The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the re-election of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State.

The three-judge panel dismissed the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Timipre Sylva, as incompetent and an abuse of court process.

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The appeal challenged the decision of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had previously dismissed the petition against Diri’s re-election.

The tribunal found that the APC and Sylva failed to provide credible evidence to support their claims of irregularities in the November 11, 2023 election.

The court affirmed the tribunal’s ruling that the additional evidence and witness statements submitted by the petitioners were inadmissible due to late filing, which violated the legal requirement that all evidence must be submitted within 21 days of the election results being declared.

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The tribunal also rejected allegations that Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo had submitted forged academic and NYSC certificates to INEC, stating that these were pre-election issues that should have been addressed earlier in a different court.

Sylva and the APC’s plea for the court to declare them the rightful winners was contradicted by their request for the election to be annulled, further weakening their case.

The tribunal emphasized that the petitioners did not meet the burden of proof to substantiate their claims of electoral irregularities.

Ultimately, the tribunal upheld the results announced by INEC, which declared Governor Diri the winner with 175,196 votes against Sylva’s 110,108 votes.

On Thursday, July 18, the Senate advanced a bill aimed at establishing a federal agency responsible for conducting local government elections in Nigeria.

The “Local Government Independent Electoral Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2024,” sponsored by Senator Sani Musa (APC – Niger East), successfully passed its first reading.

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This legislative move follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that granted financial autonomy to local governments across the country.

Senator Musa, who also serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, is leading the initiative to ensure a more structured and independent electoral process for local government elections.

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The bill’s introduction marks a Significant step toward enhancing the democratic framework and governance at the local level in Nigeria.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has come under fire from former APC National Vice Chairman for the Northwest, Salihu Moh lukman, who accused him of turning the Nigerian Senate into a subordinate entity of the APC-led Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu.

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Lukman’s criticism follows the dismissal of Senate Whip Mohammed Ndume by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, led by Abdullahi Ganduje.

In a statement titled “Fanatical Mindset,” issued on Thursday in Abuja, Lukman urged Nigerians to stand up and defend the country’s democracy.

Lukman questioned the democratic values of the current leadership, stating, “Nigerians should not tolerate leaders who are intolerant of criticism and behave like military tribunal officials.”

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He criticized the APC Senate Caucus for allowing such “illegality,” which he argued undermines the independence of the National Assembly.

The controversy began when the APC, in a letter to Akpabio, accused Ndume of making harmful and divisive comments about the government, particularly during a televised interview where he described the Tinubu administration as being run by “kakistocrats” and “kleptocrats.”

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The letter suggested that Ndume should “honorably resign” from the APC and join an opposition party.

Lukman argued that the APC’s actions confirm Ndume’s allegations, suggesting that key decisions are being made by a small group of party leaders without proper consultation.

He lamented the lack of functioning party organs, which he said should address such issues internally rather than through public statements.

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Lukman also echoed Ndume’s concerns about President Tinubu’s accessibility, alleging that influential figures within the party have effectively isolated the President.

He called for a united effort among opposition leaders and marginalized members of the APC to restore and rebuild Nigeria’s democracy.

LLukman condemned the APC’s treatment of Ndume and criticized Akpabio’s leadership, warning that such actions threaten the democratic principles of the nation.

He urged patriotic Nigerians to work towards ensuring the defeat of the APC in the 2027 elections if these issues persist.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared that despite the Supreme Court’s judgment granting financial autonomy to local government councils, the true liberation of local governments from the dominance of state governors can only be achieved through the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).

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Dr. Ralphs Okey Nwosu, the ADC National Chairman, emphasized that the control exercised by governors over state and local governments is a major hindrance to the development of democracy in Nigeria.

He made these remarks during a colloquium organized for ADC members in the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Wednesday.

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Nwosu argued that for the political process to be credible, governors must not have the power to manipulate local government autonomy through SIECs.

He stated, “State governors have laid waste to our democracy. They have reduced our intellectuals to nothing. Commissioners are like messengers; it is shameful to be a commissioner in Nigeria.”

The National Chairman highlighted recent local government elections in Delta and Adamawa States, where, despite the Supreme Court ruling, the ruling parties in these states won all the chairmanship and councillorship positions.

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He insisted that for genuine democracy at the local government level, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should conduct all elections in the country.

Nwosu urged ADC members to transform the party from a “government-in-waiting” to a governing party, stating, “ADC cannot continue to be a party in waiting while the country bleeds.”

He assured that the party would work to end the practice of making Abuja an “amorphous state” where appointed ministers threaten elected officials.

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“Abuja is a melting point for all Nigerians and foreigners. It does not belong to anybody. ADC will remodel Abuja,” he said.

He also commended the FCT chapter of the ADC for their achievements and encouraged them to prepare for the upcoming Area Council elections, challenging them to be ready to take over power and form governments in the 36 states and 774 local government areas of the country.

The Borno State Governor’s Media Unit has denied reports circulating on some online platforms alleging that one of Governor Babagana Zulum’s sons has been arrested and sentenced to prison for the murder of Indian citizens.

In a statement signed by Abdurrahman Ahmed Bundi, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, and made available on Wednesday night, the Media Unit said “the attention of the Borno State Governor’s Media Unit has been drawn to rumors circulating that the son of the Borno State Governor has been arrested for the alleged murder of some Indian citizens.

“This misinformation was published on an online blog, Nairaland, under the title ‘Son of Borno State Governor Murders Someone In India—Politics.’

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The blog falsely claimed that the Governor traveled to India, attempting to use diplomatic status to resolve the matter.

“It is on record that Governor Babagana Zulum was on a one-month vacation in Saudi Arabia for the 2024 Hajj and later traveled to Egypt to attend the annual ASWAN forum conference in Cairo.

“The Media Unit would like to clarify and set the record straight that Nairaland and other online blogs have mischievously spread defamatory content without any speck of truth.

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“We hereby warn Nairaland and all those who have spread this false information to remove the misinformation from their websites and platforms within the next 24 hours and offer an unreserved apology to Governor Zulum, his son, and the entire family, or risk legal action. The Governor shall not hesitate to take legal action against any media outlet that continues to publicize this defamatory information.”

“We would like to inform the public that none of Governor Zulum’s sons was either arrested or charged with any crime, or involved in any unlawful activities anywhere.

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“We urge the public to exercise caution when consuming and sharing information, particularly from unverified sources and blogs instead of credible media outlets.

“We enjoin all media organizations to engage in responsible journalism of truth and factual verification while recognizing the potential harm and psychological trauma the spread of false information might have caused to the Governor’s family.”

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The statement concluded by addressing the unverified rumors on social media that the Governor’s first son, who recently got married, had divorced his wife and committed murder abroad.

Our correspondent noted that these rumors have caused significant distress but reiterated the government’s firm stance that these allegations are entirely baseless.