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  • Bagudu now Progressives Governors’ Forum Chairman

    Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi has emerged as the new Chairman of Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), an umbrella body of All Progressives Congress (APC) elected governors in the country.

    According to a statement issued by Alhaji Salihu Lukman, Director General, Progressive Governors Forum, on Friday in Abuja, Bagudu was unanimously elected at the forum’s meeting held at Imo Government Lodge on Thursday night.

    Lukman said the election of Bagudu was in furtherance of the commitment of the Progressive Governors to deepen democratic governance in the country.

    “Bagudu will provide leadership to PGF to realise the collective vision of the Progressive Governors to build a strong, democratic and inclusive APC.

    “Considering the internal political challenges facing the APC, the PGF under Bagudu’s leadership pledges to mobilise party members and by extension Nigerians towards expanding and deepening democratic structures of the party,” he said.

    Read Also: Yobe to produce next APC Secretary

    Lukman added that Bagudu would do this by focusing on initiatives to guarantee the development of participatory governance structures.

    He further added that the new PGF chairman would guarantee transparent credible decision-making process within the APC.

    Lukman urged Nigerians to support the initiatives of the Progressive Governors under the leadership of Bagudu, stressing that Nigeria would be great again.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bagudu is taking over the PGF chairmanship from Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo, whose second term as the state governor ends on May 29.

    NAN

  • Breaking: Zamfara: INEC to announce decision on Monday

    Following the Supreme Court Judgement on Zamfara All Progressive Congress (APC) participation in the 2019 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it will announce its decision on Monday.

    The Commission will be meeting on Saturday to take final decision.

    The Saturday meeting according to the commission will be the second since the Supreme Court Judgement on the issue.

    INEC, however, said that the decision reached at the meeting will be made public on Monday, 27th May 2019.

    The commission had earlier met on Friday to deliberate on the issue.

    The meeting which is scheduled for Saturday, 25th May is to take decision on the outcome of the elections in the state

    The apex Court had ruled earlier today that Zamfara APC did not conduct party primaries, thus all the votes gathered in the elections are a waste. The court also ruled that the party that emerged as a runner up should be declared winner.

    Read Also: Supreme Court Judgement: Victory for democracy, Zamfara, says Marafa

    The planned meeting of INEC management team was announced on Friday through a press statement signed by Mr.Festus Okoye a National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.
    The statement reads: “Following the Supreme Court’s judgment delivered today 24th May 2019 on the Governorship, National and State Assembly elections held in Zamfara State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held an emergency meeting to consider the court’s decision.

    “The Supreme Court ruled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not hold valid party primaries as required by law. It held that all the votes scored by the APC in the said elections are wasted votes and declared that the candidates of political parties with the second highest valid votes and the requisite spread should be declared as having been elected.

    “The Commission will meet again tomorrow Saturday 25th May 2019 to further deliberate on the issues arising from the said judgment, while the final decision on the matter will be communicated to the public on Monday 27th  May 2019. “

  • Updated: Supreme Court upholds Fayemi’s election

    The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State.

    In a unanimous judgment on Friday, a five-man panel of the court dismissed the appeal filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last governorship election in Ekiti, Kolapo Olusola Eleka.

    The PDP and Eleka had appealed the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the decision of the Justice Suleiman Belgore-led election tribunal that held that Fayemi was validly elected.

    In the lead judgment by Justice John Okoro, the court held that the appeal was unmeritorious and proceeded to uphold an earlier judgment by the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which affirmed the decision of the election tribunal, to the effect that Fayemi was validly elected.

    Justice Okoro said he could not interfere with the concurrent findings of the two lower courts both – the trial tribunal and the Court of Appeal – because the appellants (PDP and Olusola-Eleka) failed to establish that both lower courts erred and misapplied the law in their judgments.

    The judge said: “I have carefully considered the issues canvassed by all the parties to the appeal. I am satisfied to hold that there is no merit in this appeal.

    “It has to be noted that the two courts below are concurrent in their findings. It is trite that this court is always very hesitant to interfere with concurrent findings of two lower courts unless their findings are shown to be manifestly erroneous.

    “Only where the appellant has established that clear errors of law or facts which application leads to miscarriage of justice that this court can interfere to reverse the concurrent findings.

    “As I have said earlier, there is no merit in this appeal, and is accordingly dismissed. I affirm the judgment of the lower court and I make no other as to cost.”

