Headline
Court Declares APC’s Petition Challenging Obi’s LP Membership Incompetent [Live Updates]
Published
8 months agoon
By
EditorThe Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) is set to deliver judgement today. Security is already beefed up ahead of the verdict.
Nigerians from all walks of life are waiting eagerly to witness the televised live proceedings from the Tribunal venue at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) are challenging President Bola Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.
Kindly refresh the page for live updates of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT)’s judgement.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: LP Failed To Prove Claims Of Electoral Irregularities, Tribunal Rules
12:31 pm: Tribunal Declares APC’s Petition On Obi’s Membership Incompetent
The Court also declared APC’s petition challenging Obi’s membership of the LP as incompetent. Justice Abba says membership in a political party is an internal affair.
The Tribunal also touched on the issue of non-joinder of Atiku Abubakar who came second and wondered how Obi & LP’s petition could be effectively determined without joining the candidate who placed second in the polls
12: 07 p.m. LP’s Widespread Irregularities Claim Generic – Court
While highlighting a claim by the respondents that Obi’s petition only alleged that there were widespread irregularities without giving the particulars and the polling units.
Justice Abba Mohammed holds that In a presidential election held in 176,866 polling units in 774 Local Government Areas, it would be improper not to specify where there were irregularities.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Tribunal Dismisses APM’s Petition Against Tinubu, Says It’s Abuse Of Court Process
According to him, the petitioners only made generic allegations.
“Pleading must set out material facts and particulars. In the instant petition, there was no effort to prove specific allegations, particulars of complaints,” said the Tribunal.
The law is clear that where someone alleges irregularities in a particular polling unit, such person must prove the particular irregularities in that polling unit before that petition can succeed, the Tribunal added.
The court said the petitioners did not prove the particular polling unit where the election did not take place nor did they specify particulars of polling units where there are alleged complainants of irregularities.
“It was only in one instance that figures were given of alleged suppressed votes and we all know that elections are about figures,” it said.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Tribunal Dismisses APM’s Petition Against Tinubu, Says It’s Abuse Of Court Process
“LP alleged that INEC reduced their scores and added it to APC votes but failed to supply particulars of what they actually scored before the said reductions, neither did they supply the polling units where it happened….”
11:50 am: A member of the panel of justices, Abba Mohammed, is reading the ruling on the preliminary objections filed by the respondents against Peter Obi’s petition.
11:47 am: The Court has reconvened to take the Judgement of the Labour Party. The judgement is read by Justice Abba Mohammed. He is reading the preambles reliefs and prayers sought.
11:26 am: The Presidential Election Petitions Court has gone on a 15-minute break.
11:05 am: Court Strikes Out APM’s Suit Against Shettima, Tinubu
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) is arguing that Vice President Kashim Shettima was not qualified as Tinubu’s running mate as his nomination breached Section 35 of the Electoral Act 2022 and other constitutional provisions.
But for the Preliminary Objection, the court held that the petitioner (APM), ought to have filed the case (of double nomination) before the Federal High Court within 14 days from the day the cause of action arose.
The court agreed with the respondent, that the issue is statue barred.
Justice Tsammani who is reading the lead judgement, further added that section 285(14c), does not allow members of a political party to challenge the nomination of candidates of another political party.
He concluded that the petitioner lacks the locus standi to institute the petition. He therefore struck out the suit for lack of merit.
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Headline
‘You’re Guilty’ – Judge Roars, Jailed UK-based Nigerian Pastor, Wife 34 Years For Raping, Assaulting Members
Published
5 hours agoon
May 14, 2024By
EditorA Nigerian pastor, Michael Oluronbi and his wife Juliana, have been sentenced to jail for 34 years in the UK after Oluronbi was found guilty of sexual offences against six women and a man.
He abused children and adults for over 20 years after convincing the victims to take part in “spiritual bathing to cleanse them of evil spirits.”
Olurnobi was jailed for 34 years for offences of multiple rapes of members of his congregation.
He was convicted of “fifteen counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault and at least 88 separate occasions on which he raped his victims.”
READ ALSO: $2.5bn Fraud: EFCC To Collaborate With UK Prosecutors In Diezani’s Case
Birmingham Crown Court heard that some of the victims became pregnant multiple times, but Olurnobi would take them to abortion clinics, as a cover-up for the abuse.
His wife was jailed for 11 years for three counts of aiding and abetting rape, as she assisted Olurnobi in arranging abortions for the victims.
Both defendants will be required to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
Oluronbi was linked to a Christian church in Edgbaston, Birmingham, the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, whose roots were in Nigeria. He had set up his own splinter group at another address and from where he began the “spiritual bathing.” The jury heard how the offences took place in Birmingham and London.
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Sentencing “arrogant” Oluronbi on Friday, Judge Buckingham said: “You claimed that God was instructing you to conduct holy baths. Its real purpose was to fulfil your insatiable sexual appetite. The children feared you and this enabled you to continue your grip. Your offending has had an extreme and severe impact on all of your complainants. Any attempt to suggest otherwise would be without foundation. You abused your position of trust – they trusted you like God.”
The judge continued: “You did this because you are an arrogant, selfish and vain man. In my judgment, your offending must be one of the worst cases of sexual abuse of multiple children to come before the courts.”
