The case was later dismissed by the court.

In January 2023, Sanwo-Olu, leveraging his authority as the state governor, directed the Ministry of Justice to disburse N50 million each to four law firms—Ahmed Raji and Co, Akinboro and Co, Babatunde Ogala and Co, and Femi Okunni and Co—from the state’s funds to represent him. Legal experts have described this move as both illegal and an abuse of office.

Reacting to the move on X, a Human Rights Lawyer, Festus Ogun said, “ Sanwo-Olu paid lawyers that defended him at the Election Petition Tribunal with taxpayers money from the treasury of Lagos State. All my life, I have never seen this kind of callous and mindless abuse. Totally unacceptable.”

Screenshot of the document from Lagos State Procurement data

Speaking with The ICIR, Human Rights Lawyer Abdul Mahmud argued that governors ought to be the ones to defend their rights, and the state government should not bear costs associated with such defence.

“The governors defend their rights as sui juris, that’s in their own personal rights, and not as alieni juris, or rights controlled by others, so any costs attendant upon the defence of their personal rights cannot be borne by the State government,” he said.

 “It is unlawful for Governor Sanwo-Olu to have paid N200m from the coffers of the Government of Lagos State to personal lawyers who were defending his rights in elections petitions. Again, that all of the procurement frauds highlighted by the revelations show the lack of procurement controls and legislative oversights by an undiscerning State House of Assembly. The Lagos State procurement frauds are a tip of the iceberg,”he added. 

The ICIR reported that the governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos, Funso Doherty wrote to the governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on some of the controversial projects observed on the state’s procurement portal.

 

 

Sporting Lagos’ Alukwu’s late goal stalls Heartland FC win hopes

Dotun OMISAKIN
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Sporting Lagos’ Alukwu’s late goal stalls Heartland FC win hopes

JONATHAN Alukwu’s late goal on Sunday stalled the hopes of Heartland FC ending their winless streak against Sporting Lagos at the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL matchday 9 at the Mobolaji Johnson stadium in Lagos.

The ICIR had reported that Heartland FC, prior to their match against Sporting Lagos had not won any NPFL matches, igniting  storms of criticisms.

But the Owerri boys who were close to breaking the jinx in Lagos to claim their first win were leading 1-0 after Sporting Lagos player Akpesiri Ike had an own goal.

A win could have boosted Heartland FC points on the league table , but were denied in the keenly contested encounter in Lagos.

The match aroused emotions of fans as some irate fans were seen throwing plastic bottles into the pitch in dissatisfaction of the turn out of the match when the hosts were trailing 1-0 behind the opponent.

The host who deployed all their arsenals to redeem themselves after losing their previous match against Lobi Stars, 1-0, dominated possessions during the first half.

Twenty minutes into the first half, Rivio Ayemwenre raced pass into Chisom Orji whose attempt was parried by Heartland goalkeeper Chisom Chiaha.

The host had a couple of chances bl but lacked the requisite strength to convert their chances.

Until their visitors broke the deadlock in the 76 minutes via an own goal which sparked a flurry of attacks from the host but met the resistance of their opponent’s defense led by the captain Nnemeka Anyanwu.

The visitors then opted the mechanism of time- delay tactics as few of their players at every three minutes of play lied on the pitch in an attempt to stop the flow of play.

Despite their tactics and defense style of play, they could not assuage the tempo of the host team in search of a goal, leaving them still at the bottom on the log with 6 points from nine. matches.

 

 

 

 

 

Court sacks Plateau governor

Nurudeen AKEWUSHOLA
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Court sacks Plateau governor

THE Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has nullified the election of Governor Caleb Muftwang of Plateau State.

Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), had 525,299 votes while the candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, polled 481,370 votes in the March 18 governorship election in the state.

Dissatisfied, Yilwatda and APC filed a petition challenging the outcome of the election.

Delivering judgment, the tribunal led by Rita Irele-Ifijeh, held that the issues raised by the petitioners on party structure were pre-election matters, noting that Yilwatda and APC lacked the locus standi to challenge it.

