Author: Kunle Dada

 The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC), over alleged uncomplimentary comments credited to Justice Benson Anya, against the party and its members while delivering judgment on the Kano governorship elections.  Justice Anya was alleged to have said in his submission at the tribunal that, “Instead of some Kano politicians to be allowed to use banditry and violence to abort democracy in Kano State, justice will be used to stop them from destroying democracy in Kano and upward.” Speaking in Kano, the state Chairman of the party Hashimu Dungurawa, said it was a clear fact…

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  A Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt has discharged and Acquitted a lecturer with the Rivers State University, Prof. David Ogbonna, who was standing trial on alleged sexual assault on a female student of the said institution.  Ogbonna, former Head of Department of Microbiology, RSU, was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old female student of his department in his (Ogbonna’s) office sometime in June 2022.  The university don was subsequently arrested and arraigned for Sexual Assault, but was later granted bail to the tune of N2,000,000 and other stringent bail conditions. However, after over a year of the legal…

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 The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal has struck out the Labour Party and its candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, from the petition of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Olajide Adediran popularly known as Jandor, against the recent governorship election.  Jandor is challenging the return of Babajide SanwoOlu and Obafemi Hamzat in the March 18 governorship election in Lagos State.  Shortly after the announcement of appearances by all lawyers and parties in the case at Monday’s proceeding, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Arum Ashom, announced that the court would first deliver judgment in the case of the PDP & its candidate…

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 Tension has gripped the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state, as a panel recommended the dismissal, suspension, and expulsion of more than 14 individuals, including both staff and students, for various offences. The implicated individuals comprise a Priest and three lecturers, with additional students facing expulsion for offences like aiding and abetting. This information was disclosed in an official release signed by Dr Emmanuel Ojukwu, the special adviser to the Vice Chancellor for Public Relations and Special Duties, and provided to journalists in Awka on Sunday, September 24. Recall that the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Charles Esimone, has been grappling with…

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Popular Social media platform X formerly known as Twitter has suspended the account of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The suspension comes after some members of the outlawed group threatened a former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chidi Odinkalu and his family. Odinkalu had in a recent edition of 90MinutesAfrica with Rudolf Okonkwo, strongly criticised the Sit-at-Home Order by IPOB noting that the approach applied goes against approved standard. According to him “When you go about shooting people because they are trying to go and survive, that is no longer sit-at-home,” he stated. I have lost…

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Estranged wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Taiwo Martins, yesterday branded him Nigeria’s real problem and the greatest impostor of all time. Ms. Martins, who was disclaimed by Obasanjo earlier this week after she pleaded with Nigerians to forgive him for his public dressing down of traditional rulers in Iseyin, Oyo State, said the ex-president “arrogantly believes that he has the unchallengeable power of life and death and to render totally useless whoever tries to point out any error of his or doesn’t agree to any of his rigid almighty posture of methodology in handling issues.’ Obasanjo, in disclaiming Ms.…

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The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) yesterday said it would ground activities in Lagos State on September 25, 2023 if the state government fails to lift the ban on activities of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in the state. The labour centre accused the state government of violating the constitution by disobeying the ruling of the industrial court which had ordered reinstatement of the union since April, 2023. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had in September, 2022 suspended all activities of RTEAN over pockets of violence recorded in the state. However, TUC national president, Comrade Festus Osifo who…

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 The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared two siblings from Delta State wanted for alleged fraud of N330 million. This was contained in a statement issued by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri, Delta State on Friday.  The anti-graft agency named 55-year-old Faith Onoja and 44-year-old Emmanuel Onoja, both from Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, as being declared wanted by the EFCC. According to the commission, Faith’s last known address is “Close to Celestial Church, Ekrovie new layout, old Egini road, Orhuehorun, Delta State” while Emmanuel’s last…

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 The Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Jos in North Central Nigeria has upheld the election of Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).  The three-member panel, in its judgment delivered on Friday,  unanimously held that the petitioner failed in its petition because it lacked merit.  Justice Sunday Olorundahunsi, reading the judgment, dismissed all three grounds canvassed by the petitioner and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda. On March 20, the INEC Returning Officer in the state, Prof Idris Amali, announced Mutfwang as the winner having scored 525,299 votes, while Yilwatda polled 481,370 votes.…

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 The Enugu State Governorship Election Tribunal has upheld the election of Governor Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in the March 18, governorship election in the state. The tribunal chaired by Justice Kudirat Murayo Akano also struck out Edeoga/Labour Party’s allegations of over-voting and bypassing of BVAS in the election.  The court ruled that Mbah was duly elected as governor by the majority of lawful and valid votes cast at the election. The tribunal had earlier dismissed the allegation of Edeoga/LP that Governor Peter Mbah’s NYSC discharge certificate was forged.  It held that Mbah did not submit his…

