News

FULL LIST: State Governors Sacked By Court So Far And Reasons

Published

2 years ago

November 20, 2023

In a judgment on Sunday, the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Elphreda Williams-Dawodu, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the Certificate of Return given to Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State.

The court declared Nentawe Goshwe of the All Progressives Congress the rightful winner of the March 18 governorship election, ordering INEC to issue a new Certificate of Return to him.

Courts have sacked at least three governors whose elections were contested by opposing parties and deemed one election inconclusive, barely nine months after the elections.

The following is a list of sacked state governors and the grounds given by the court:

Abba Kabir Yusuf (NNPP)

The NNPP received 1,019,602 votes to defeat the APC, whose candidate, Nasir Gawuna, received 890,705 votes, according to INEC. As a result, the NNPP candidate won by a margin of 128,897 votes.

The Election Petitions Tribunal, under the leadership of Justice Oluyemi Osadebay, invalidated the election of Governor Yusuf. The tribunal made this decision by declaring 165,663 votes, garnered by Yusuf invalid.

The ballot papers for the 165,663 votes were not signed or stamped, according to the judge, and thus were invalid.

The court ordered that Yusuf’s certificate of return be revoked and that a fresh one be issued to Gawuna.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja also upheld the tribunal’s decision.

The three-member panel, led by Justice M.A Adumeh, determined that Yusuf was not on his political party’s membership list.

He stated that a party must hold the names of its registered members in both hard and soft copies, citing a clause of the Electoral Act.

The judge stated that the tribunal erred in failing to disqualify Yusuf in its ruling.

“The tribunal was wrong not to have disqualified him. The failure to comply with Section 177(c) is fatal to their election. . Where a party carelessly nominates a candidate such is a nullity irrespective of whether he performs well. Sponsorship without membership is like putting nothing on something, it cannot stand. This is a clear example of acting with brazen impunity as if the Constitution is not binding,” he held.

Yusuf has, however, vowed to reclaim his mandate at the Supreme Court.

Abdullahi Sule (APC)

The Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sacked the state governor, Abdullahi Sule, in October and ordered INEC to revoke his Certificate of Return and give it to David Ombugadu of the PDP.

Ombugadu had taken Sule to court to contest INEC’s announcement of Sule as the winner of the election.

He told the tribunal that his actual votes were unfairly lowered while Sule of the APC’s votes were boosted to help him win, notably in the EC8Bs of Gayam and Chiroma Wards of Lafia Local Government Area.

The tribunal, led by Justice Ezekiel Ajayi, in its decision deducted the incorrect votes added to Sule and added back the votes which were reduced from the overall votes of David Ombugadu. This decision was based on the certified copies of the polling units results (forms EC8A) that were presented by the petitioners.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday, November 15, reserved judgment on the appeal.

Dauda Lawal (PDP)

INEC had declared Dauda Lawal of the PDP as the winner of the Zamfara State governorship election, defeating the incumbent governor, Bello Matawalle of the APC.

Matawalle had filed a case with the tribunal contesting the results of the governorship election on March 18, but it was dismissed due to lack of merit.

The Court of Appeal issued its decision on Thursday, November 16, declaring the election inconclusive and ordering INEC to hold new elections in two local governments.

According to the appellate court, Matawalle, who is currently the Minister of State for Defence, was able to establish Lawal’s invalid election.

The governor, in a statement by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, said his legal team was reviewing the judgment before taking the next necessary action.

Caleb Mutfwang (PDP)

Nentawe Goshwe of the APC challenged the victory of Caleb Mutfwang at the tribunal, claiming that the governor was not validly nominated and sponsored by his party.

A three-member panel of the tribunal headed by Justice R. Irele-Ifijeh, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the petition of Goshwe for lacking merit.

The three-member panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu ruled on Sunday, November 19, that the governor was not legitimately sponsored by the PDP for the election, citing Section 177 of the Constitution.

The judge pointed out that the PDP failed to adhere to a standing High Court order, which mandated the party to organise a legitimate party congress before endorsing candidates for the governorship and other positions.

Mutfwang, who has directed his legal team to submit an appeal with the Supreme Court, expressed hope that the mandate bestowed upon him by the people of the state would be reinstated.

News

Edo Assembly Invites Obaseki, Others For Questioning Over MOWAA

Published

9 minutes ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

The controversy surrounding the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) and Radisson Hotel, remains unabated as Edo State House of Assembly Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the matter has invited a former governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki for questioning.

A statement by Secretary of the Ad-hoc Committee, Bekisu Oshone, on Thursday, stated that the former governor and others are expected to appear on December 4, 2025.

Other persons invited by the committee are a former Edo Finance Commissioner, Joseph Eboigbe, former Attorney General of Edo State, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, MOWAA’s Director, Philip Iheanacho and Managing Director, Tilbury House Nigeria Limited.

According to her, others invited are Project Manager of Hospitality Investment and Management Company, Pramod Thorat, Managing Director, Afrinvest Capital Limited, Ugochukwu Anigbogu, Managing Director, Meristem Trustees Limited and
Managing Director, Emerging Africa Trustees Limited.

