News
Crisis: Edo PDP Ask Court To Stop State Local Government Elections
Published
10 months agoon
By
EditorBy Joseph Ebi Kanjo
The protracted crisis rocking the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may not come to an end soon as a faction of the party had approached a High Court sitting in Benin, praying the court to stop the State local government election scheduled for September, 2023.
The PDP faction loyal to the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, and led by the state Chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemhim on Saturday, May 27th, 2023, purportedly held primaries of aspirants for the elective offices while the State Electoral Commission consequently scheduled the l election for September, 2023.
But the party faction led by Chief Hilary Otsu, Secretary, Edo State chapter of the PDP, through its Counsel, Omorodion Ehigiator, Esq., in a restraining order marked: B/506/2023 and dated June the 9th, 2023, prayed the State High court to declare the Aziegbemi faction primaries as unconstitutional, illegal, invalid and void.
READ ALSO: Edo: EDSIEC Extends Date For Primaries For LG Election, Insists Election Date Remains
The claimants in the suit seeking a stop to the local government election are: Hilary Otsu, Secretary, Edo State chapter of the PDP; Johnson Tunde, PDP Ward 3 Chairman, Akoko-Edo local government council; Kure Benedict, PDP Ward 3 Secretary, Akoko-Edo local government council; Ebade Christopher, PDP Ward 4 Chairman, Etsako Central local government council; Alabi Moses, PDP Ward 4 Secretary, Etsako Central local government council, and 13 other ward chairmen and secretaries across different local government councils of the state.
Defendants in the suit are: Dr. Tony Aziegbemhim, Chairman, Edo State chapter of the PDP (1st Defendant); the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (2nd Defendant) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) (3rd Defendant)
Among prayers by the Claimants is:
“A declaration that the primaries of the 2nd Defendant, Peoples Democratic Party purportedly held in Edo State on Saturday 27th May, 2023 without the sanction approval of the National Executive Committee of the 2nd Defendant to nominate the candidates for Local Government Election in Edo State is unconstitutional, illegal,invalid, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”
READ ALSO: [JUST IN] Court Order: Edo LG Elections Suspended
The Claimants also seek: “A declaration that any list of 2nd Defendant’s candidates for Local Government Election in Edo State emerging from the aforesaid purported primaries of 2nd Defendant purportedly held on 27th May, 2023, is unconstitutional, invalid, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”
And that: “An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 3rd Defendant from acting on or recognizing any purported list of the candidates for Local Government Election, 2023 in Edo State.”
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A Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of the University of Benin, Edo State, Prof. Pius Iribhogbe, is dead.
Until his demise, Prof. Iribhogbe was also a consultant trauma surgeon, head of the Department of Surgery and coordinator of the School of Paramedics at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
The academic scholar passed on in Saudi Arabia.
UNIBEN’s Public Relations Officer, Dr Benedicta Ehanire, who confirmed the surgeon’s death said the school was yet to issue a statement.
News
Residents Displaced As Rainstorms Wreck Havoc In Edo Community
Published
3 hours agoon
April 27, 2024By
EditorLampese community in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State has been ravaged by rainstorms.
The incident was said to have occurred Friday as a result of a heavy downpour which affected many houses including the electricity transformer.
An eyewitness account described the incident as very unfortunate following the level of devastation.
Residents of the community have therefore called on the state and local governments and all concerned authorities to come to their rescue with a view to proffering urgent solutions and resettling displaced residents.
READ ALSO: PHOTOS: Properties Worth Millions Destroyed As Fire Razes Shops In Benin
Reacting to the situation, the local government council chairman, Tajudeen Suleman, who said he was far away in Enugu State for an official engagement, disclosed that he has mobilised the council officials to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment immediately he got the news, promising to visit victims as soon as he returns today.
He also said he was in touch with the state deputy governor, Marvellous Omobayo and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on moves to fast track the process of resettling affected persons.
News
Lawyer Drags NERC, AGF, Minister Of Power To Court Over Electricity Tariff Hike
Published
3 hours agoon
April 27, 2024By
EditorA Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Joe Agi, has taken legal action against the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Abuja Electricity Distribution (AEDC) for allegedly raising his electricity tariff by 230 per cent.
The case is currently being heard by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Agi is seeking the protection of his fundamental rights.
In his application, the senior lawyer asks the court to declare that the new tariffs and the hours of supply violate the Electricity Act of 2023 and Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution.
The applications list NERC, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, and AEDC as the first to fourth respondents, respectively.
READ ALSO: Customer Drags NERC, AGF To Court Over Electricity Tariff Hike, Classification
In the attached affidavit submitted with the lawsuit, the attorney stated that he purchased 682kwh of utility from the AEDC on both March 23 and April 3, for a total of N50,000.
Furthermore, Agi declared that on April 6, he made another N50,000 utility purchase, but this time the value of the purchase was reduced to 206.7kwh.
He expressed his concern regarding this unexpected change but later discovered that the NERC and AEDC had implemented a system known as “bands” in the country. Under this system, NERC issued the April 2024 Supplementary Order to the Multi-Year Tariff Order 2024.
“That from the tariffs shared, the 1st and 4th respondents (NERC and AEDC) increased my tariffs by 230%, whereas others had theirs increased by 236%,177% and some others 0% in Nigeria.
READ ALSO: Electricity Workers Fault Tariff Hike, Threaten Strike
“The tariffs are discriminatory and the hours of supply are discriminatory between consumers and consumer categories and should be cancelled,” the SAN prayed the court.
Agi criticized the statement made by NERC’s chairman, Musiliu Oseni, on April 1st, where he stated that “only 15% of the electricity consumers in the country who consume 40% of the nation’s electricity are the ones affected.”
In Agi’s view, this directive creates a distinction between the 15% and the remaining 85% of consumers in Nigeria, which he considers discriminatory.
He argued that the use of US Dollars to determine tariffs in Nigeria is unnecessary and goes against public policy.
READ ALSO: Edo Guber: ‘Which Campaign Council’, Orbih Fumes, Rejects Inclusion
Consequently, the applicant requested “a declaration that the NERC Supplementary Order to the MYTO 2024 is discriminatory, unconstitutional, and a clear violation of the applicant’s right to freedom from discrimination as guaranteed under Section 116 (2) (e) of the Electricity Act, 2023, and Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended).”
He also stated that it violates the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Vol. 1LEN 2004.
Agi also requested the court to declare that the use of the United States of American dollar exchange rate to determine the cost of tariffs in Nigeria is illegal, unconstitutional, and against public policy. Additionally, he sought an order to invalidate the NERC Supplementary Order to the MYTO 2024, as it is discriminatory and a clear violation of his right to freedom from discrimination as protected by the law.
However, no hearing date has been scheduled for this matter.
Recall that on April 3, NERC increased the electricity tariff for customers in the Band A category, who receive 20 hours of power supply daily, from N66/kWh to N225/kWh.
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