Author: Kunle Dada

 The National Assembly Election petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia the Abia State capital on Monday sacked a Labour Party Member Representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency, Hon Emeka Nnamani, over falsification of academic certificate. According to reports, Nnamani was disqualified by the Tribunal based on an existing appeal court judgement against him over forged documents.  The Tribunal, following the disqualification of Nnamani, subsequently declared Chief Mascot Ikwechege as the authentic winner of the February 25th National Assembly Election in Aba North/South Federal constituency.  Nnamani, a member of Labour Party, LP won the 23 February 2023 House of Representatives election…

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 The Department of State Services (DSS) has invited the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in charge of Financial System Stability, Aisha Ahmad, for questioning, according to reports. It was learnt she was brought in by the Service over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of shares in Polaris Bank, Titan Bank/Union Bank.  Among other issues, she is being quizzed on how the $300 million to complete the acquisition of Union Bank was raised by Titan Bank, it was gathered. According to The Nation, she was arrested for questioning but had been released. The source said: “Her name came up…

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 Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike on Saturday denounced social media reports that he has dragged his predecessor Muhammad Musa Bello before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ICPC over sundry allegations including contracts variations.  “We categorically and unequivocally state that these reports are entirely baseless and without any merit whatsoever. The FCT Minister, during his routine inspections of various projects within the FCT, has indeed expressed concerns and frustrations regarding irregularities observed in the procurement and execution of certain projects, amongst other observations which he very publicly…

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 Umbrella body of bloggers under the auspices of Bloggers and Vloggers, Content Creators Association (BAVCCA), on Saturday, vehemently refuted corruption allegations leveled against the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Husseini Baba-Yusuf, as junks of lies and cheap blackmail by faceless bloggers.  This was contained in an address presented by the National President of BAVCCA, Ikechukwu Chukwunyere, during a press conference, where the records were put straight on the heels of allegations of corruption against Justice Baba-Yusuf based on the in-depth findings of the Association.  Chukwunyere said: “RE: FCT judges accuse Chief Justice (sic) of stealing of multibillion…

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  The Tinubu Presidential Legal Team (TPLT) has provided clarification regarding the watermark on copies of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) judgment, responding to critics who suggested pre-determined manipulations.   In a statement released on Saturday by TPLT coordinator Babatunde Ogala (SAN), it was emphasized that the watermark held no hidden agenda. The statement explained the circumstances surrounding the watermark. He gave the following remarks; “After the delivery of judgment in the three election petitions by the Court of Appeal on September 6, 2023, the Court directed its registry to make physical copies available on September 7, 2023.”  “The…

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  The Benue State Election Tribunal has declared Senator Gabriel Suswam of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the 25 February Senatorial election in the Benue North East Senatorial District.   Suswam defeated Emmanuel Udende of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the tribunal and was treturned on Friday, after a judgement that lasted for over three hours.  The Tribunal returned Senator Suswam who had challenged the declaration of Senator Emmanuel Udende of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2023 elections. Details later

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 The National and State Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Asaba, the Delta State capital, has upheld the victory of Senator Ned Nwoko of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the lawful winner of the Delta North Senatorial Election held on February 25, 2023.  The three-man Tribunal led by Justice Catherine Ogunsola dismissed the petition filed by Ken Kanmma of the Labour Party (LP) for lack of merit.  Delivering the unanimous judgment, the Tribunal held that the petitioner failed to prove his case as he could not tender before the Tribunal any relevant document to prove a case of…

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 A female undergraduate student (name withheld) has accused a lecturer at the University of Lagos, Akoka, simply identified as Dr Kadiri, of rape.  The undergraduate said the incident occurred when she visited the lecturer in the office to sort out issues about her results.   A non-governmental organisation, Inclusive Social Welfare and Empowerment Foundation, where the victim reported the case, said rather than the lecturer attending to the undergraduate’s result issues, he allegedly raped her on August 16, 2023. InclusiveSWEF reported the case to the Gender Unit of the state police command and through the OC Gender, the state CP,…

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 The Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday nullified the victory of Senator Ohere of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Kogi Central senatorial election. The court further declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the actual winner of the February senatorial election.  Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central in the upper legislative chamber, Senator Abubakar Ohere, has reacted to the tribunal judgement that nullified his election, saying he received the judgement with great shock.  Worrisome to him is the aspect bordering on the Tribunal’s decision that as respondent, he ought to have…

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 The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, has dismissed the allegation by the Labour Party, LP, and its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, that the 2023 presidential election was rigged in favour of President Bola Tinubu.  The court, in its preliminary ruling that was delivered by Justice Abba Mohammed, held that Obi and the the LP, did not by way of credible evidence, establish their allegation that the election that held on February 25, was characterized by manifest corrupt practices. It held that though the Petitioners alleged that the election was marred by irregularities, they, however, failed to give…