    The Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, Justices Olukayode Ariwoola, Paul Galumje and Uwani Abba-Aji (who were also on the panel), agreed with the lead judgment.

    Read Also: Fayemi extends olive branch to PDP’s candidate Olusola 

    The Justice Belgore-led Governorship Election Tribunal, that sat in Apo, Abuja had, in its judgment on January 28, 2019 the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that Fayemi and the APC won the July 14, 2018 governorship election with a total of 197,459 votes as against the 178,121 votes scored by PDP’s Olusola-Eleka.

    The Court of Appeal, Abuja, to which the PDP and Olusola-Eleka appealed the decision of the trial tribunal, dismissed the appeal in its judgment of March 28, 2019.

    Justice Stephen Adah, who read the lead judgment of a three-man panel, resolved the seven issues, identified for determination, against the appellants.

    Justice Adah proceeded to dismiss the appeal on the grounds that it was without merit, a decision the two other members of the panel – Justices Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson and Emmanuel Agim – agreed with.

  • Police prosecutor almost jailed for re-arresting Adeleke

    The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, threatened to send Mr Simon Lough, a police prosecutor, to prison for violating an order of the court.

    Justice Inyang Ekwo, in his ruling, held that It was obligatory on every person to obey orders of the court.

    “This court stands to commit Mr Lough to prison custody for this blatant act of impunity and contemptuous disobedience.

    “The exercise of restraint by this court in not dealing with the learned counsel for the complainant/applicant (Lough) forthrightly is to demonstrate to the learned gentleman that the best of use of power is to restrain”, the judge said.

    The court also dismissed an application filed by the Police seeking a stay of execution of an order, allowing, Sen. Ademola Adeleke to travel to the United States for medical check-up.

    The judge, on May 6, gave the senator permission to travel to the United States on May 7 and return on June 9 for medical treatment.

    The judge had, however, ordered Adeleke to honour an invitation of the police on May 6 before traveling and restrained the police from arresting him.

    The Police, however, in defiance of the order, arrested Adeleke when he honoured the invitation.

    He was subsequently arraigned in a Magistrate Court in Mpape area of the Federal Capital Territory on a five count charge, bordering on alleged false statement and forgery.

    The police approached the court with an application praying it to stay execution of the ruling, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal at the Court of Appeal.

    The security agency claimed that its statutory duties would be disturbed if the ruling of the court was executed while the appeal was pending since the senator would have escaped from the country.

    In dismissing the application, Justice Ekwo held that from the submissions of Lough, Adeleke had already travelled which meant that the application was spent.

    The judge said there was nothing to stay as injunction was not normally granted over completed acts.

    Read Also:  Court grants Adeleke N2m bail, permission to travel abroad

    “The issue here is not merely that of granting an injunction over a completed act but whether a party can disobey an order of court and come before the same court, seeking for its discretionary power”.

    According to him, the police refused to comply with the order of the court and to have reason for not complying, the police resorted to self-help.

    This he said was by arraigning Adeleke before the Magistrate Court on May 7, just to stop him from travelling.

    The judge further said that the police acted disdainfully by arraigning Adeleke on the day he was granted leave to travel for medical check up in an inferior court.

    He added that by doing so, the police had derailed the authourity of the court, which he said was a condemnable act.

    He described Adeleke’s arrest by the police and his arraignment as a very dubious manoeuvre of judicial system in order to avoid compliance with the order of the court.

    Justice Ekwo subsequently dismissed the application for lacking in merit.

    NAN

  • Protesters litter Edo Assembly with faeces

    Protesters comprising members of the Edo State civil society have littered the entrance of the Edo State House of Assembly over a bill passed by the lawmakers criminalising electricity theft.

    The protesters prepared ‘obituary’ poster of Speaker Kabiru Adjoto and invited ‘babalawos’ to the protest ground.

    They dropped several other objects and painted parts of the Assembly wall with palm oil.

    The electricity theft bill waiting for assent of Governor Godwin Obaseki stipulated two years jail term for anybody that engaged in electricity theft.

    It also prescribed a special court for electricity consumers in the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) who bypass and engage in illegal connection.

    Addressing journalist, Speaker Adjoto said the protesters were sponsored by some politicians and those he termed disgruntled lawmakers in the assembly.

    Speaker Adjoto said the lawmakers only domesticated the existing federal law against electricity theft which stipulated 21 years jail term.

