Politics

Jonathan Knocks Judiciary Over Verdicts On Political Cases

Published

1 year ago

October 17, 2024

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday, flayed the judiciary over what he described as disturbing judgements that have emanated from various courts in recent times.

Jonathan, who spoke at the 67th birthday celebration of a legal luminary, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, in Abuja, said he was worried about the way things are going in the country, especially as it relates to judgements on political cases.

He said a particular judgement that deeply perturbed him was the decision of the Supreme Court that a ward chairman of a political party could suspend the National Chairman of the party.

Querying the rationale behind such decision, Ex-President Jonathan maintained that what the apex court did was akin to turning democracy, which he described as a cone, upside down.

“When a cone is turned upside down, it cannot stand because any little thing that touches it will fall,” Jonathan added, insisting that such judgements were capable of destablising the democratic dispensation in the country.

According to him, empowering Ward Chairmen of political parties to suspend their National Chairmen was a deviation from the principle of natural justice.

“You cannot tell me that the head of a department can expel the vice chancellor.

“Since that judgement was given, it has created all forms of instability. The PDP is in crisis today because of that judgement. The APC also faced the same problem at a time.

“Look at how other nations work; I have never seen where the sub-unit disciplines the principal.

“I am therefore pleading with the Supreme Court to review that judgement because it had turned the cone upside down,” ex-President Jonathan added.

He made the observations shortly after he was brought to the podium by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Even though Obasanjo was originally named the Chairman of the occasion, however, while proceeding to the podium to make his remarks, he took Jonathan along with him, announcing that he would be the co-chairman of the event.

In his speech, ex-President Obasanjo merely extolled the virtues of Prof. Ozekhome, SAN, whom he described as both “an extraordinary man” and “a radical.”

“Mike is a person who advocates for thorough or complete positive change with conviction, courage, and integrity.

“That is the man that we have come to honour,” Obasanjo stated before he passed the microphone to Jonathan.

Prior to his remarks, Jonathan, who disclosed that he wrote the forward of one of the 50 books that were written and presented at the event by Ozekhome, SAN, said he knew that ex-President Obasanjo would not want to delve into the issue he pointed out about the judiciary and the recent judgements.

Meanwhile, before the duo left the podium, Obasanjo, who took back the microphone, said, “I know that former President Jonathan said that I would not want to say anything.

“But, I want to say that there is much to say and it is not yet time for it.”

Related Topics:Goodluck Jonathan Jonathan

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Politics

Tinubu Sends Ex-INEC Chair, Former Oyo First Lady, 30 Additional Ambassadorial Nominees To Senate

Published

2 days ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has forwarded 32 additional ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, just days after submitting an initial batch of three names.

In two separate letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President urged the upper chamber to consider and swiftly confirm 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career nominees.

The list includes four women among the career nominees and six women among the non-career nominees.

Prominent names on the non-career list include Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia State; former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta); former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmud Yakubu; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; and former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Others are former Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Tasiu Musa Maigari; former Plateau State Commissioner, Yakubu N. Gambo; and former Deputy Executive Secretary of UBEC, Yakubu K. Musa.

Also nominated are former Plateau senator, Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut; former Lagos Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro; former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State.

Additional nominees include former Oyo First Lady, Fatima Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; former Adamawa senator, Grace Bent; former Abia governor, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim of Ondo State; and former envoy to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu (Benue).

The career ambassadorial nominees are Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi), and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun).

Others include Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara), and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).

The new nominees are expected to be deployed to countries with which Nigeria maintains strong and strategic diplomatic relations, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as to Permanent Missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.

Their specific postings will be determined after Senate confirmation.

Recall that President Tinubu, last week, forwarded three ambassadorial nominees, Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun), who are being considered for postings to the UK, USA, or France.

President Tinubu said additional ambassadorial nominations will be announced in due course.

Politics

Soludo Visits Tinubu, Goes Into Closed Door Session With President

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, on Thursday, paid a courtesy visit to the President, Bola Tinubu, GCFR at the State House.

Report by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Soludo, Mr Chris Aburime stated that President Tinubu received the Anambra State Governor with excitement, describing him as his long standing friend of over 22 years.

Aburime said, “The President used the occasion to further congratulate Governor Soludo on his landslide victory in the just concluded Anambra gubernatorial election.

“Recall that President Tinubu had earlier issued a congratulatory message to Governor Soludo immediately the governorship election was concluded.”

Governor Soludo was declared winner with 73% of the votes cast by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Other details of the meeting were, however, not disclosed as the press Secretary told DAILY POST that both men went into a closed door meeting after the reception.

Politics

2027: I Will Resign If Tinubu Loses In Edo – Governor Okpebholo

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholor has vowed that President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election in Edo State.

Okpebholor in an interview captured in a viral video vowed to resign if the outcome of the 2027 election does not favour the president in Edo State.

According to him, the entire people in Edo State are ready to vote for the president, citing projects that his (Okpebholor) administration executed since the All Progressives Congress, APC took over the state.

He claimed that there is no opposition in the state, stressing that everyone is supporting the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said, “There is no opposition here in Edo everybody is for Asiwaju in this state.

“Tinubu is more popular than me in Edo state. If he doesn’t win the presidential election in Edo in 2027, I will resign.”