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Says the 10 witnesses were subpoenaed, and their statements filed after the hearing started The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal has rejected 10 out of 13 witnesses presented by the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi. Justice Haruna Tsammani, while delivering judgment on the petition filed by Obi and LP, said on Wednesday that only three witnesses, whose statements are on oath, were filed along with the petition. The remaining 10 witnesses, the Justice noted, were subpoenaed, and their witness statements on oath were only filed after the hearing started. Tsammani stated that according to section 285 of the Nigerian constitution, section 137(7) of the Electoral Act 2022, and other provisions, every witness statement on oath must be filed along with the petition. He said that based on the Supreme Court authority, once the 21-day window for filing an election petition elapses, the petition’s content cannot be amended. Tsammani said the petitioners were aware of

There is heavy security presence at the Court of Appeal Headquarters in Abuja, where the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, is going to deliver judgement on three petitions that are seeking to remove President Bola Tinubu from office. Heavily armed security agents from the Nigeria Army, Nigeria Police Force, NPF, and the Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps, NSCDC, are stationed in all entry points to the court, while men of the Department of State Services, DSS, with long lists, verify identities of everyone entering the premises. The court had warned that it would only allow accredited persons into its premises, even as it directed its staff members to stay at home. However, the court said it would permit live broadcast of its judgement on the three petitions. The Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel of the court had on August 1, okayed the cases for judgement, after all the parties adopted their final briefs of argument. The petitions, marked: CA/PEPC/03/2023,

  The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, has dismissed the allegation by the Labour Party, LP, and its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, that the 2023 presidential election was rigged in favour of President Bola Tinubu. The court, in its preliminary ruling that was delivered by Justice Abba Mohammed, held that Obi and the the LP, did not by way of credible evidence, establish their allegation that the election that held on February 25, was characterized by manifest corrupt practices.   It held that though the Petitioners alleged that the election was marred by irregularities, they, however, failed to give specific details of where the alleged infractions took place.   The court noted that whereas Obi and the LP, insisted that the election was rigged in 18, 088 polling units across the federation, they were unable to state the locations of the said polling units.   More so, it held that the Petitioners were unable to state the figures they claimed were reduced from el

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, will today begin a two-day warning strike after shunning a meeting with the Federal Government over increasing hardship and suffering across the country caused by the removal of fuel subsidy. This came as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, yesterday warned that the strike will worsen the plights of ordinary Nigerians and urged NLC to shelve the action. The NLC had on Friday, given notice of a two-day warning strike to protest the excruciating mass suffering and impoverishment experienced around the country, threatening a total and indefinite shutdown of the economy within 14 working days or 21 days after the warning strike, if government did not take steps to address the hardship experienced across the country. While briefing on Friday after its NEC’s meeting, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said: “NEC in session of NLC resolved to embark on a total and indefinite shutdown of the nation within 14 working days or 21 days from today until st

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja has announced Wednesday, September 6, 2023 date to deliver judgment in the petitions filed by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku challenging the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election. The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu had, on March 1, declared Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election, having scored the highest votes cast in the election. Peter Obi and his party, the Labour Party, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are, in their various petitions seeking the nullification of Tinubu’s election on the grounds of substantial non-compliance with the Constitution, the El

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a drug kingpin, Ngene Onyedikachi, who was responsible for recruiting fake couple smugglers arrested in Lagos on August 1, 2023, while hard drugs of various forms were seized across the country in different operations. On August 6, 2023, reported the arrest of the fake couple, Onyebuchi and Nonyelum by operatives of the NDLEA for ingesting 184 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.322kg with 100grams of the drug also concealed in the woman’s private part. Meanwhile, the agency, on Sunday said it arrested some other suspects, Peter Iwebema, Ekechukwu Ndubuisi, Suleiman Oba, Nafiu Arzika, Jamilu Aminu and Ismaila Razak among others, for various drug-related offences across the country. In a statement obtained by our correspondent on Sunday, the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said Onyedikachi was arrested at his Akoka, Yaba residence by operatives of the NDLEA on Friday. Babafemi said, “The NDLEA operatives on

A 43-year-old man, Azeez Isa, has been arrested for attempting to rob a new generation bank opposite the Maplewood Estate in the Oko Oba area of Lagos State. According to a police source, Isa was caught with a sledgehammer which he used to hit the security door of the bank while trying to gain entry. The source who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The security guards attached to the bank heard the sound of someone hitting an object early in the morning. “They traced the sound and found a man using a sledgehammer to hit the security door. He kept hitting the door repeatedly without minding that the sound could attract the attention of people around there.” The police source said the security guards were at first scared because they didn’t know who else was with him during the operation. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident. “We got the distress call around 4.20 am and our patrol team responded swiftly. The man was arrested while stil

A massive shake up in the structure of Delta Queens FC of Asaba is imminent following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2023/23 CAF Women’s Champions League. Delta Queens lost the CAF Champions League WAFU B ticket to Ampem Darkoa of Ghana, who beat them 1-0 in the final of the play-off in Benin City, Edo State, last week. It was match, channeled their attention into payment of allowances, instead of focusing on the task of winning the match. An official of the club alleged that officials of Delta State Sports Commission embezzled money released by the state government for the team during the competition. According to the source, the club officials were only paid allowances for one day from July and August, and N60,000 for three match bonuses, and that they were denied Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s approved $100 each daily allowance. However, chairman of Delta Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa, who rushed back from Budapest, venue of the 19th World Athletics Championships in Hungary