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There was a mild drama at the Court of Appeal, the venue of the Presidential Election Petitions Court on Wednesday when the justices delivering judgments shut down a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and counsel for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Charles Uwensuyi-Edosomwan, for interruption. After eight hours of judgment delivery by the five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, Uwensuyi-Edosomwan at 5pm pointed to the court on the need to be clear whether the appeal is “dismissed or allowed” with respect to the petitions of the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi; against the victory of President…

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 Damilola Adeyeri, an entrepreneur, and his mother, Alaba Kareem Adeyeri, have been acquitted by the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos. The mother and son were arrested in 2020 following a petition by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).  They were arrested on the grounds of alleged involvement in fraud and money laundering. The duo were eventually acquitted in a judgement delivered by Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, marking the end of a protracted and gruelling legal ordeal.  Damilola Adeyeri, upon regaining freedom from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission detention centre in Lagos,…

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 The National/State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin has upheld the victory of Sen. Adams Oshiomhole in the Feb. 25 Edo North Senatorial District election. The tribunal also upheld the election of Rep Ihonvbere Julius of the APC, representing Owan Federal Constituency. The three-man tribunal, led by Justice O.A. Chuioke, dismissed the petition filed by a former Senator, Francis Alimikhena of the PDP for lack of merit. Alimikhena, through his counsel, Mr Rasak Isenalume, had petitioned against the former governor of the state, Sen Oshiomhole, alongside INEC and APC, in the suit NO: EPT/ED/SEN/02/2023. The 1st petitioner Alimikhena, in his petition,…

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The  High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has been embroiled in a crisis of corruption and personnel grievances that posses far-reaching implications for the administration of justice in the nation’s seat of power,  after judges, in a rare move, supplied Peoples Gazette with unspeakable humiliation they endured under Chief Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf.  In discreet interviews conducted over seven weeks, five judges on the court bewailed the mismanagement of the division’s resources to help judicial officers fare better as misery proliferates nationwide after President Bola Tinubu ditched subsidies on petrol to purportedly stave off a broader economic collapse.  The judges…

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 The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Party (APC) candidate in the Enugu North and South National Assembly Elections, Juliet Egbo, against the victory of Chimaobi Atu of the Labour Party (LP). The five-man Justices unanimously dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.  Egbo had in her petition challenged the nomination of Atu of Labour Party and also alleged voters’ intimidation by the party during the election.  A three-man panel at the National Assembly Elections petition tribunal in Enugu had dismissed the petition in July for lack of merit. Not satisfied…

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The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has expressed strong discontent over the continued failure to implement financial autonomy for the judiciary by state governors. At its recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, JUSUN outlined its positions on several salient issues in a communique. Regarding removal of fuel subsidies, JUSUN endorsed the Nigeria Labour Congress’ stance, critiquing the lack of adequate preparation by the Federal Government. On the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission’s circular on peculiar allowances for judiciary staff, JUSUN lauded this development. It urged the National Judicial Council to implement the circular to ensure industrial…

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Simon Ekpa, the leader of a faction of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) known as auto pilots, has given the federal government an ultimatum to release IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu. He said that another 3-weeks civil disobedience over the continued detention of Kanu would continue if his demand is not granted. He said the sit-at-home would at this time include a daily curfew from 6am to noon. His ultimatum and threat is contained in a statement titled ‘Delegitimization of Nigeria within Biafra Territory. According to The Nation, He gave the federal government until September 15 to release Kanu and…

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 Medical services at hospitals owned by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in Abuja have been severely disrupted due to an ongoing strike by Consultant-Doctors who are members of the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria (MDCAN). Patients seeking medical attention have been turned away or asked to return on specific dates because there are currently no doctors available to attend to them, except in emergency cases. Dr. Roland Aigbovo, the former Chairman of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) FCT Chapter, stated, “We can’t work when Consultants are on strike except for emergencies.”  The primary reason behind the doctors’…

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 The crisis between Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, deepened on Saturday as a new office outside the Government House has been allocated to the deputy governor.  A building located at 7, Dennis Osadebey Avenue, close to the Government House, which is the Edo State Procurement Agency office, has been renovated with a sign reading Office of the Deputy. The building was commissioned by the former governor, Adams Oshiomhole on December 16, 2014. Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to Shaibu, Musa Ebhomiana, said the issue of relocating to any office is a rumour because the…

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 Hon. Justice Polycarp Hamman of the Portharcourt Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court has declared the continued withholding of placement or reinstatement of Miriam Uche Mark by the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board since 24th day of March 2017, to date without official explanation as capricious, vindictive, oppressive, illegal, unlawful and constitutes a gross abuse of powers.  It was gathered that, the claimant- Miriam Uche Mark had submitted that prior to her marriage she was known and addressed as Chukwu Uche Ukeni and was employed by Ebonyi State Universal Basic Education Board as a classroom teacher on the…

