News
Supreme Court confirms Ododo as validly elected Kogi governor
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Supreme Court has affirmed the victory of Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress in the November 11, 2023 governorship election held in Kogi State.
A five-member panel of the apex court delivered the judgement in the suit on Friday in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The apex court held that the appeal by the Social Democratic Party and its candidate, Muritala Ajaka, marked: SC/CV/654/2024, was without merit and proceeded to dismiss it.
Justice Sadiq Umar, who authored and read the lead judgement, resolved all the three issues formulated for determination in the appeal against the appellants.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Onyekachi Otisi on July 11, 2024 had upheld the decision of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
The appellate court held that the SDP and its governorship candidate failed to prove the allegations contained in their appeal beyond reasonable doubt as required by law.
The court equally dismissed the appeals filed by Action Alliance and its governorship candidate, Olayinka Braimoh, and that of the Peoples Redemption Party and its governorship candidate, Dr. Abdullahi Bayawo, challenging Ododo’s victory.
Justice Otisi, while delivering judgment on SDP and Ajaka’s appeal, agreed with the election petition tribunal, which sat in Abuja.
The judge said the tribunal was right to have expunged the evidence of the Prosecution Witness 1 called by the petitioners on the ground that the evidence tendered by the witness was a documentary hearsay.
She said witnesses, whether subpoenaed or normal, are supposed to front-load their witness statements on oath as required by law.
The judge held that the petitioners’ witnesses were incompetent because their statements did not accompany the petition in line with the electoral laws.
She agreed with the tribunal that there were inconsistencies in the case of the appellants.
According to her, the allegation of forgery of document that Ododo submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission is a pre-election matter, which is handled by the Federal High Court and not the tribunal.
The said action, Justice Otisi held, happened before the conduct of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the state and as such cannot be legislated upon by the lower tribunal.
The judge also held that the allegation of forgery of document ought to be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Otisi subsequently resolved all the issues raised in the appeal against the appellants.
NAN reports that the tribunal had on May 27, 2024 affirmed the victory of Governor Ododo.
The three-member panel of justices, headed by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu, held that the petition was bereft of substance and accordingly dismissed it.
The tribunal held that SDP and Ajaka failed to prove the allegations of over-voting and non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 in the petition.
The panel, in a unanimous decision, held that all the witness evidence filed before it were incompetent and full of inconsistencies.
It also agreed with the submissions of the respondents that the allegations of forgery raised in the petition were pre-election matters, which ought to have been raised 14 days after the documents were submitted to INEC.
Kogi State had on November 11, 2023 held its off-cycle election in which Ododo of the APC emerged winner, beating his closest rival, Ajaka of the SDP, with a wide margin.
Unsatisfied with INEC’s declaration of Ododo as winner of the poll, Ajaka and his party dragged the electoral umpire, Ododo and APC to the tribunal as 1st to 3rd respondents respectively.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
There was confusion in Lagos on Friday when a trader was crushed by a Lagos-Ibadan train around Oshodi, Lagos.
The incident happened around 2pm with sympathisers and passers-by thronging the area.
Eyewitnesses said the trader was crushed to death in front of Arena Shopping Complex, Oshodi.
The middle-aged man was said to be urinating while standing in the middle of the rail tracks, with his two ears covered with an earpiece.
A witness told out reporter that despite the heavy horn of the train and passers-by shouting to warn the man, he did not hear the alarm.
Sympathetic passers-by who gathered around the dead body said the man killed himself.
Another witness identified the dead man as a trader who owned a shop at a shopping complex called Moyosore.
He said the deceased was chatting with three other persons who heard the honking of the train and ran away from the tracks.
The deceased’s body was still lying on the ground in front of his closed shop while efforts were made to reach his family. Sources said the Police was quickly called upon to evacuate the corpse.
Cases of train crushing people to death have become a recurring incident due to high prevalence of human activities on the railway corridors within the Lagos axis.
In areas like Agbado, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, traders often display their wares on the rail tracks while quickly packing the wares as soon as a train approaches, thereby endangering their lives.
A source in the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) who confirmed the train accident to our correspondent, said the identity of the victim had not yet been figured out.
The Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Lagos Police Command, Ben Hundeyin, was yet to respond to our correspondent’s enquiry on the incident as at press time.
Nigerian Tribune
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Reno Omokri, a former Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan on New Media, has been declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
His offence: he allegedly defamed Pastor Paul Enenche.
The NPF secured an order from the Chief Magistrate Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wuse Zone 6, Abuja to remand him in prison custody along with a former Dunamis Church Pastor, Abraham Daniel, and two others, Enenche Peter and Alexander Enenche.
The court, presided over by Chief Emmanuel A. Iyanna, issued the remand warrant through an ex-parte motion filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on January 13, 2025.
Granting the ex-parte application filed by Francis Gabriel, Esq on behalf of the Police Chief, in Motion No: ME/07/2025 between the Inspector General of Police as Applicant and Daniel Abraham, Enenche Idoga Alexander, Oboyinlo Enenche Peter and Reno Omokri as 1st to 4th Respondents, the Chief Magistrate directed the Police to produce the respondents on return Court date on January 30.
Iyanna held: “Upon hearing the application and submissions of learned Francis Gabriel and upon careful consideration of the averments, the annextures and issues as raised in the submissions of the applicant, the application is hereby granted as prayed.
“It is hereby ordered as follows: An Order of this Honourable Court for remand warrant of the Respondents (i) MR. DANIEL ABRAHAM (ii) MR. ENENCHE IDOGA ALEXANDER (iii) OBOYINLO ENENCHE PETER and (iv) MR. RENO OMOKRI in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service, pending investigation, arraignment/prosecution.
“It is, hereby, ordered that the Respondents be arraigned before a Court of competent jurisdiction after the conclusion of the said investigation.
“On the return date, the Respondents should be produced.
“The matter is adjourned to 30th Day of January, 2025.”
The remand warrant was predicated on a petition to the IGP by Patrick O. Okolo, SAN against Mr Reno Omokri, Gistlover Blog, Aunty Adul, Peter Obonyiro, Kelechi TV and their agents and co-conspirators for alleged defamation of Pastor Paul Enenche.
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has called on the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) to ensure the clear labeling of all Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) products in accordance with global standards.
This House Committee on Science and Technology gave the resolution during a budget defense session, with the Director General, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha on Thursday in Abuja.
The committee cited the widespread of GMO use in the United States, particularly in maize.
However, committee member Rep. Awaji-Inombek Abiante emphasised the need for transparent labeling, highlighting that Nigerians should have the choice to make informed decisions about the food they consume. He questioned the adequacy of research on GMO products, particularly Tela Maize, before their adaptation in the country.
In addition, Prof. Mustapha presented NABDA’s proposed budget of N5.3 billion for the 2025 fiscal year, which includes N834.4 million for overhead costs and N14.5 million for personnel costs.
Naijablitznews.com reports that the agency employs around 4,000 staff across its 39 centers nationwide. Other agencies, including the Trypanosomiasis Research Institute, PRODA, NBTI, and NOTAP, also submitted their budgets to the committee.
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