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Showdown imminent between IPOB lawyers, DSS over continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu
There may showdown between lawyers of Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu and the Department of State Services (DSS), over the failure of the latter to release him more than 72 hours after he was set free by Abuja Court of Appeal.
The Punch reports Senior Counsel for Kanu and Lead Counsel for the IPOB, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, as saying the legal team would be formally approaching the DSS headquarters on Monday with the enrolled order of court and judgement of the Court of Appeal, which would be available for immediate compliance.
While citing legal authorities, he said the freedom of Nnamdi Kanu, which was his fundamental and constitutionally guaranteed right, could not be stayed.
Should the government and its security agencies refuse to release Kanu, he said far-reaching extant legal remedies, including reporting Nigeria to international agencies, would be activated to ensure immediate compliance with the court order.
Ejiofor said these in an interview with The PUNCH in Abuja.
The Court of Appeal (Abuja Division) had on Thursday freed Kanu of the terrorism and treasonable felony charges preferred against him by the Federal Government.
The three-member panel of Justices of the Appellate Court had, in the judgement, set aside the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which quashed eight out of 15 counts charge preferred against Kanu.
The Appellate Court in the unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Oludotun Adefope-Okojie declared as illegal and unlawful the abduction of Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria and quashed the entire seven charges retained by the trial court against him on the ground that the Federal Government breached all local and international laws in the forceful rendition of Kanu to Nigeria, thereby making the terrorism charges against him incompetent and unlawful.
But Ejiofor, who expressed optimism that Kanu would be out of prison today (Monday), advised the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to do the needful by obeying the court order.
He said, “It has been my position that the Federal Government has a right to appeal to the Supreme Court, which is a constitutionally guaranteed right. But the only impediment to the exercise of that right is that the Federal Government must first of all comply with the Order of the Learned Justices of the Court of Appeal which discharged Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and prohibited further indictment or commencing any fresh criminal charge against him.
“It is a settled law, as has been held by the Supreme Court in plethora of cases, including the apex court’s decision in the case of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Vs Lagos State Government, that an appellant will not be in contempt of an order of a lower court, and approach the Supreme Court in search of equitable remedies to stay execution. It is more so when by the effect of the Judgement of the Court Appeal under reference emphatically set aside the order of the lower court and the frivolous charge which had hitherto legitimised his detention from June 29 2022, they are now terminated and became extinct on October 13 2022.
“Furthermore, the freedom of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu which is his fundamental and constitutionally guaranteed right cannot be stayed.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is yet to be released, though we will be formally approaching the State Security Service Headquarters on Monday with the enrolled order of court, and judgement of the Court of Appeal which will be available on Monday, for immediate compliance. We expect to have Mazi Nnamdi Kanu released to us today, being October 17 2022.
“The Federal Government is yet to file any appeal against the judgement of the Court of Appeal, as at today. But as I had earlier stated, the Federal Government must first of all obey the order of the Court of Appeal and release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who has been discharged by the Court of Appeal, before challenging the judgement before the Supreme Court.
“It is our position that in the unlikely event that the Federal Government of Nigeria fails to obey the order of the Court of Appeal discharging Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, we will activate far-reaching extant legal remedies to ensure immediate compliance, which remedy may not be limited to resorting to domestic legal remedy, but would be extended to reporting the Federal Government of Nigeria heinous conduct before the relevant international agencies, foreign Institutions and governments. Other legal remedies available to us will not be disclosed here.
“President Muhammadu Buhari had said on various occasions that he would not interfere with the judicial process and that it is the court that would set Mazi Nnamdi Kanu free. The Court of Appeal, the penultimate court, has set Mazi Nnamdi Kanu free, it is now time for President Muhammadu Buhari to keep to his word and ensure that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released without any further ado.”
News
[UPDATED] [Breaking] APC’s Lucky Aiyedatiwa wins Ondo governorship election
[UPDATED] [Breaking] APC’s Lucky Aiyedatiwa wins Ondo governorship election
Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, has emerged victorious in the Ondo governorship election.
Olayemi Akinwumi, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer, disclosed the results in Akure, Ondo’s capital, on Sunday.
Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor, secured 366,781 votes, surpassing Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 117,845 votes.
Nejo Adeyemi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, trailed behind with 4,138 votes.
The APC dominated the election, winning all 18 local government areas, while the PDP failed to secure any victories.
The off-cycle election in Ondo, contested by 17 candidates, took place peacefully, with minimal violence reported.
Prior to the election, Aiyedatiwa expressed confidence in his victory, citing his impressive record in office.
Aiyedatiwa emphasized that he was the sole candidate to have visited all 18 local government areas, adding that he’s willing to concede defeat if the election is free from manipulation.
Ajayi, Aiyedatiwa’s closest rival, expressed concerns regarding INEC’s capability to ensure a fair electoral process.