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 Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has restrained the national body of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from dissolving the Rivers’ chapter of the State Executive Committee over alleged anti-party activities.  Delivering judgment, Justice Ekwo, said he found that the case of the plaintiff, Mr Desmond Akawo, who is the chairman of the state excos, succeeded on merit. Meanwhile, Akawo had sued the party and Dr Iyorchia Ayu (the immediate-past National Chairman representing himself and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC)) as 1st and 2nd defendants. He had sought the court’s…

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The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has administered the oath of office on nine newly appointed Justices of the Court of Appeal. The justices were sworn in at the Supreme Court complex in Abuja on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.  1. Justice Hannatu Azumi Laja-Balogun from Kaduna State, a seasoned High Court Judge since May 24, 1999. 2. Justice Binta Fatima Zubairu from Kaduna State, who has been serving as a High Court Judge since October 31, 2001. 3. Justice Peter Chudi Obiora from Anambra State, who served as a High Court Judge since January 17, 2005. 4.…

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The Bauchi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has affirmed the victory of Governor Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18th governorship election held in the state. The tribunal dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.  It held that there is no strong reason to nullify the election as the election was conducted in compliance with the law. The judgment was delivered by a three-man panel chaired by Justice P.T Kwahar.

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 The 300MMscfd capacity ANOH gas processing plant, located on OML 53 in Imo State, which is an international joint venture (IJV) owned equally between Seplat and the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) appears to have run into troubled waters.  This is as members of Awarra Community (Ohaji/Egbema) Farmers Multi-purpose Cooperative Society Limited has filed a case against the NNPCL at a Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State in Suit No: FHC/OW/CS/45/2023 demanding for the payment of over N17 billion as compensation for the destruction of rubber seedlings/crops. In the…

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 The Lagos High Court sitting in the Ikeja area has admitted two documents into evidence tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) containing an investigative report on the iPhone of Internet celebrity Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, claiming it was used for fraudulent practices.  The trial judge, Justice Mojisola Dada, admitted the documents tendered by the EFCC at the proceedings on Monday. The reports are a letter by the EFCC to the United States of America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a report by the Bureau.  It should be recalled that in January 12, 2022, the…

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 A Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Sokoto has dismissed the petition filed by former Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawallen Maradun challenging the validity of the election results that brought Dauda Lawal into office as the executive Governor of the state.   Meanwhile, Matawalle, candidate of the All Progressives Congress had approached the tribunal challenging the election of Dare of the Peoples Democratic Party. The Petitioner said the March 18, 2023 election was flawed with irregularities and sought the tribunal to declare him the winner of the said election having scored the majority of lawful votes. He also prayed the…

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 The Presiding Judge, Abuja Judicial division of the National Industrial Court, Hon. Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae has dismissed the alleged unlawful compulsory retirement claim filed by one Nicholas against the Federal Inland Revenue Service for lacking merit.  Justice Obaseki-Osaghae held that the Federal Inland Revenue Service has established to the satisfaction of the Court the reason it compulsorily retired Nicholas from service. The Court further declared that Nicholas’s scandalous misconduct of drunkenness in the office is grave, weighty and has eroded the confidence reposed in him by the revenue agency to carry out his duties, and awarded the sum of N100k…

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The suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, resigned from his post last month, according to a report by Reuters. President Bola Tinubu nominated the former head of Citibank in Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, to serve as the country’s new central bank governor days before its next interest rate meeting and set tongues wagging as to the legality of the appointment as there cannot be two governors of the apex bank at the same time. However, government sources told Reuters that Godwin Emefiele, suspended as central bank chief by Tinubu in June and later detained by state police…

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 The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has described as malicious and untrue reports that there are plans to unseat him as a presiding officer of the 10th Senate. He further noted that the Senate under his leadership is stable and harmonious and cannot be distracted by “the innuendo of the merchants of political tar brush by what appears to be a syndicated media attack from outside the precincts of the National Assembly.” There were media reports on Saturday stating that plans were underway to unseat Akpabio as the president of the 10th Senate when the Senate reconvenes on September 26, 2023.…

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 Barring any last-minute change in plan, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, will constitute the Supreme Court panel that will hear the appeal arising from the judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Court latest on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the PEPC had on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, delivered a 12-hour judgment on the appeals arising from the February 25, 2023 presidential election, upholding the election of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress. The presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively rejected the court’s judgment, vowing to approach the Supreme…

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The International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA has described as shocking and greatly disappointing, the role played by the Minister of Women Affairs, Barr. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye in the ongoing investigation of the embattled Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Osim Ndifo. In a statement signed by the Country Vice President/National President FIDA Nigeria, Amina Suzanah Agbaje, (Mrs.), FIDA condemned all forms of violence against Women, urging ‘all Students to Stand Tall and Speak their Truth!’. An excerpt of the press release provides thus: “FIDA Nigeria strongly condemns in its entirety and in the strongest terms possible,…