The tribunal also held that PDP held a repeat congress on September 25, 2021, in compliance with the order of a Jos high court delivered by S.P. Gang, the judge.

Aggrieved by the tribunal’s judgment, the APC and its candidate filed an appeal.

In her ruling on Sunday, November 19, 2023, the lead Justice, Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu,  set aside the judgment of the Tribunal which affirmed the election of Governor Mutfwang, describing it as highly incompetent.

She held that the party violated a court order directing it to conduct a valid congress in the 17 local government areas of that state.

She said there was no evidence that the PDP complied with a subsisting High Court order which had directed it to conduct a valid party congress prior to its sponsorship of the governorship and other candidates.

 

The court said the issue of qualification is both a pre-election and a post-election matter contrary to the position of the tribunal which held that the appellant lacked the locus to contest the validity of the respondent.

It also noted that under Section 134 of the Electoral Act, it is the sole right of a political party to sponsor its candidate having met the requirements to do so.

While evoking section 136 of the Electoral Act, the court ordered INEC to retrieve the certificate of return issued to Governor Mutfwang and issue a fresh certificate of return to the Goshwe.



NDLEA warns parents on youths hiding illicit drugs in fancy bottles

Fatimah QUADRI
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NDLEA warns parents on youths hiding illicit drugs in fancy bottles

THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has advised parents to be watchful and look for little, fancy bottles in their children’s pockets or purses.

This was made known in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the agency’s spokesperson  Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, November, 19.

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He revealed that the bottles are allegedly being used to package a drug called Loud/Colos, which is popular among young people in Lagos’ affluent neighborhoods of Lekki, Ikoyi, and Victoria Island. He also mentioned that the drug is sold for a high price, with each bottle costing about 15,000 Naira.

“Heads up to parents. Please watch out for these fanciful small bottles in the bags/pockets of your kids. They’re now being used to package Loud/Colos for our youths, especially those in the Lekki/Ikoyi/VI axis of Lagos. Each goes for 15k. #ndlea_nigeria already making arrests & seizures, “he stated.

 

Iheanacho equaliser holds Super Eagles draw against Zimbabwe 

Dotun OMISAKIN
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Iheanacho equaliser holds Super Eagles draw against Zimbabwe 

SUPER Eagles midfielder, Kelechi Iheanacho’s  equaliser in the second half forced a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe during the second fixture of the 2026 World Cup qualifying match played in Huye Stadium in Butare, Rwanda on Sunday.

Iheanacho’s goal prevented the Super Eagles from falling against Zimbabwe, ending in 1-1, a repetition of their first encounter against Lesotho played at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo last Friday.

The tempo built up for Super Eagles going to play against Zimbabwe was to seek redemption after struggling to secure a draw against Lesotho, but their performances did not live maximum satisfaction to the fans.

It was a cagy game with Zimbabwe dominating  possessions and forcing the Super Eagles to their pack, while denying them the opportunity to have a shot on target during the first half.

After a string of exchanges of passess to the halve of the Super Eagles, Zimbabwe took the lead in the 25 minutes through a sublime 30-yard freekick by Walter Musona.

The Super Eagles ended the first half without a shot on target.

At the resumption of action in the second half, the Super Eagles tactician, Jose Peseiro introduced Victor Boniface, Kelechi Iheanacho and Bright Osayi-Samuel to replace Nathan Tella, Frank Onyeka and Ola Aina.

The introduction of the substitution trio paid off as Kelechi Iheanacho pulled one back for Nigeria to level the game about 20 minutes left to the regulation time.

The equalizer fuelled the strength of the Super Eagles to double the lead but their attempts met the firm resistance of the host defense.

Super Eagles are on the second position of the CAF Group C of 2026 World Cup qualification after garnering 2 points from two matches.

 

 

 

 

Resident doctors give Enugu government 14 days ultimatum to employ more doctors

Fatimah QUADRI
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Resident doctors give Enugu government 14 days ultimatum to employ more doctors

Enugu State Government has been given a 14-day ultimatum by the Association of Resident Doctors of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital (ESUTH) to increase medical staffing and guarantee safety.