    Adjoto explained that the bill also stipulated conditions upon which someone could be charged for electricity theft.

    Read Also; Police recover Edo girl sold for N850,000

    He said the assembly would seek all legal options to redeem its image following accusations that the BEDC Electricity Plc paid N50m to sponsor the bill.

    The Speaker said lawmakers involved in sponsoring the protest would be sanctioned according to the rules of the house.

    His words: “The relevant laws will be applied to make the civil society proved that we collected money. The onus is for them to make proof available to the courts.

    “There is more to it than electricity theft. They brought herbalist to be invoking incantations on my picture.”

  • Breaking: INEC meets to take decision on Zamfara Sat

    Following the Supreme Court Judgement on Zamfara All Progressive Congress (APC) participation in the 2019 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled an emergency meeting to take decision.

    The meeting which is scheduled for Saturday, 25th May is to take decision on the outcome of the elections in the state.

    Read Also: Justice has prevailed in Zamfara, says Atiku

    The apex court had ruled earlier today that Zamfara APC did not conduct party primaries, thus all the votes gathered in the elections wet waste. The four also ruled that the party that emerged as a runner up should be declared winner.

    Details shortly…

  • Fayemi extends olive branch to PDP’s candidate Olusola 

    The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Friday spread the olive branch to the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the last election, Prof Kolapo Olusola.

    Dr. Fayemi urged Olusola to join him in building prosperous Ekiti that would be economically viable to serve the populace.

    This came as the supreme court on Friday upheld the Appeal Court’s judgement in the election petition by Olusola in the July 14th gubernatorial election, declaring the petition as frivolous and lacking merit.

    There was wild jubilation in Ado Ekiti capital, the Ekiti State capital city, as news filtered into town that Fayemi won at the supreme court on the litigation filed against his re-election in 2018.

    Fayemi defeated the candidate of the Peoples Democratic party, Prof Kolapo Olusola in the election.

    Thereafter, Olusola had approached the Election Petition Tribunal, claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), had rigged the poll in Fayemi’s favour.

    However, Olusola lost at both the Tribunal and Appeal courts before proceeding on appeal to the apex court.

    It was a double celebration at the government house as Fayemi on Wednesday won the chairmanship of the Nigeria Governor’s forum(NGF).

    Fayemi , who just returned to Ekiti from Abuja, said Olusola is an accomplished Ekiti person going by what he had read and heard about him and that he was ready to work with him to move Ekiti higher.

    “Prof Olusola Eleka is an illustrious Ekiti person. Though I am not close to him, but with what I have heard and read about him, he is an accomplished Ekiti man.

    ” He had served this state as a Deputy Governor and having pursued his case to the supreme court, he should forget about party. He should come to Ekiti party, that is where we all belong, so that we can serve our people better and in a more beneficial way “, he said.

    Also, Fayemi described both his appointment as NGF chairman and his court’s victory as signals of good things to come for Ekiti and the southwest region.

    Read Also: Supreme Court upholds Fayemi’s election as Ekiti Gov

    Speaking further on the verdict, the governor said: “I have to give glory to God for finally bearing testimony to the fact that the election that brought me into office was credible and that the primary of my party was the best ever conducted by any party in the history of our nation.

    ” It also bear testimony to the fact that the so called white papers which indicted me was meant for nowhere but a trash can.

    “The supreme court said the foundation trial courts did a yeoman’s job by saying the election in Ekiti was substantially compliant with the provisions of the law.

    ” Let me thank the supreme court for putting a finality to this endless litigation because distraction is bound to happen when you have endless cases in court”.

    On his election as NGF chairman, Fayemi said : ” it was Ekiti that elected me governor, but being an NGF chairman won’t make me withdraw from serving Ekiti.

    “You can say Ekiti is in the eye of the storm because I was elected NGF chairman to serve the nation, but there is no way I won’t defend my people in whatever that is coming to States. It is not unlikely that I will argue for Ekiti when things like this happen.
    Continue on Page 2

  • Supreme Court Judgement: Victory for democracy, Zamfara, says Marafa

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum, Senator Kabiru Marafa, Friday described judgement of the Supreme Court on Zamfara APC candidates tussle as a sweet, bitter, but a huge victory for democracy, Zamfara State and the country as a whole.

