News

Bayelsa Gov Poll Dispute: Sylva, APC Close Petition With 52 Witnesses

Published

2 years ago

February 28, 2024

Editor

The All Progressives Congress, APC, and its candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, on Tuesday, formally closed the petition they filed to challenge the outcome of the governorship election that held in Bayelsa State on November 11, 2023.

The petitioners rested their case after they called 52 out of the 224 witnesses they lined up to testify before the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which is conducting its sitting in Abuja.

Sylva, who served as governor of the state from 2008 to 2012, and the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, is challenging the declaration of Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the winner of the gubernatorial poll.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared that governor Diri garnered a total of 175, 196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sylva, who polled 110, 108 votes.

However, dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, Sylva approached the tribunal, alleging that results of the election in three Local Government Areas, LGAs, were wrongly excluded by INEC.

He told the tribunal that whereas election held in Southern Ijaw, Ogbia and Nembe LGAs, however, the electoral body, voided polling unit results that were forwarded for collation.

Sylva insisted that contrary to INEC’s position that election did not hold in the affected LGAs, its officials supervised the election and sent results from the various polling units to the collation center.

According to him, had it been that results from the three LGAs, which he described as his strongholds, were included, he would have won the gubernatorial contest.

Besides, the APC and its candidate alleged that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, machines, were bypassed in some polling unit.

At the resumed proceeding in the matter on Tuesday, Justice Adekunele Adeleye-led three-member panel tribunal admitted in evidence, 42 different Voters’ Registers that INEC brought from various polling units in the three disputed LGAs.

A star witness of the petitioners, Mr. Denis Otiotio, who was cross-examined by INEC’s lawyer, Mr. Charles Edosanwan, SAN, admitted that names on the Registers were not ticked to signify that they were used for the election.

However, Otiotio maintained that contrary to INEC’s claim that election did not hold in polling units within the three LGAs owing to violence, he told the tribunal that Registers the Commission tendered before it, were different from the ones that were deployed for the governorship poll.

The witness decried that though the tribunal had ordered INEC to furnish the petitioners with the Voters Registers, it, however, failed to comply with the directive.

When he was asked by counsel to the PDP, Chief Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, if he reported the failure of INEC to supply the petitioners with the Registers, the witness answered in the negative.

Earlier in the proceeding, a former Commissioner of Police, CP, in Bayelsa State, Mr. Akeem Tolani Alausa, mounted the witness box and testified in favour of the petitioners.

The police chief tendered several exhibits to support his testimony before the tribunal.

He told the tribunal that his role during the election was perceived as controversial, a situation he said led to protestations, for and against his stay as the CP of the state.

The witness, who disclosed that he is currently serving at the Police Headquarters in Abuja, said it got to a point that one John Aliyu Babangida was brought to replace him.

He told the tribunal that he was eventually returned back to Bayelsa State.

When the witness was while being cross-examined by INEC’s lawyer, accused of working as Sylva’s ally during the election, he denied the allegation.

Asked by governor Diri’s lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, if he voluntarily appeared before the tribunal to testify, the witness, said he was summoned through a letter from the Inspector General of Police, adding that his statement on oath was prepared for him by an Officer in Charge (OC) Legal, whose name he did not mention.

The witness further told the tribunal that documents he tendered were from policemen that were stationed at polling units on the election day.

Answering questions from PDP’s lawyer, Oyetibo, SAN, the witness admitted that a Prado Jeep was donated to the Bayelsa State Police Command during his stay and that upon his removal from the state, he went away with the vehicle.

He, however, said that he eventually returned the Prado Jeep based on the directive of the IGP who acted on a letter that was written to him by governor Diri.

After the two witnesses concluded their evidence, counsel to the petitioners, Chief Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, announced the decision of the petitioners to close their case at that point.

Thereafter, the panel fixed next Monday for the INEC, governor Diri, his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrujakpo and the PDP to open their defence to the petition.

News

DSS Arraigns Sowore Over Anti-Tinubu Post

Published

43 minutes ago

September 30, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government is set to arraign human rights activist Omoyele Sowore on a five-count charge for allegedly posting false statements about President Bola Tinubu intended to cause a breakdown of law and order, court papers show.

Sowore was sighted at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ahead of the arraignment.

The suit dated 16th September,2025, was lodged after Sowore allegedly refused to delete the controversial posts about the President.

The Sahara Reporters publisher was accused of using his official X handle to make the post, “This criminal @ official PBAT Actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”

The alleged offending post, said to be contrary to Section 24(2) (b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2024, was said to have been made on August 25 within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.

The charges were brought on behalf of the DSS and the Federal Government by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, alongside four other counsel to the DSS –M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.

Social media companies X Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. are listed as co-defendants.

Confirming the legal action in a Facebook post last week, Sowore wrote, “The State Security Service, alias @OfficialDSSNG today filed a 5-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against ‘X’ (formerly Twitter Facebook, and myself. They claimed that because I called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a criminal, I have somehow committed a set of ‘novel’ offences they invented and spread across five counts.

“It’s hard to believe there’s anyone sensible left in these offices that should be making Nigeria work. Regardless, I will be present whenever this case is assigned for trial. #RevolutionNow.”

Recall that the human rights activist and African Action Congress candidate in the 2023 election vowed not to delete the controversial tweet, despite a request from the DSS to X demanding its removal.

Restating his stance, Sowore wrote, “This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless DSS over my Tweet on Tinubu. One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X.”

News

Lagos Opens Portal For Teaching Job Applications

Published

48 minutes ago

September 30, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board has opened its official application portal for teaching positions across the state.

In a statement signed on Monday by the Executive Chairman of LASUBEB, the board said the recruitment exercise, approved by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, targets qualified candidates willing to contribute to the delivery of quality education in Lagos State.

The statement partly read, “This is a unique opportunity for NCE holders, B.A (Ed), B.Sc (Ed), B.Ed, HND+PGDE, BA+PGDE, and B.Sc+PGDE graduates to build a career in teaching and contribute meaningfully to qualitative service delivery in the State.”

According to the commission, applicants are required to submit applications strictly online via https://subebjobs.lagosstate.gov.ng.

The statement warned that physical submissions would not be entertained and stressed that the board has not authorised anyone to collect money for the exercise, which is completely free.

It stated that the documents for application include, O’ Level Certificate (WAEC, NECO, NABTEB), Degree Certificate or NCE Certificate, and NYSC Discharge or Exemption Certificate, as applicable.

The board also noted that notifications or statements of results issued beyond two years would not be accepted.

“LASUBEB has not engaged or authorised any individual or group to collect money for this exercise. The application is absolutely free.

“Closing Date: The portal will close on 14th October, 2025,” the statement concluded.

News

FG Approves New NYSC Mandatory Regulations

Published

3 hours ago

September 30, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has approved the compliance with the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) a mandatory requirement for mobilisation into or exemption from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The provides that, effective from Oct. 6, no Nigerian graduate – whether from a Nigerian university, polytechnic, college of education, or an overseas institution would be mobilised for or exempted from NYSC without proof of NERD compliance.

This directive was contained in a circular issued to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) by Sen. George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) on Sunday in Abuja.

The directive does not, however, affect serving Corps members or those enrolled before the enforcement date.

Akume said that the compliance directive was to convey the approval for the adjustment of “NYSC mobilisation criteria in accordance with the President’s regulation requiring proof of NERD Policy compliance for all prospective Corps members, regardless of where they were educated.”