Appeal Court Dismisses Uba, PDP’s Suit Against Gov Alia, Deputy

The Court of Appeal, Abuja division on Monday, dismissed an appeal instituted by the Governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Titus Uba, challenging the election of Hyacinth Alia as the elected Governor of Benue State. In a judgement delivered by the lead Justice, Onyekachi Aja Otisi dismissed the allegations of non qualifications made by Uba against the Deputy Governor, Samuel Ode. In a unanimous judgment, the Appallate Court held that the PDP gubernatorial candidate failed to establish forgery of INEC form EC9 by Ode beyond reasonable doubt as required by law. Among others, the Court of Appeal said that the issues of non qualifications are pre-election matters which can only be challenged at a Federal High Court and not at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal as done by Uba. Also, Justice Otisi said that a suit to challenge non qualifications can only be instituted within 14 days of occurrence of the subject matter. The Court also dealt with the allegations by Uba that the name of the Governor, Hyacinth Alia was not not submitted by the All Progressives Congress APC to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC within 180 days before the election of March 18. The Court held that the allegations can survive because the primary election that produce Alia was ordered by a High Court and was done within the period ordered by the court. In the final analysis, Justice Otisi held that the appeal of Uba against the judgment of Benue State Election Petition Tribunal delivered on September 23 lacked merit and was dismissed. The Court subsequently upheld the judgment of the Tribunal and rejected the plea of Uba to void it and set it aside.

Terrorism Charges: Nnamdi Kanu Knows Fate Dec 15

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has officially set December 15, 2023, as the date for delivering its judgment in the highly anticipated case involving the federal government of Nigeria and the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. This announcement was made by the apex court on Thursday, following the completion of final submissions by the legal teams representing both the federal government and Nnamdi Kanu.  Recall that the Court of Appeal in Abuja, on October 13, 2022, ordered the release of Kanu from detention, while also dismissing a 15-count terrorism charge brought against him by the FG. The three-member panel unanimously reached this decision, stating that the Nigerian government had violated established laws by forcibly bringing Kanu from Kenya for trial, thus stripping the trial court of jurisdiction.  Following this verdict, the FG, dissatisfied with the ruling, appealed to the Supreme Court and obtained a suspension of the judgement’s execution pending the appeal’s determination.

Presidential Tribunal to announce verdict Sept 6, okays live broadcast

Putting an end to two weeks of suspense, the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has officially confirmed that it will deliver its judgment on Wednesday, September 6. This landmark decision comes after three petitions contesting the victory of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election. The Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Umar Mohammed Bangari, disclosed this important date in Abuja on Monday, putting to rest the speculations that had been swirling around the case. Bangari assured that the court is taking every measure to ensure a smooth and trouble-free delivery of the judgment in response to the three petitions. These petitions were filed by Abubakar Atiku, the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP); Peter Obi, his counterpart from the Labour Party; and the Allied People Movement (APM) under the APC umbrella. In an effort to maintain order and security, Bangari mentioned that stringent security measures have been implemented. Access to the courtroom will be restricted, permitting only invited members of political parties and the general public to enter. This approach is intended to prevent overcrowding and potential security breaches. Furthermore, Bangari announced that interested television stations would be allowed to broadcast the proceedings live, without any associated costs to the court. However, to ensure security and crowd control, certain restrictions will be in place around the court premises. A notable decision by the court was to reserve judgment on the petitions submitted by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, scheduling them for delivery on the same day as Peter Obi’s Labour Party petition. Notably, last week, the court refuted the claims that it had set September 16 as the date for the judgment, clarifying the actual date as September 6.