General
2023 Elections: Atiku, Obi Run to Supreme Court to Unseat Tinubu
By Adedapo Adesanya
The two leading opposition presidential candidates in the 2023 general elections, Mr Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, on Tuesday, approached the Supreme Court to upturn the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), which on September 6, affirmed Mr Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the exercise held on Saturday, February 25.
Mr Atiku, in his Notice of Appeal predicated on 35 grounds, insisted that the tribunal, in the judgment delivered by Justice Haruna Tsammani, committed grave error and miscarriage of justice in its findings and conclusion in the petition challenging the declaration of Mr Tinubu as President by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Notice of Appeal filed by Mr Atiku’s lead counsel, Mr Chris Uche (SAN), prayed that the apex court set aside the whole findings and conclusions of the tribunal on the grounds that they did not represent the true picture of the grounds of his petition.
The former Vice President maintained that the tribunal erred in law when it failed to nullify the presidential poll.
He wants the election nullified on the grounds of non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022, when by the evidence before the tribunal, INEC conducted the election based on grave and gross misrepresentation contrary to the principles of the Electoral Act 2022, based on the “doctrine of legitimate expectation”.
Mr Atiku alleged that the PEPC erred in law by not taking into cognisance the Doctrine of Legitimate Expectation when INEC failed to conduct the election in accordance with its own guidelines and the Electoral Act 2022.
On his part, Mr Obi, in a 50 grounds notice of appeal by his lead counsel, Mr Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), filed in the Supreme Court, challenged the decision of the presidential election tribunal, maintaining that it erred in law and thereby reached a wrong conclusion when it dismissed the petition he lodged to challenge the outcome of the presidential poll that was held on February 25.
Among other things, he contended that Justice Tsammani-led’s five-member panel of the Court of Appeal wrongly occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice against him when it held that he did not specify polling units where irregularities occurred during the election.
He further faulted the PEPC for dismissing his case on the premise that he did not specify the figures of votes or scores that were allegedly suppressed or inflated in favour of President Tinubu and the APC.
Mr Obi equally accused the Justice Tsammani-led panel of erring in law when it relied on paragraphs 4(1) (d) (2) and 54 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act 2022 to strike out paragraphs of his petition.
While accusing the lower court of breaching his right to a fair hearing, Mr Obi insisted that pieces of evidence of his witnesses were wrongly dismissed as incompetent.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Queen Naomi Silekunola, has been granted bail by an Oyo State High Court.
Justice K. B Olawoyin, presiding over Court 8 sitting at Ring Road on Monday, granted the bail worth N10 million, with two sureties who must submit landed documents within the jurisdiction of the court.
Also granted the bail were an ace broadcaster, Mr Oriyomi Hazmat, and the Principal of Bashorun District’s Islamic High School, Ibadan, Mr Abdulahi Fasasi.
Recall that on December 18, 2024, over 30 children died in a stampede at the school during a Christmas funfair event organised by Ms Naomi.
She reportedly organised the event to give out about N5,000 each to 5,000 children to alleviate the hardship in the ancient city.
However, before the event started, the stampede occurred as parents reportedly stormed the venue with their kids for the money.
The police arrested eight persons, including the ex-wife of Mr Ogunwusi. They were taken to court, which ordered their remand.
This morning, they appeared before Justice Olawoyin for their bail application, which was granted.
The judge said the sureties must submit their international passport with the court, while the defendant must not grant any form of interview during the pendency of the case.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Works, Mr David Umahi, has expressed concerns over the slow pace of critical road projects in the South-East and South-South regions, despite the release of N21 billion in funding for the Aba-Port Harcourt axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
He lamented this over the weekend during an inspection of various ongoing projects, warning contractors that failing to utilise these funds effectively would lead to severe consequences, including contract termination.
The Minister highlighted that China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) responsible for Section IV of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, had only accessed N7 billion out of the N21 billion allocated for the project in 2024.
“You’ve been given N21 billion, but the progress is disappointing. Only N7 billion has been accessed, and work is moving too slowly. If this does not improve, we will terminate the contract,” Mr Umahi declared, instructing the Federal Controller of Works in Rivers State to issue a formal warning to the contractor.
The Minister’s inspection, which also covered the East-West Road and Bodo-Bonny Road projects, focused on the need for contractors to optimize the use of available funds to ensure timely project completion.
Mr Umahi directed Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) handling the East-West Road Section III (Eleme axis), to ramp up work, stressing that the funding should be utilized without delay to meet the April 2025 deadline.
He reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to infrastructure development but underscored the need for contractors to be more accountable in deploying the funds provided.
“The money has been allocated, and it is critical that contractors use it effectively to avoid delays and ensure timely completion of these vital projects,” he said.
Regarding the Bodo-Bonny Road project, essential for improving infrastructure in the South-South zone, Mr Umahi urged Julius Berger Nigeria to deploy additional resources despite having worked through the holiday period.
“The funds are there, and the expectation is that contractors make full use of them to accelerate progress,” Mr Umahi emphasized.
To ensure accountability, the Minister set a clear target for Federal Controllers of Works to deliver at least four completed projects between February and May 2025.
He also warned contractors that failure to meet deadlines would result in a 14-day notice of termination.
“We will not tolerate delays. Contractors must be held accountable for the funds they receive,” Mr Umahi said, reaffirming that the Ministry will closely monitor project funding and progress to ensure the completion of the Federal Government’s infrastructure agenda.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Tinubu-led administration and the 36 state governors at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja.
In a statement issued by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, it stated that the provisions of the amended Cybercrimes Act remain vague, arbitrary, and repressive, enabling authorities to criminalize legitimate expression and restrict media freedom.
The suit challenged the alleged misuse of the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act 2024 to suppress freedom of expression, saying it violates human rights, particularly those of activists, journalists, bloggers, and social media users.
The organisation seeks several reliefs, including a declaration that Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act 2024 is unlawful and inconsistent with Nigeria’s human rights obligations; and an order directing the government to repeal or amend the legislation in compliance with international standards.
“The provisions of the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act 2024 have opened the door to criminalising legitimate expression and punishing activists, journalists, bloggers, and social media users.
“This is a harshly punitive approach that fails to provide safeguards against misuse, particularly for the peaceful and legitimate exercise of human rights,” the SERAP statement read.
However, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
-
Feature/OPED5 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism8 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz2 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking7 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy2 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking2 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports2 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn
-
Technology4 years agoHow To Link Your MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile Lines to NIN