Politics

BREAKING: Court Orders Service Of Petitions On Tinubu Through APC

Published

3 years ago

March 24, 2023

The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, on Friday, ordered that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, should be served with copies of petitions seeking to nullify his election, through substituted means.

A three-man panel of the court led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh, directed that the petitions should be served on Tinubu, through his political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The ruling followed separate ex-parte applications that were brought before the court by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar and his counterpart in the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

The duo accused the President-elect Tinubu, of deliberately avoiding the service of their petitions on him.

They told the court that several attempts they made to effect service of the petitions on Tinubu, proved abortive.

According to the petitioners, the President-elect deliberately made himself elusive with a view to frustrating their effort to hand him copies of the petition as required by the law.

Consequently, relying on Section 6(6a) and 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act, as well as Paragraph 8 of the First Schedule of the Electoral Act 2022, the petitioners sought the intervention of the Court.

Both Atiku and Obi further supported their ex-parte motions dated March 23, with affidavits of urgency and non-service, even as they persuaded the court to hear the applications, outside the pre-hearing session of their substantive petitions.

While Atiku’s application was moved on Friday by his legal team led by Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, that of Obi and LP was moved by Mr. Ikechukwu Ezechukwu, SAN.

“Having heard the applications by counsel to the petitioners including the affidavit in support, the applications are hereby granted”, the Justice Ikyegh-led panel ruled.

The panel equally granted leave to the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, to also serve its own petition on Tinubu, via substituted means.

It will be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on March 1, declared Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the presidential poll, ahead of 17 other candidates that contested the election.

According to INEC, Tinubu, scored a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku who polled a total of 6,984,520 votes and Obi of the LP who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes.

However, both Atiku and Obi rejected the outcome of the election which they insisted was rigged in Tinubu’s favour.

Aside from accusing INEC of acting in breach of its own electoral Regulations and Guidelines, the petitioners equally argued that Tinubu was not legally qualified to participate in the presidential contest.

More so, they argued that he did not garner the highest number of lawful votes cast at the election, adding that votes credited to the APC candidate amounted to wasted votes by reason of corrupt practices that marred the election.

Atiku further alleged that the electoral body deployed a third-party device he said was used to intercept and divert votes to the APC and its candidate.

While both Obi and Atiku separately claimed that they won the election, they asked the court to either declare them winners or in the alternative, order a fresh election.

Both petitioners urged the court to compel INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return it earlier issued to Tinubu of the APC.

The court had earlier ordered INEC to grant Tinubu, who is currently out of the country, access to all the electoral materials it used for the presidential poll, to enable him to prepare to defend his election victory.

Politics

Court Declines Kachikwu’s Motion Against INEC, ADC Leaders

Published

2 days ago

October 3, 2025

Editor

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday declined to hear an application filed by the African Democratic Congress’ 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, against the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the party.

Justice James Omotosho, in a ruling, refused to entertain the motion.

Kachikwu, through his counsel, Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), had sought an order compelling INEC to withdraw the publication of Mark and Rauf Aregbesola’s names as national chairman and secretary of the ADC, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

INEC had recently recognised Mark, a former Senate President, and Aregbesola, a former Governor of Osun State, as the party’s national chairman and national secretary.

On July 7, Kachikwu and four others – Adikwu Elias, Etimbuk Umoh, Muhammed Khala, and Alaku Godwin William – filed an originating summons challenging the recognition of the duo.

The suit lists INEC, ADC, Chief Ralph Nwosu, Mark, and Aregbesola as the first to fifth defendants.

When the matter was called on Friday, Akinlaja told the court that a motion dated September 19 had been filed. He argued that despite the pendency of the suit, INEC went ahead to recognise Mark and Aregbesola as party leaders.

The plaintiffs asked the court to set aside the recognition and publication of their names, describing it as a breach of the doctrine of lis pendens. They also sought an injunction restraining Nwosu, Mark, and Aregbesola from further relating with INEC as ADC’s national officers.

However, counsel for the ADC, Shaibu Aruwa (SAN), along with other defence lawyers, opposed the application.

