The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Wednesday, sacked the member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency, Hon Amobi Ogah (Labour Party).

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It subsequently ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to withdraw the certificate of return given to Ogah and issue same to the Petitioner, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

The National/State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kano has on Wednesday upheld the victory of member representing Kiru/Bebeji House of Representatives, Abdulmumini Jibrin Kofa at the February 25th, 2023 general election.

The three Panel Judge presided over by Justice Ngozi Flora while delivering it judgment dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressive Congress, APC flag bearer, Muhammad Said Kiru on the ground that he failed to call cogent witnesses to prove disenfranchisement during the conduct of the election.

Justice Flora averred that the documents adduced before the Tribunal by both parties has indicated that the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP candidate, Kofa resigned his position as Executive Secretary of Federal Housing Authority, 30 days before the conduct of the Election against the assertion by the petitioner.

“The Petitioner has failed woefully to prove that there was Electoral malpractices and not in compliance with the provision of Electoral Act, 2022 as amended.

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“This Petitioner is hereby dismissed for lack of merit.

“The sum of N100,000 cost is awarded jointly and severally against the Petitioner in favour of Respondents,” Justice Flora however stated.

The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Kogi State has nullified the victory of Senator Abubakar Ohere as the winner of the Kogi Central senatorial election.

The declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the February 25 parliamentary election.

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In a unanimous judgment of the 3-man panel, the tribunal chairman, Justice K. A. Orjiako, said Ohere’s results were inflated in 9 polling units of Ajaokuta LGA in the said election.

He added that votes of the PDP candidate in the said election was intentional reduced in 9 polling units by the INEC Ward Collation officers.

Justice K. A. Orjiako also stated that 3 other polling units results was deliberately not entered for the PDP candidate in the same LGA.

The tribunal chairman said Natasha results in the 9 polling units of Ajaokuta LGA was 1,073 against the 77 that was recorded by the Ward Collation officers, stressing, that of the APC candidate was inflated to 1,553 against the actual figure of 1,031.

“The Tribunal is also convinced that the petitioner’s 996 votes in polling units 009, 046 and O49 polling units of Ganaja village of Ajaokuta LGA was deliberately not recorded at the Ward Collation centre,” Justice Orjiako held.

The tribunal added that it is not the duty of collation officers to reject results submitted by presiding officers from polling units in election that followed the electoral guidelines substantially.

He added that “the issues raised by the petitioner is hereby resolved in favour of the petitioners and after making the proper correction, Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan (PDP) having polled 54,074 against Abubakar Ohere (APC) who polled 51,291 is hereby declared the authentic winner.”

The tribunal, therefore, subsequently ordered the 3rd respondent (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of returns issued to Ohere and issue same to the PDP Candidate.

However, the court chided INEC for deliberately going out of its mandate of conducting a free and fair election by conniving with political parties to subvert the will of the people.

The tribunal therefore ordered INEC to pay N500,000 to the PDP candidate for ‘subverting justice’ in the Senatorial election.

In his response, Johnson Usman (SAN) , counsel to Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan, said the judgment has now validated the true winner of the Central Senatorial District election.

“This is victory for people of Kogi Central Senatorial district, victory for Kogi on general and victory for the election processes”, he said .

The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, has dismissed the allegation that President Bola Tinubu was convicted in the United States of America, USA, on a drug trafficking related charge.

The court, in its lead judgement in the joint petition that was filed by the Labour Party and its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, held that evidence before it established that the $460, 000 fine that was imposed on Tinubu in the US, was in a civil matter.

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It held that such fine did not translate to a criminal conviction that was capable of warranting Tibubu’s disqualification from contesting the presidential election that held on February 25.

Justice Haruna Tsammani, who led the five-member panel, held that a careful perusal of exhibits that were adduced before the court, showed that the case that led to the fine that was awarded against President Tinubu, “was in the civil docket” of the court in the US.

He held that contrary to the contention of the Petitioners, the case, was a civil forfeiture proceeding against funds that were in the bank and not an action that was against Tinubu as a person.

He described such civil forfeiture proceeding as a unique remedy that is targeted at a property and not the owner.