The statement reads: “The Edo State House of Assembly Ad hoc Committee constituted to investigate the Museum of West African Arts and Radisson Hotel invites former Governor Godwin Obaseki and 10 others/organization (listed above) to appear before the committee for public hearing on December 4.”

She said attendance by Obaseki and others was required as part of the committee’s investigation.

The former governor and other invitees are expected to give insights into funding of the Radisson Hotel.

The MOWAA and Radisson Hotel were both conceptualized by Obaseki.

While first phase of the MOWAA has been completed, Radisson Hotel is near completion.

Recall that an exhibition at the museum turned chaotic on November 9 after angry protesters stormed the venue, forcing a high-profile event to shut down abruptly.

The preview opening, described as a private exhibition for investors, artists, and foreign envoys, quickly descended into panic when a mob claiming the museum belonged to the Oba of Benin breached parts of the premises.

News

Police, PSC Set Up Committee To Recruit 30,000 New Officers

Published

48 minutes ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

The Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have set up a high-powered joint Ad-hoc Committee to drive the immediate commencement of the recruitment of 30,000 new officers.

The PSC disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, following the inauguration of the Ad-hoc Committee on Wednesday, 26th November, 2025 by the Chairman, Police Service Commission DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu (rtd) at the Police Service Commission Corporate Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja.

The establishment of the committee followed the presidential directive to bolster the numerical strength of the NPF and enhance national security.

According to the statement, the primary mandate of the Joint Ad-hoc Committee is to collaborate and brainstorm on creating a seamless, transparent, and efficient recruitment process.

It added that the committee will work to ensure the exercise is conducted with the highest standards of integrity and merit.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, who was represented by DIG (Bar) Taiwo Lakanu (rtd), said that “the collaboration is crucial for a successful exercise”.

Lakanu, who is also the Chairman, Nigeria Police Force Matters Committee, PSC reiterated the commission’s commitment to ensuring that the recruitment is fair and based on established guidelines.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, was represented at the event by CP Edwin Eloho of the Department of Training and Development, Force Headquarters.

Egbetokun emphasised the importance of the recruitment in strengthening the police force’s capacity to serve and protect the citizens of Nigeria.

The IGP affirmed the NPF’s full cooperation with the PSC to ensure the timely and successful achievement of this national objective.

“The inauguration of this committee marks a critical step forward in the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing security challenges and improving the police-to-citizen ratio across the country,” he said.

The PSC is the Federal Executive Body empowered to appoint, promote, dismiss, and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding offices in the Nigeria Police Force, except the IGP.

The NPF is the principal law enforcement agency in Nigeria. It is designated to, amongst others, prevent and detect crime, protect lives and property, and maintain public order and safety.

President Bola Tinubu on Monday presided over a high-level security meeting with Nigeria’s top military and intelligence chiefs at the State House, Abuja, as the administration intensified efforts to confront emerging and persistent security threats across the country.

The closed-door session was confirmed by the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, who shared updates via his X handle, @DOlusegun.

The Service Chiefs in attendance included the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Major General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Kennedy Aneke, as well as IGP Egbetokun, and the Director-General of the Department of State Service.

The appointments of the new Service Chiefs, announced by President Tinubu in October 2025, form part of a broader effort to reinforce Nigeria’s security architecture.

Also present was Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, who continues to serve as Chief of Defence Intelligence, alongside other senior security advisers and heads of relevant agencies.

News

Guinea-Bissau Coup: FG Gives Update On Ex-President Jonathan

Published

58 minutes ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, is safe and has left Guinea-Bissau following the military takeover that disrupted the country’s electoral process, the Federal Government confirmed on Thursday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, told journalists in Abuja that Jonathan departed on a special flight with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas.

“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau. He left with a special flight with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas,” he said.

Jonathan had been in the country as head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, monitoring the presidential and legislative elections held on Sunday. The military seized control before official results were announced.

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Jonathan, alongside Filipe Nyusi, former president of Mozambique and head of the African Union Election Observation Mission, and Issifu Kamara, head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, condemned the coup as a direct attempt to disrupt Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process. The statement called for calm and reaffirmed support for the country during the crisis, stressing the need to preserve peace and stability.

The Federal Government also condemned the military action, describing it as an unconstitutional change of government that violated the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

The crisis escalated on Wednesday when military officers declared “total control” of Guinea-Bissau, closed its borders, and suspended electoral activities.

Heavy gunfire was reported near the presidential palace, and key access routes were blocked. General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, announced that a command “composed of all branches of the armed forces was taking over the leadership of the country until further notice.”

Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo later confirmed in a phone call with France24 that he had been deposed, while opposition candidate Fernando Dias also claimed victory in Sunday’s elections. The military claimed it had uncovered a plot involving “national drug lords” and the importation of weapons “to alter the constitutional order.”

Jonathan and other election observers had been temporarily trapped in the country as outgoing flights were suspended. While he remained in Guinea-Bissau, his spokesperson confirmed he was unharmed and maintaining contact with colleagues. Jonathan and fellow African leaders condemned the intervention and urged the immediate release of detained electoral officials so that the process could be concluded.

The joint statement from Jonathan and the observer missions urged the African Union and ECOWAS to act swiftly to restore constitutional order and called on the people of Guinea-Bissau to remain calm, emphasising the importance of safeguarding peace, stability, and public welfare during the period of uncertainty.