After hearing arguments, Justice Omotosho declined to entertain the motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1331/2025.

He said, “This court is not inclined to nullify anything at this stage, whether done before or now. This is a political case. I am not taking any interlocutory matter.”

The judge held that all processes filed by the parties, including preliminary objections, would be taken together with the substantive case.

Despite repeated pleas by Akinlaja for the motion to be heard, the court stood its ground.

Justice Omotosho also granted an application for joinder filed by Nkemakolam Ukandu, the ADC deputy national secretary, and ordered that his name be added as a defendant.

He directed the plaintiffs to file the amended processes within 48 working hours and gave the defence seven days to respond. The case was adjourned till October 23 for hearing.

Politics

Fubara Sacks Commissioners, Others

Published

3 days ago

October 2, 2025

Editor

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has sacked all commissioners and other public office holders serving in his administration.

The decision, according to a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday evening by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, takes immediate effect and followed the recent Supreme Court judgment.

The governor, during a valedictory session with his cabinet to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary at Government House, Port Harcourt, thanked the outgoing officials for their services and contributions to the state’s development over the past two years.

The statement read in part, “Rivers State Governor, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has thanked members of his cabinet for their services and contributions to the development of the state in the last two years.

“The governor highlighted the significance of Nigeria’s Independence, and called on all Nigerians to work together with Mr President to build a peaceful, secure and prosperous country and a brighter future for all.

“Furthermore, the Governor has relieved all Commissioners and other public officers affected by the recent Supreme Court judgment of their appointments with immediate effect.”

Fubara also reiterated his commitment to serve the state “with renewed vigour,” while expressing gratitude to Rivers people for their support and wishing Nigerians a happy Independence anniversary.

Recall that the immediate past administrator of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), upon assumption of office during the emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu, suspended all commissioners, special advisers, and assistants appointed by Fubara. Ibas also dissolved boards and suspended heads of parastatals he met in office.

Since Ibas exited the state on September 18, the fate of Fubara’s appointees had remained uncertain. The Rivers State House of Assembly, at its first sitting after the lifting of the emergency rule, had called on the governor to submit a fresh list of commissioner-nominees for screening, alongside the 2025 budget for passage.

Politics

2027: Crisis Rocks Kaduna ADC Over Power Tussle

Published

4 days ago

October 1, 2025

Editor

The Kaduna State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is enmeshed in crisis as a fierce power struggle among leading figures threatens the party’s chances in the 2027 general elections.

ADC stalwart, Malam Salihu Lukman, raised the alarm on Wednesday, warning that the party may not make a meaningful impact at the polls if the internal rift persists.

In a statement, Lukman alleged that some party leaders have aligned with certain aspiring candidates for the 2027 elections to the exclusion of others.

He called on former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Malam Jaafaru Sani, Alhaji Bashir Saidu, and other opposition leaders in the state to halt what he described as “the madness” of candidates bent on hijacking party structures.

According to him, “anybody who is not ready to work as part of a united opposition in Kaduna State is consciously or unconsciously working for the APC.”

Expressing concern over the infighting, Lukman said his efforts to mediate had largely failed.

“The fact that Senator Musa Bello is aggressively seeking to control structures of ADC in Zone 2 is a reflection of my failure, largely because I am associated with him.

“Senator Lawal Adamu (Mr. La) has avoided all my requests to meet him. I have met Malam Jaafaru Sani on this matter and had discussions with Malam Nasir. Sadly, we are not united, and the perception is that I am part of the problem.”

Lukman stressed that he has no political ambition but remains committed to building a united front. “As a citizen from Kaduna State, I am willing to make every necessary sacrifice to move our state forward. Without sounding immodest, I made every sacrifice to contribute to forming the coalition and negotiating the agreement with ADC.

“May I therefore appeal to Malam Nasir and all our leaders to please seek to unite us. It is only if we are united in ADC that we can unite our people in the state to defeat the APC in 2027. We must bear in mind that it is not just about defeating APC but about producing a government controlled by our party based on collective leadership.

“We need to put an end to the era when we produce emperors as governors. Anything short of a government managed by collective leadership under ADC will be unacceptable.”