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Ighodalo, PDP Tender Over 1000 Documents At Edo Election Tribunal To Upturn Okpebholo’s Victory

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The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election, Asue Ighodalo on Friday opened his case by tendering over 1000 documents used in the election, in support of his petition.

Ighodalo and the PDP in a petition marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024 are contesting Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the election, alleging that there were irregularities during the exercise.

Ighodalo claimed that he scored the highest valid votes and not Okpebholo, wondering why the INEC would declare Okpebholo the winner of the election.

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When hearing resumes on Friday, the Lead Counsel to the Petitioners, Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN, tendered from the bar Certified True Copy (CTC) of Form EC8E which is the INEC’s final declaration result sheet of the poll in support of the petitioners’ cases.

READ ALSO: Edo Election Tribunal Adjourns Hearing Over Row On Presentation Of Documents

Kenneth Mozia, who conducted the presentations at the instance of Oyeyipo also tendered CTC of Form EC8D; the summary of results from Local Government Areas Collation at the State Level.

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Other documents tendered were Certified True Copies of Form EC8Cs, covering the 18 Local Government Areas in the state, CTC of Forms EC8B (Wards Results Sheets) used for the conduct of the election in the 192 Wards in the state were also tendered by Mozia, all in support of the petitioner’s cases.

The petitioners further tendered in evidence 320 Certified True Copies of Form EC8A documents (polling Units results sheets),

While presenting before the court 318 CTCs of INEC’s Polling Units Booklets, each containing Form EC25D, Mozia, again, tendered in court 58 CTCs of Form EC8A (IREV).

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READ ALSO: APC, PDP Trade Blames On Edo Election Tribunal Shooting

Reacting, counsels to INEC, Governor Monday Okpebholo and APC (1st to 3rd respondents), Kanu Agabi, SAN, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, and D.C. Denwigwe, SAN, who held the brief of Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the documents

The respondent’s counsel told the court that they would be abducing reasons for their objections to the petitioners’ CTC documents at the final address stage of the petition.

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Justice Wilfred Kpochi led-tribunal in response provisionally admitted all the documents tendered in evidence and marked the same as exhibits.

Learned counsel to the respondents shall state their reasons for their objections at the address stage”, Justice Kpochi held.

Hearing on the petition continues tomorrow, Saturday, December 18, 2024 as the petitioners are expected to tender more documents in support of their petitions.

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JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

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The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

READ ALSO:Ladoja Coronation Date As 44th Olubadan Revealed

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The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

Details later…

 

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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

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The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

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The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

READ ALSO:FG Introduces Chinese Language Into School Curriculum

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By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

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Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

READ ALSO:FG Gives Mining Firms Deadline For Community Agreements

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“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

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In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

READ ALSO:FG Gazettes New Tax Reform Laws

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He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

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This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.

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