More so, the court held that Obi and the LP failed to show that Tinubu was indicted, arraigned, tried or convicted for any criminal offence in the USA.

The court further noted that following a letter the Inspector General of Police wrote in 2003, the American Embassy, confirmed that there was no criminal record against Tinubu in its centralized information center.

It held that both the letter from the IGP and the response from the US Embassy, were public documents that are admissible in evidence.

The court maintained that the Petitioners did not produce any evidence to establish that Tinubu was tried and convicted for an offence involving of dishonesty.

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has rejected, a copy of the report on the last presidential election made by the European Union (EU) Election Observers Mission tendered by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP).

The court held that the document was obtained by the petitioners from its registry, which was certified by its staff who is not a person with original custody of the document that was produced by the EU mission.

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Recall that the actual copy of the report was earlier tendered by Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while prosecuting their petition before the court.

The court also rejected the 18088 blurred results sheets tendered by the petitioners on the grounds that they were not tied to any polling units to which the results related, which the petitioners failed to specify in their petition.

The court held that the petitioners lied that they could not identify the polling units because the result sheets were blurred. It noted that one of the same petitioners’ witnesses actually produced a report in which he analysed the same results, which he claimed to have sourced from INEC’s results viewing platform.

It further noted that having admitted that its agents signed for and collected copies of the result sheets, the petitioners cannot claim not to know the polling units affected, but merely chose not to specify the polling units in their petition.

The Presidential Election Petition Court has said it is irrelevant that President Bola Tinubu failed to score 25% of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of the states of the federation, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Peter Obi and the Labour Party had prayed the court to declare him as the candidate that secured the majority of the lawful votes cast with the required constitutional spread of not less than 25% of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of the states of the federation, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

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But in its ruling on Wednesday, the court held that it is irrelevant.

It agrees with the argument of the respondent that “the FCT does not enjoy a special status and that Abuja is inhabited by Nigerians and that Abuja does not enjoy any special privilege.”

“It was observed as irrelevant,” it held.

Earlier the court said Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP) failed to prove anomalies in their petition against President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The Presidential Election Petitions Court has struck out the evidence of three witnesses of the Labour Party (LP) filed against the provisions of the law.

Reading the main judgment in the petition filed by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP), Justice Haruna Tsammani held that the witness’ statements were incompetent having been made in breach of the First Schedule of the Electoral Act, 2022.

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The justice held that three of the 13 witnesses called by LP: Professor Eric Ofoedu of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (PW 4); Ijeoma Osamor of the AIT (PW7); and Clarita Ogar of Amazon Web Services (PW 8) were inadmissible in evidence.

He explained that Ofoedu admitted in evidence that he was hired and began work before the election.

He added that Osamor admitted in evidence that the video recordings of INEC chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu were downloaded online.

Justice Tsammani held that Ogar admitted to being an interested party in the petition as a House of Representative candidate of the LP, adding that she also admitted to attending the court hearings as a witness, against the rules of the court.

The Presidential Election Petitions Court has held that the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacks the locus standi to challenge Peter Obi’s membership of the Labour Pary (LP).

APC and Bola Tinubu had in their petitions argued that Obi’s name was not contained in the list of LP members forwarded to INEC on April 25, 2022 and breached Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

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But in the lead judgment on the objections by the APC against the petitions of Obi and the LP, Justice Abba Bello Mohammed held that the matter was solely an internal affair of the political party.

“It is only the second respondent (LP) that has the sole prerogative of determining those who are its members,” he said.

Justice Mohammed also dismissed APC’s objection on the non-joinder of PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar in Obi and LP’s petition challenging the results of the election for him (Atiku) not being a necessary party in the petition.

It has been 100 days since the inauguration of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state.

How do you think the present administration has performed?

On facebook, Simon Edeh wrote;

“100 Days In Office: Ndi Enugu Have Seen That There Is No Tomorrow With Mbah.
There is no better way to describe a scam than what we have in Enugu State now.
Promises without action.
What we see everyday is showbiz with collaborators.”

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“Government is not about profit making, it is about protection of lives, property and promotion of the wellbeing of the citizens.
Within 27 days, justice will prevail and Ndi Enugu will rejoice again.”

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