When confronted about his offences, Oluronbi said “The devil made me do it”.
Phil Bradley QC, prosecuting, told the jury:
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“The Crown’s case is that Mr Oluronbi used what he called ‘spiritual work’ as a subterfuge for that sexual abuse. The main tactic he employed was to claim that God had instructed him to administer ‘holy baths’ to some of his congregation in order to ‘cleanse’ them and protect them from evil influences. That activity began when his victims were children. There can be no doubt that its real purpose was to serve his sexual gratification.”
He added that for some of the female victims the offending “progressed to repeated rapes, on many occasions leading to unwanted pregnancies and terminations”.
“You will learn that this man, who was revered and feared by his victims, kept a vice-like grip on many of them and continued to abuse them well into adulthood.”
The victims described him as “controlling” and “almost like a king”.
Oluronbi was arrested in May 2023, at Birmingham Airport while trying to leave the UK for Nigeria.
Headline
Lady Arrested For Allegedly Harassing, Cyberstalking Crown Prince Of Benin Kingdom [VIDEO]
Published
6 hours agoon
May 13, 2024By
EditorCynthia Morgan has been arrested for allegedly persistently harassing and cyberstalking His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of the Benin Kingdom. Prince Ezelekhae Ewuare.
According to a lawsuit filed by his team of lawyers, the singer, also known as Madrina, has been desperately trying to reach the Prince and trailing him on his work days.
Frustrated at not meeting him, she allegedly began publishing lies and defamatory statements against him on Instagram from 2020 to date.
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According to the court documents, the Crown Prince filed a suit against her, warning her to desist from defaming him, but she ignored all his warnings.
She is also alleged to have attempted to contact him through various phone lines, which he immediately blocked.
She allegedly succeeded in reaching him via phone call on May 3rd, 2024, and began making statements that seemed to come from a place of delusion.
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Screenshots of chats allegedly sent by the singer to the Prince have also been released.
A video shared online shows Cynthia being led by men suspected to be police officers out of her home.
Recall that in November 2023, Cynthia publicly accused the Crown Prince of bewitching her and physically assaulting her to prevent her from marrying someone else.
The Crown Prince responded to these allegations on his Instagram story, announcing his intention to file a lawsuit against Cynthia.
At the time, the singer doubled down and shared images of her and the Prince from 2018.
She then promised to share her side of the story.
Watch the video below.
Headline
$2.5bn Fraud: EFCC To Collaborate With UK Prosecutors In Diezani’s Case
Published
16 hours agoon
May 13, 2024By
EditorThere were signs over the weekend that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission plans to join forces with the United Kingdom prosecutors as an interested party in the trial of former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in a UK court.
A team from the anti-graft commission is expected in London to initiate this process by filing relevant documents, the Nation reports.
According to a source privy to the information, the EFCC intends to share its findings and the Abuja high court’s forfeiture order concerning Diezani’s $2.5 million properties and vehicles with the UK court.
“This country may not be able to retrieve questionable assets from Diezani if the EFCC does not file an application as an interested party. We have received an advisory on this important bend to Diezani’s trial and we will be part of the case in the UK. A team will leave for London any moment from now to explore legal opportunities and file necessary papers as an interested party.
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“The overall aim is for Nigeria to benefit from Diezani’s trial, especially the recovery of all assets linked to funds looted in this country. The EFCC has sufficient evidence against Diezani, including a court order on the former minister’s $2.5 million homes and cars.
“In another case, a former chairman of EFCC confirmed that the commission recovered $153 million and secured the final forfeiture of over 80 properties in Nigeria valued at about $ 80 million. The allegations against Diezani by the EFCC border on the alleged stealing of about $2.5 billion from Nigeria’s coffers as a minister.” the source said.
The source continued, “It is necessary for this nation to rise to the occasion because, in March 2023, the NCA also provided evidence to the US Department of Justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling $53.1 million linked to Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.
“Like the P&ID case, the EFCC has sufficient evidence to pull through a case against Diezani. We want all stolen, diverted and questionable assets back in the custody of Nigeria for the good use of our citizens.I think the EFCC is collaborating with the NCA in the UK on this.
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“It is also unclear if the UK court will ask Diezani to return to Nigeria to serve prison terms if convicted. This is why we also need to be an interested party in the case in the UK.”
Last year, the Head of the NCA’s international corruption unit, Andy Kelly, said the “charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation”.
“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries.
“We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat.”
Diezani is currently facing trial at the Southwark Crown Court in the UK over an alleged £100,000 bribe.
READ ALSO: U.S. Man Who Received First-ever Modified Pig Kidney Transplant Dies
The National Crime Agency alleged that Diezani could have received benefits worth at least £100,000, including cash, chauffeured cars, private jet flights, luxury family vacations, and multiple London properties.
On October 2, 2023, a Magistrate Court granted bail to the former Minister for £70,000, considering her a potential flight risk.
The trial proceedings for Diezani’s case are scheduled to commence in November 2025.
In October 2023, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, submitted a warrant of arrest and request to the Crown Prosecution Services of the United Kingdom for the urgent extradition of a former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke.
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