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 A 24-year-old labourer, Sunday Clement, has told an Akure Chief Magistrate Court, sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital, why he beheaded a farmer, Taye Alatoye. Clement was arrested by men of Ondo State Police Command after he allegedly killed the victim on his way to the farm at Baba Odun Camp, Ofosu in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state. He was charged to court for murder of the 30 year old farmer. Police prosecutor, Mary Adebayo, said that the defendant committed the offence on September 4, 2023, at about 2:30 pm at Baba Odun Camp, Ofosu in Odigbo…

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 Adamu Aliyu, the Kano State Commissioner of Lands, had issued a death threat to the judges of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. The commissioner also promised to unleash mayhem on residents of the state, one worse than what residents of neighbouring Kaduna and Zamfara are going through. The election of the governor of the state, Abba Yusuf, is being challenged at the tribunal by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nasiru Gawuna. The tribunal is yet to fix a date to deliver its judgement on the petition. While suggesting that judges of the tribunal may have been bribed…

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 The Presiding Judge, Abakaliki Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court, Hon. Justice Oluwakayode Arowosegbe has declared the actions of the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, its Vice Chancellor, Registrar and Bursar banning the lawful activities of the Academic Staff Union of Universities as unconstitutional, illegal, ultra-vires and in contravention of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and therefore null and void.  Justice Arowosegbe reversed the suspension of the ASUU’s members, Associate Professor Ikechukwu Igwenyi and Professor Ndubuisi Idenyi, and mandated the Ebonyi State University to unseal the Union’s secretariat located and situated…

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 The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set aside the July 24 judgment by the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal in Asaba, declaring Ndudi Elumelu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the last election for Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency of Delta State.  In two judgments on Thursday, the appellate court declared Ngozi Okolie of the Labour Party (LP) as  winner of the election.  It faulted the tribunal for voiding Okolie’s election and proceeded to dismiss the petition filed by Elumelu before the trial tribunal and on which the voided judgment was given. The Court of…

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 The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba has declared the February 25 Delta central senatorial district election inconclusive.  The three-member tribunal headed by Justice W.I. Kpochi ordered a re-run in 48 units across four out of eight local government areas in the district.  It further held that the Certificate of Return initially issued to Senator Ede Dafinone of the All Progressive Congress (APC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be set aside. Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the said election, Ighoyota Amori, had approached the tribunal, seeking to be declared as winner or…

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 Legal battle in the All Progressive Grand Alliance(APGA) has taken another dimension with a motion seeking to commit the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, to prison.  He is accused of publishing illegal governorship candidates for APGA in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states.  The committal charge is sequel to a suit marked: FCT/HC/CV/4068/2023), filed in April 2023, by Otunba Camaru Lateef Ogidan (national vice chairman, South West) and Mustapha Rabiu (national welfare officer), who emerged at the Owerri Convention of May 31, 2019, under the leadership of Chief Edozie Njoku, party national chairman. The court had…

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 A security man, Samuel Adeniyi, was remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre on Monday for allegedly smashing the head of his girlfriend, Morolake Sunday, with a sledgehammer in the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos State.  The police prosecutor, Thomas Nurudeen told the court that the incident occurred on August 10, 2023, at No. 33, Audu Ekpa Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State. According to the prosecutor, the defendant claimed that his lover was cheating on him and was never satisfied sexually. It was revealed in court that on the day of the incident, the deceased, a nanny, left the…

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The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia has upheld the victory of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu representing Abia-North Senatorial zone in the February 25, 2023 polls. A three man panel led by Justice Samson Paul-Gang in its unanimous ruling on Tuesday, September 12, dismissed the petition of Peoples Democratic Party’s Mao Ohuabunwa and Labour Party’s Nnamdi Iro Orji for lacking merit. The court, while upholding the victory of Kalu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said that the election of the former Senate Chief Whip complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act.  Nnamdi Iro and Ohuabunwa who…

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 A Magistrates’ Court in Calabar on Monday ordered that nine men be remanded for allegedly abducting Prof. Ekanem Ephraim, a lead consultant of neurology at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH). Police charged Effiom  Asuquo, 60; Ndifreke Akpan, 29; Effiom Edet, 20; Asuquo Edet, 45 and Okon Okon, 37 with four counts bordering on unlawful possession of dangerous weapons and kidnapping.  Other suspects are Emmanuel Bassey, 35; Bassey Edet, 20; Effiong Edet, 35 and Patience Etim, 21. Magistrate Mercy Ene did not take the plea of the suspects for want in jurisdiction.   The magistrate said that the suspects…

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