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 The Abuja Vacation Judge of the National Industrial Court, Hon. Justice Oluwakayode Arowosegbe has dismissed the application filed by Heritage Bank Plc against the judgment creditors, Mr. Shehu Mudi & 658 others over the judgment debtor, Adamawa State Government and 3 others in its entirety for lacking merit. Justice Arowosegbe held that the Heritage Bank’s argument and the invitation extended to the Court to overrule the Court of Appeal decision affirming the order absolute in an unmistakable fashion is vexatious and total abuse of process.  The Court awarded the sum of N15Million [Fifteen Million Naira Only] against Heritage Bank, and…

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 A quorum of councilors in the Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State has suspended the Chairman of the LGA, Wale Adedayo, for three months on allegations of maladministration and financial mismanagement.  It should be recalled that this followed the invasion of the LGA’s secretariat by over a hundred mobile policemen on Thursday morning, following an alleged move by the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, to impeach Adedayo. who recently accused the governor of withholding federal government allocations meant for LGAs within the state.  Seven councilors, Fasheyi Adesuji representing Itele Ward 7, Bolutife Osunfisan representing Imushin Ward 2, Kemi…

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 The Nigeria Labour Party (LP) has taken a significant step by reporting lawyer Monday Mahwah to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. In a formal complaint addressed to the committee’s chairman in Abuja, the LP accuses Mahwah of engaging in unprofessional conduct that undermines the party, a violation of the 2023 rules of professional conduct’s Part IV and V. The petition, which has been obtained by journalists, is signed by the Labour Party’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, on behalf of the party. It alleges that Mahwah is tarnishing the party’s reputation through the dissemination of falsehoods across various mass media…

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 The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the N50million damages awarded against Senator Elisha Ishaku Abbo (Adamawa North) by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for assaulting a woman – Ms. Osimibibra Warmate  in a sex toy shop in Abuja in 2019. In a judgment, a three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Jamilu Tukur, dismissed Abbo’s appeal which he filed against the judgment given on September 29, 2020, by Justice Samira Bature on a fundamental rights enforcement suit by Ms. Warmate.   The court, which affirmed the judgment of the High Court of…

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 A Kano State High court has issued a restraining order stopping anti-corruption agencies from conducting investigations into the affairs of the state’s Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCAC) and its chairman, Muhuyi Rimingado. The anti-graft agencies prevented from probing Rimingado include the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).  The plaintiffs in this case include the Attorney General of Kano State, the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, and Rimingado. On the other side, the respondents named in the order are the EFCC,…

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 The Delta State Police Command made a significant arrest on Tuesday, apprehending more than 100 individuals suspected of participating in a gay wedding ceremony held at a local hotel in the state.  According to an official statement posted on the state police command’s social media platform, the suspects were taken into custody while reportedly engaging in the gay wedding ceremony. The authorities indicated that a press parade of the arrested individuals would be conducted, which will be streamed live on Facebook.  The statement from the police read: “Delta State Command has arrested over a hundred gay suspects in a hotel…

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 The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural association, declared its determination to address the injustices faced by its members across the nation, emphasizing that such injustices must cease.  To achieve this, the organization has established a 55-member legal committee tasked with assessing and addressing cases involving its members nationwide, seeking legal remedies.  Additionally, two other committees focused on enlightenment and nomadic education were inaugurated to tackle education and social cohesion challenges.  This declaration was made during the association’s annual general meeting held in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa state. The association highlighted the ongoing incarceration of Fulani cattle…

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The Police Service Commission has ordered four Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs) to proceed on compulsory retirement. The affected DIGs are Dan-Mallam Mohammed, Moses Ambakina Jitiboh, Hafiz Mohammed Inuwa and Adeleke Adeyinka Bode. The commission, in a statement on Monday by its spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, said the directive was in exercise of its statutory powers, pursuant to the Third Schedule, Part 1 M, para A&B of the 1999 Constitution reinforced with Section 6 of the Commissions (Establishment) Act 2001. “In the wake of the appointment of the acting Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun on the 19th of…

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The Chairman of the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP), Mohammed Ibrahim, has blamed the suspended Chairman of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for making the programme’s N250 billion fund dormant in the bank. Ibrahim claimed that it was the suspended CBN boss who made the N250 billion National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) fund dormant in the apex bank for four years. According to him, Emefiele had refused to listen to his team about the conditions put in place by the apex bank for stakeholders in the autogas industry to access the fund. He said the conditions to be met…

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 Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Arase, a retired Inspector General of Police, has described the Supreme Court’s judgment on recruitment of constables by the commission as best interest for national security. The apex court, had on July 11, 2023, laid to rest the contentious issue and controversy between the PSC.  In reaction to the judgment, the commission Chairman, Dr. Solomon Arase, CFR, retired Inspector General of Police said the judgment simply and legally cements the resolution of the issue in a win-win situation for the concerned institutions which ordinarily cannot effectively function, and deliver on its respective…

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