The PDP candidate also criticized the commission’s sluggish pace, alleging that it constitutes a “deliberate attempt to rig the polls”.
ONDO STATE GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION RESULTS (UPDATED)
1– Akure North
APC 14, 451
PDP 5, 787
2–Okitipupa
- APC 26, 811
- PDP 10, 233
3—Akoko Northeast
APC 25, 657
News
Ondo election: Again, INEC shifts collation of results to noon
Ondo election: Again, INEC shifts collation of results to noon
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has shifted the collation of results for the Ondo State governorship election from 5am to noon.
The Returning Officer, Prof Olayemi Akinwunmi, had earlier announced that collation of the remaining five council areas will resume by 5 a.m. (Sunday), but later said it commences by noon.
Prof Akinwunmi is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Lokoja.
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Akinwunmi, who announced the recess, said it is to give room for the arrival of results from the remaining council areas.
He said: “We have five more local governments but we are going to take our recess now until 5am to receive some receive from Akure North, Okitipupa and Odigbo, then Ilaje and Eseodo. We resume 5am for these local governments.”
According to results from 13 of the 18 local government areas announced so far by INEC, Aiyedatiwa has polled 259,851 votes ahead of his closest rival and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Agboola Ajayi, who scored 81,031 votes.
Ondo election: Again, INEC shifts collation of results to noon
News
Ondo gov: PDP, APC bought votes, says rights group
Ondo gov: PDP, APC bought votes, says rights group
The Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa (CDD-West Africa), through its Election Analysis Centre (CDD-EAC), has said that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) bought votes from the electorate for as low as N3,000 and N5,000 respectively during the Saturday’s off-cycle governorship election in Ondo State.
Prof. Victor Adetula, Lead, CDD-EAC Observation Mission Ondo 2024; and Dr. Dauda Garuba, Director, CDD-West Africa, said this in CDD’s EAC preliminary statement on the conduct of the 2024 Ondo State governorship election, presented by Ms Oluseyi Awojulugbe, a member of the CDD-EAC.
The report also said that the election recorded lower incidents of disinformation and information manipulation, also referred to as fake new compared to the recently concluded off-cycle September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
“CDD-EAC notes a lot of instances of vote buying. In Okitipupa LGA, Ward 09, Unit 003 (Irowa, Ilutitun 3), voters were solicited for their votes, with APC allegedly offering ₦10,000 per voter and PDP ₦3,000.
“In Odigbo LGA, Ward 01, Unit 001 (Oja Baale, Agbabu), reports of vote-buying were noted, with APC allegedly offering ₦10,000 and PDP ₦5,000 per voter.
“Our observers also noted that some party agents started transferring money to voters to circumvent having to hold cash. In Ese-Odo, Ward 07, Unit 013 (Tari Ama Zion Ugo Community, Arogbo Ward 2), Vote-buying was observed at this polling unit, with PDP offering ₦3,000 and APC offering ₦5,000 to voters.
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“CDD observers watching the process in Ward 5, PU 001, located at St Johns Primary School, Iba Akoko South East spotted APC leaders writing down the names of those who voted for their candidate.
“Subsequently, a card was given to them and they were instructed to converge at an agreed location where cash would be disbursed to them.
“In Ward 005, PU 001, St Barnabas Primary School, Ifon, CDD-EAC observers saw policemen arguing over money shared by a party stalwart.
“The policemen reportedly frowned that about 10 of them were given N100,000 while only one official from another branch of the armed services allegedly got N15,000,” the report said.
The CDD-EAC said that the vote buying incidents and behaviour of party agents sparked multiple conflicts during the voting process, listing Idanre LGA, Ward 06, PU 004 (Methodist High School), where APC agents were accused of strategically monitoring voters’ choices, a move initially defended by security officials but later curtailed after protests.
The report, however, commended the prompt arrival of electoral officials at polling units (PUs), with 99% of CDD-EAC observers reporting that the INEC officials were at their stations before 8:30am.
Observers also reported cases of rowdiness in the polling environment with some youths disagreeing in some cases about the initiative by poll officials to allow elderly voters to cast their ballots first, leading to the disruption of the process, despite the intervention of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Post Office Premises, Akungba Akoko, Akoko South West.
On disinformation and information manipulation, the report said that the numbers of false narratives, claims and counter claims in the Ondo State governorship election have been relatively low, compared to other recent polls.
It said, “In the campaign period, and on Election Day, 13 claims have so far been reported and fact checked by CDD War Room.
“This is low, compared to the 61 claims reported during the same period in the Edo election, representing a 79% increase between the two elections. While 12 of these claims have been assessed to be either false or misleading, the sole claim peddled on voting day was adjudged to be true.”
Ondo gov: PDP, APC bought votes, says rights group
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