The ultimatum was issued against the backdrop of Doctors leaving the shores of the country,which stretches Doctor to patients ratio at the teaching hospital.

The Doctors’ position made known in the statement that was jointly signed by the association’s president,  Chukwunonso Ofonere, and secretary general,  Ikemefuna Nnamani.

The statement was issued on Saturday, November 18, following the conclusion of the association’s emergency general meeting, which was held on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, in Enugu.

It demanded that the Enugu State Government and the management of ESUTH proclaim a state of emergency regarding the hiring of doctors at the hospital.

Also, it was observed at the general meeting that despite the government having assured the ARD, through the secretary to the state government, that medical officers and resident doctors will be employed there is yet to be an advertisement to that effect.

‘First, the management should declare state of emergency on the employment of doctors in the hospital. There should be an urgent approval for the recruitment of medical officers, resident doctors and House Officers in the hospital.’

“This recruitment should be focused especially at the Accident and Emergency Department, Surgery Department, Internal Medicine Department, Paediatrics Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Departments,”Part of the statement read.

It was mentioned that the hospital never replaced the resident doctors who had left in the previous four years.

The statement also noted that the management should provide safety procedures to shield its employees from physical harm and kidnapping, stressing further that the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), will be implemented immediately, similar to other states.

The concluding part of the statement highlighted that industrial peace could not be guaranteed if the aforementioned conditions were not addressed after 14 days.

FG begins payment of N585m fine for release of 4,068 inmates

Ehime ALEX
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FG begins payment of N585m fine for release of 4,068 inmates

Seven northern governors seek AfDB’s support on agri-business

Harrison EDEH
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Seven northern governors seek AfDB’s support on agri-business

SEVEN newly-elected Nigerian governors from the north have visited the African Development Bank Group(AfDB) in Abidjan, Cote to strengthen cooperation and unlock the region’s agri-business potential.

The bank disclosed this development in a statement issued on Saturday, November 18.

The delegation meeting with the bank president, Akinwunmi Adesina, was led by Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda and included Governors Nasiru Idris of Kebbi State, Umar Namadi of Jigawa, Zamfara’s Dauda Lawal, and Deputy Governors Aminu Abdussalam from Kano, Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, Kaduna, and Idris Mohammed Gobir of Sokoto.

The North-West region is mainly Nigeria’s food belt, with an estimated 60 million people, which is 28 per cent of the country’s population. It is also home to 10 million of the country’s 22 million heads of cattle.

The zone, however, has the highest incidence of poverty and food insecurity due to inadequate infrastructure, weak extension services, limited value addition, and poor integration into domestic and regional markets.

The meeting, according to the statement, focused on boosting food production, nutrition, and security, as well as innovative ways to unleash the zone’s rich agriculture potential.

Accordingly, discussions were held to fast-track the implementation of special agro-industrial processing zones (SAPZs).

Other priority areas include leveraging the African Development Bank’s renewable energy programmes. Its esert-to-power initiative that will deliver 10,000MW of solar energy to nearly 250 million people across the Sahel region was also discussed.

Notably, the special agro-industrial processing zones are designed to promote increased productivity, value addition, and market access through government-enabled and private sector-driven investments to develop strategic commodity value chains.

Adesina informed the governors that the Bank and its partners had targeted $1 billion in financing to expand the SAPZ programme in Nigeria to support up to 25 of the country’s 36 states.

He urged the governors to collaboratively and promptly select agricultural hubs to host the schemes.

Responding, Radda lauded Adesina’s leadership of the African Development Bank and for serving as a good ambassador for Nigeria and Africa.

He said the North-West governors decided to adopt a coordinated approach in collaborating with the Bank to implement agriculture and power projects to drive the zone’s development and improve livelihoods.

“We have commonalities in people, approaches, culture, tradition, topography, rainfall and climate,” he added.

Adesina applauded the regional approach of the governors, assuring them the Bank would offer to support the development of a regional strategy.

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