    Marafa in what he described as “interim reaction” to the Supreme Court Judgement which declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had no candidates in the 2019 general elections, noted that “no matter how long, truth will always prevail over falsehood.”

    Marafa said: “Friday’s judgement is a victory for democracy, triumph of truth over falsehood and redeemer of the integrity of the judiciary.

    “As we all know the APC was unable to conduct primaries in Zamfara State following (Abdulaziz) Yari’s thuggery and violent machinations. With this, lesson has been served that only strict adherence to rule of law and due process will take the country to the next level as being advocated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “This Judgement has shown that the president is religiously sincere with his non-interference stance on function of other arms of government.

    “He has further endeared himself to Nigerians and the world for resisting all efforts by Abdulaziz Yari to force him to interfere on the judgement.”

    Marafafa urged his adversaries to take the judgement as the will of Allah and a lesson that only Allah, the Almighty, can crown a king.

    Read Also; NSCDC arrests 2 for having sex in public

    Commending the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad for leading the Justices aright, he said that the judiciary remains the last hope of the common man.

    “The acting CJN and the Justices that delivered the judgement have with this judgement, laid the foundation for the redemption of the battered image of the judiciary as painted by the likes of justice Bello Shinkafi.

    “I will like to thank the judiciary especially the Justice Tom Yakubu team at the Appeal Court and now the Ag. CJN team in the Supreme Court, the courageous position of INEC, the unflinching support of the people of Zamfara State, my family for their wonderful support and prayers, my well-wishers and admirers in Nigeria and diaspora for their overwhelming support.

    “Judiciary remains the last hope of the common man, therefore all hands must be on deck to strengthen it,” Marafa said.

  • 15 students killed as building catches fire in India

    At least 15 students were killed in a massive fire that broke out at a commercial complex in the western Indian city of Surat on Friday.

    The students jumped off a commercial complex after it caught fire on Friday, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told local news agency Press Trust of India.

    According to the agency, several students of a coaching center were seen jumping off the multi-story building. The fire engulfed the third and fourth floor of a complex. The exact cause of the fire is still not known.

    Read Also; Nigeria risks crude loss as fire guts Trans-Forcados pipeline

    Responding to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a Twitter post: “Extremely anguished by the fire tragedy in Surat. My thoughts are with bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. Have asked the Gujarat Government and local authorities to provide all possible assistance to those affected.”

    (www.aa.com.tr)

  • Police, IPOB in fresh face -off over May 30 sit -at -home in Anambra

    Anambra state police command and the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have continued to flex muscles in the state, following the sit -home declared by the latter on May 30.

    Police commissioner, Mustapha Dandaura, has warned the group to desist from its threat or face the wrath of the command and it’s allied forces

    But the Biafran agitators insisted that the order must be obeyed to the letter, despite what the group described as the empty threats by security operatives.

    The war of words and number of arrests of IPOB members in Anambra State had heightened tension.

    Residents had started panic buying of food items ahead of the planned date while the police command had declared it was battle ready.

    The State Police Public Relation’s Officer, Mr. Mohammed Haruna, who had continued to issue statements on-behalf of the command, warned IPOB that it remained banned.

    He said the police command in collaboration with the Joint Task Force JTF, had made adequate arrangements in making sure that residents were not harassed or intimidated on the said date, warning that the command would deal decisively with any miscreant parading as IPOB.

    Haruna said some unscrupulous elements had been secretly moving to some locations in the state, trying to hoist unauthoriSed flags without permission.

    He added the command would not fold its arms to allow hoodlums invade the state in the name of sit -at -home by faceless people.

    Police patrol teams had already been deployed and they had been patrolling the streets of Onitsha, Awka, Ekwulobia, Nnewi and other flash points in the State.

    Read Also: Police rescue Edo girl sold for N850,000

    The PPRO said some of the items recovered from the miscreants so far arrested included many Biafran flags and other things with Biafran inscriptions.

    According to the command, “Recall that the so called (IPOB) is still a proscribed organisation and all its activities remain illegal”

    “Therefore the Command will not relent in its efforts of enforcing law and order in the State”

    However, in one of its statements at the weekend, IPOB, said it was not leaving any stone unturned in making sure that Biafrans would remain indoors on May 30

    IPOB’s statement in Awka by its Media and Publicity Secretary , Emma Powerful said the sit -at -home was to remember those killed during the war and others recently killed by security operatives and not to cause any trouble as being alleged by the police.