Politics
S’Court fines Ozekhome N40m for revisiting 2019 Imo gov suit
S’Court fines Ozekhome N40m for revisiting 2019 Imo gov suit
The Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed N40m fine on constitutional lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome.
He was fined for filing a ‘frivolous, vexatious and irritating motion’ before the court with respect to Imo State governorship tussle that was decided in 2019.
Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, called to the Nigerian Bar over 42 years ago and was fined a huge amount for bringing a motion before the Apex Court seeking to revalidate the suit that removed Emeka Ihedioha as Governor of Imo State in 2019.
The Senior lawyer was ordered in a ruling by Justice Tijani Abubakar to personally pay the N40M fine to four respondents he dragged before the Court.
Those to be paid are the Action People’s Party, APP, Uche Nnadi, Uche Nwosu and the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.
In the motion considered to be frivolous by the Court, Ozekhome had asked the Court for a consequential order to compel INEC to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Ihedioha to enable him spend a four-year tenure as Imo Governor.
His grouse was that the incumbent governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma unlawfully spent the four years that Ihedioha ought to spend.
Among others, Ozekhome in the motion claimed that the All Progressives Congress APC had no candidate in the 2019 Imo Governorship election, hence, Uzodinmma ought not to have been made governor on the platform of APC.
However, the Apex Court dismissed the motion on the ground that it has no jurisdiction to entertain such a motion.
Justice Abubakar held in the ruling that the request was strange, frivolous, baseless, unwarranted, vexatious and irritating.
He further held that the motion was a calculated design to demonize the Supreme Court.
Politics
PDP bigwigs plot Gov Adeleke’s removal, dump party for APC (Massive crowd photos)
PDP bigwigs plot Gov Adeleke’s removal, dump party for APC (Massive crowd photos)
Prominent leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State including its ex-National deputy Chairman Shuiab Oyedokun and governorship aspirant Prince Dotun Babayemi, have crossed over to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defectors with their supporters were formally welcomed into the APC fold at the party’s Secretariat by national leaders, including Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola, and National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru.
Speaking at the event, Oyetola emphasized the APC’s track record of governance success.
He said, “APC has done so well. People are starting to see that when it comes to governance, the progressives know how to.”
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He highlighted the significance of veteran politician Baba Shuiab’s defection to the APC, noting that it signalled the diminishing influence of the PDP in Osun.
Oyetola expressed confidence in the APC’s prospects for victory in the 2026 governorship election, citing growing support and the influx of political heavyweights into the party.
Echoing Oyetola’s sentiments, Senator Basiru called for seamless integration of the new APC members into the party’s structure without discrimination.
He said, “Baba Shuiab and Prince Dotun Babayemi were members of the APC in the past. They’ve seen things. They’ve seen the difference between progressive and conservative, and they are back into the party.”
In his address, Babayemi highlighted the end of good governance in Osun following Oyetola’s departure as governor but expressed optimism that with his presence in the APC, the party would reclaim power in 2026.
Governor Ademola Adeleke of PDP came to power in Osun after defeating the APC under Oyetola in 2022.
Adeleke is serving his first term in office.
PDP bigwigs plot Gov Adeleke’s removal, dump party for APC (Massive crowd photos)
Politics
Only my party can stop me from contesting 2027 presidential election – Atiku
Only my party can stop me from contesting 2027 presidential election – Atiku
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has hinted of his plans to contest again in 2027 for the president of Nigeria.
He however said he would withdraw from the race should his party zone the position to another region of the country.
He confirmed that an alliance of major political parties and influential politicians was in the works ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, disclosed that his recent meeting with the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, was a sign of positive things to come.
He said the meeting could be a launchpad for the possible alliance in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.
Atiku met with Obi; former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, in separate visits earlier last week.
He also dismissed the assertions that their alliance would be unable to produce a consensus candidate.
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He also said he would happily back a presidential candidate of the South-East extraction should the PDP zone its presidential ticket to the region.
Obi is from the South-East and, with the speculation of his imminent return to the PDP following his meeting with Atiku and other bigwigs of the party likely, he might clinch the ticket.
“I’ve made it clear since last elections that if our party members had a consensus that southeast should produce the candidate, we would all agree. And if our parties also had a similar agreement, then so be it,’’ Atiku said.
Last week, Paul Ibe, media adviser to Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, says Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), frustrated and sabotaged plans by the PDP to zone its presidential ticket to the South-East for the 2023 election.
He said the move effectively led to Obi’s exit from the party.
Only my party can stop me from contesting 2027 presidential election – Atiku
Politics
Six political parties plot against APC, meet in Kaduna
Six political parties plot against APC, meet in Kaduna
Six political parties converged in Kaduna State on Thursday in preparation to dislodge the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The summit, with the theme, ‘Solid political party structure critical to the sustainability of the democratic process,’ was convened by the African Democratic Congress.
In attendance were the New Nigeria People’s Party, the People’s Redemption Party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, the Social Democratic Party, the KOWA Party, as well as the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), and the Coalition of United Political Parties.
Lawal Nalado, chairman of the summit, decried what he described as “unbearable hardship” faced by Nigerians across the country, saying that the gathering was all about discussing the nation’s barrage of problems and ways to move forward.
He refuted insinuations in some quarters that the summit was convened to form a merger or a coalition amongst parties.
He added that the opposition parties needed to mobilize voters at the grassroots by way of reaching out to the downtrodden with political enlightenment messages, capable of changing their mindset that politics should not be about money, religion or ethnicity but voting for the right candidates to uplift the social and economic status of the society.
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The National Chairman of PRP, Falalu Bello, while speaking, stressed the need for effective mobilisation of the electorates by opposition parties, stressing that fielding credible candidates was not enough to win elections but mass mobilization.
Represented by Prof. Sule Muhammad, Bello listed inadequate resources, lack of internal democracy, decayed transparency, and interference by the ruling party among others as problems bedevilling opposition parties in the country.
Also, Ahmed Tujjani, the chairman of ADC and IPAC Kaduna State, opined that the summit was aimed to chart a course to address socio-economic and political parties’ problems with the motive of proffering realistic solutions.
According to him, “This is not a gathering for a merger or forming a coalition ahead of 2027 but rather a summit to discuss our common problems and suggest solutions of addressing them.
“We will call you again by tomorrow to read out our communique which will be a summary and possibly a mini-working document of solving our problems ahead of 2027.”
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