News

BREAKING: Court Sacks Imo Reps Member

Published

8 months ago

September 10, 2023

Editor

The Imo Sate National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal has sacked a member of the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

In a unanimous decision on Sunday, a three-member panel of the tribunal which conducted its proceedings in Nasarawa State, held that Ugochinyere was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the Ideato North/South Federal Constituency election that held on February 25.

Consequently, it ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to within 90 days, conduct a supplementary election in the constituency.

The tribunal, in its lead judgement that was delivered by its Chairman, Justice Anthony Olotu Akpovi, specifically directed the electoral body to conduct the supplementary poll in 55 polling units where elections did not hold on February 25.

It held that the PDP and its candidate should be excluded from the supplementary election.

The judgement followed a petition that was lodged before the tribunal by candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Abazu Chika Benson.

Cited as 1st to 5th respondents in the petition marked: EPT/IM/HR/10/2023, were; INEC, Ugochinyere, PDP, candidate of the Labour Party, Obi Paschal Chigozie and his party, the LP.

It will be recalled that INEC had declared the PDP candidate, Ugochinyere, as winner of the election with a total of 13, 026 votes.

Whereas the candidate of the LP, Chigozie, came second with 5,696 votes, the petitioner who was sponsored by the APC, came third with a total of 2, 368 votes.

However, dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, the APC candidate filed a petition wherein he contended that Ugochinyere was not qualified to participate in the House of Reps contest.

The petitioner, among other things, argued that all the votes that were credited to the PDP candidate, amounted to wasted votes.

He told the tribunal that contrary to the express provision of the Electoral Act, the PDP, conducted its primary election in a venue that was outside the constituency.

In its judgement, the tribunal stressed that documentary and oral evidence that was laid before it, established that the primary election the PDP conducted on May 25, 2022, which produced Ugochinyere as its candidate, was held at Aladinma Shopping Mall, a location that was outside Ideato North/South Federal Constituency.

Relying on the provision of section 84 (5) (c)of the Electoral Act 2022, the tribunal held that PDP’s primary election was invalid.

It held that a valid candidate could not have emerged from an invalid primary election.

“Failure of the 3rd respondent (PDP) to abide by the sacrosanct provision of the Electoral Act invalidated its sponsorship of the 2nd respondent,” Justice Akpovi held.

The tribunal maintained that for a primary election to be valid, it must be done in compliance with section 29 (1) of the Electoral Act.

It held that in view of the fact that Ugochinyere was not validly nominated, he was, therefore, not qualified as at the time the House of Reps election held.

More so, the tribunal held that owing to the principle of margin of lead, candidate of the LP, Chigozie, could but be declared the winner of the seat, since INEC admitted that it could not hold election in 55 polling units in the constituency, owing to activities of unknown gunmen.

It, therefore, directed INEC to conduct supplementary poll in the remaining polling units with a the parties participating, except the PDP.

Other members of the panel that concurred with the lead judgement, were; Justices Usman Kudu and Ibrahim Mohammed.

News

JUST IN: Convicted Kidnap Kingpin Evans Re-arraigned, Opts For Plea Bargain

Published

17 mins ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

Convicted billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, and his co-defendant Joseph Emeka, charged with murder and attempted kidnap have opted for plea bargain.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state lead counsel, Mr Yusuf Sule, informed the court about the plea bargain option on Thursday when the case was called for re-arraignment.

The case was called for re-arraignment before Justice Adenike Cokers of an Ikeja High Court.

NAN reports that Evans and his co-defendant were to be re-arraigned on an amended five-count charge bordering on murder, attempt to murder, conspiracy to commit felony, wit: kidnapping and attempt to murder.

Sule informed the court that the case was for re-arraignment but he was aware the defendants have applied for plea.

The prosecutor, however, said the plea bargain terms were being considered by the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN).

Details shortly…

News

JUST IN: Collapsed Roof Injures OAU Students During Lecture

Published

43 mins ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A torrential rainfall of early Thursday morning, accompanied with a whirlwind has injured students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

The rain which started when the students were having a lecture, SER to be precise, in the Amphitheatre of the Oduduwa Hall, affected the ceiling of the Amphitheatre as it fell off and injured a few of the students.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire led other principal officers to the Medical and Health Centre of the University, and ensured that the injured students were given adequate medical attention.

A release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, stated that the Vice-Chancellor also followed two other students, whose cases demanded more medical attention to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), where the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Professor John Okeniyi, physically supervised the proceedings.

The Vice-Chancellor has, therefore, appealed for calm and urged students and staff to go about their academic and administrative activities without any form of untoward action.

Meanwhile, the management of the University, has sealed off the amphitheatre, the venue of the unfortunate incident, until further notice.

News

Edo Guber: Those Leaving PDP Are Disgruntled; We Need People With Value – Campaign DG

Published

1 hour ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

Matthew Iduoriyemkewen, the Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council for the September 21st governorship election in Edo State says persons who defected from the party to other parties are disgruntled.

Iduoriyemkewen made this assertion on Thursday in Benin during a familiarisation visit to the leadership and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State council, where he solicited for a partnership and cooperation from media practitioners.

According to the DG, the PDP is interested in persons of value, adding that those that are in the party are assets to the party and that many persons are still coming.

“Most of the people moving out of the PDP have become disgruntled, and they feel they must have it all. I don’t know who gave them that kind of entitlement that PDP is theirs, and it must be theirs, and that when they need anything in PDP, and they don’t get it, nobody else can get it, and that the roof must be brought down,” he added.

He continued: “I can tell you that people we have in PDP are those that are asset to the party. Those that are assets to the party, we do not allow them to leave. More so, those that we are bringing into the party are those that will add value to the party. You will start seeing them very soon.”

Iduoriyemkewen, who said Edo needs persons with value and substance, stressed that his party candidates – Asue Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie – are the rights persons Edo needs to move to an enviable heights.

Further speaking on activities of the campaign council, the DG said the party campaign would be issue-based, adding that how to move Edo forward is his party concern and not frivolous issues.

He said: “Our campaign would be issue-based. The campaign would be where we met Edo people and where we intend to take them to. Our campaign is going to be a realistic one, the steps we intend to take to solve the numerous challenges facing us.

“What we are going to be telling Edo people is the process of taking them from where we met them to where we are taking them to.”

Responding, the chairman, Edo NUJ, Comrade Festus Alenkhe, assured the DG of members of the council unbiased, apolitical stance as far as politics is concerned in the state.

The Edo NUJ chairman who said the union as a professional body frowned at fake news and unverified information, described the NUJ secretariat as a freedom ground where anyone can come to express his or mind on issues.