News
Supreme Court voids council dissolution in Katsina, Oyo
The Supreme Court, in two judgments on Friday, set side the decision by Governors Aminu Masari (Katsina State) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo State) to dissolve elected Local Governments Councils in their states.
A five-man panel of the apex court was unanimous in holding that no Governor has the power to sack democratically elected LG chairmen and councillors.
It held that Masari and Makinde, by sacking democratically elected Local Government Councils, acted in breach of section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
The two judgments were on the appeals filed by sacked LG Chairman and Councillors from Katsina and Oyo states.
The LG Chairman and Councillors from the 34 LGs in Katsina, led by Abubakar Ibrahim Yantaba, were elected under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but were sacked in 2015 by Masari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Those from the 33 Local Government Areas, LGAs as well as 35 Local Council Development Areas in Oyo, led by Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, were elected under the banner of the APC, were sacked in 2019 by Makinde of the PDP.
Justice Adamu Jauro read the lead judgment in the appeal relating to Katsina, held that Masari acted illegally and unconstitutional by sacking the appellants on allegation of financial misappropriation of councils’ funds.
Justice Jauro ordered the Katsina State Government to pay the appellants all their entitlements from the date of their illegal dissolution to the date they were supposed to lawfully vacate office.
In the Oyo case, Justice Ejembi Eko, in the lead judgment, held that Makinde acted “invidiously and in contemptuous disregard of a High Court judgement,” when he dissolved the democratically elected Chairmen and Councillors, and appointed Caretaker Committees to replace them.
Justice Eko set aside an earlier judgment by the Court of Appeal in Ibadan, which validated Makinde’s action, noting that the lower court was wrong when it held that there was no reasonable cause of action in the suit the appellants filed to prevent their sack.
He noted the three-year tenure of the sacked Chairmen and Councillors had since expired but proceeded to hold that they deserved to be compensated for their tenure that was “illegally truncated” on May 29, 2019.
Justice Eko ordered the Oyo State Government to pay the sacked Chairmen and Councillors their accrued salaries and allowances and directed the Attorney-General of Oyo State to, before August 7 this year, file an affidavit confirming the payment of the salaries and allowances to the appellants.
He equally awarded a cost of N20million in favour of the appellants.
Other members of the panel, Justices Kekere Ekun, Inyang Okoro, Ibrahim Saulawa and Adamu Jauro, agreed with the lead judgment.
It should be noted that this is not the first time the Supreme Court was declaring unlawful the practice by state governors to dissolve elected LGs upon assuming office.
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami had pointed out this fact when he faulted Makinde’s decision, in a latter dated January 14, 2020.
In the letter marked: HAGF/OYO/2020/Vol.1/1, which was addrssed to Oyo State’s Attorney General, Professor Oyelowo Oyewo, Malami drew Makinde’s attention to past decisions of the Supreme Court on the issue and advised him to reverse the dissolution.
But, rather than heed the AGF’s advice,
Makinde queried Malami’s jurisdictional competence, claiming among others, that the issue was internal to Oyo State.
News
Ondo poll: APC buying votes with N10,000, PDP alleges
Ondo poll: APC buying votes with N10,000, PDP alleges
Dr. Eddy Olafeso, the Director General of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council for the Ondo state governorship election, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of vote-buying in his unit at N10,000 per voter.
Olafeso, who spoke after voting at his polling unit 005 Olumekun compound, Ward 12, Idepe, Okitipupa Local Government Area, Ondo state, said the election was peaceful in his area.
According to him, ” We have been here around 8am and everything appears in line with the electoral law especially the area i voted but our fears is the APC that has not done anything for the people in the last four years are moulding up the process by paying N10,000 to each voters, we have witnessed it here and we have complained and it appears intractable.
READ ALSO:
- VIDEO: DSS arrests suspected vote-buyer with ‘two bags of money’ in Ondo
- 12 Ojukwu Varsity students die in road accidents
- INEC replaces LP candidate hours to Ondo gov election
“For us, no matter the kind of profligacy they are introducing into the electoral process, truth will prevail in the final analysis.
“You know it is a long process and voting is the first stage , we are waiting for it to be uploaded into IREV, we are waiting to take our from E8CA to ensure that everything is appropriately recorded.
“Like I said, the only fear is the vote buying the APC is trying to entrench into the culture of voting in Nigeria.”
Ondo poll: APC buying votes with N10,000, PDP alleges
News
Ondo: INEC new challenge as 1.7 million votes decide next gov today
Ondo: INEC new challenge as 1.7 million votes decide next gov today
Today, 1,757,205 registered voters in Ondo State will head to polling stations across its 18 local government areas to elect a new governor who will steer the affairs of the state for the next four years.
This marks an increase in the number of registered voters compared to the 2020 election, which had 1,647,973 registered voters, of which only 580,887 votes were recorded.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed its readiness for the exercise, deploying 4,002 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices across 3,933 polling units, with 812 units on standby in case of technical hitches.
Speaking on the commission’s preparations, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, assured the public that sensitive materials were distributed on Thursday to the Registration Area Centres (RACs) for timely deployment.
READ ALSO:
- Ondo poll: Three gov candidates withdraw for Aiyedatiwa
- $6bn fraud: Judge scolds Agunloye’s counsel over delay tactics
- Emefiele printed new naira notes different from what Buhari approved – Ex-CBN official
Tinubu calls for peaceful polls
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on stakeholders and voters to uphold peace during and after the election. Through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu emphasised the importance of the election reflecting the people’s will.
“The president reminds all political stakeholders, especially the candidates, that governance is a privilege bestowed by the people. This privilege must be respected, and Nigerians deserve a free and fair election to consolidate our democracy,” the statement read.
Tinubu also commended the security agencies’ preparedness, with the Inspector-General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff, assuring professionalism during the exercise.
Ondo: INEC new challenge as 1.7 million votes decide next gov today
News
Late COAS Lagbaja gets CFR honour, buried amid tributes
Late COAS Lagbaja gets CFR honour, buried amid tributes
The late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, was on Friday laid to rest in Abuja, amid tears and tributes.
President Bola Tinubu conferred a posthumous award of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the late Chief of Army Staff.
The burial took place at the National Cemetery in Abuja to end two days of funeral rites that began in Lagos earlier in the week.
His body was lowered into the grave at exactly 4:41pm after the ceremony that lasted over two hours.
Lagbaja’s casket, draped in Nigeria’s green and white colours, arrived at the cemetery around 3pm in a white funeral wagon after a funeral service at the National Christian Centre in Abuja.
Dignitaries were led to the event by President Bola Tinubu. Others are Vice President Kashim Shettima; the Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa; Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, and other top government officials and military brass.
President Tinubu announced the conferment of the CFR on the late COAS during the interment at the National Cemetery in Abuja.
The President extolled the virtues of the late warrior, especially his contributions to national security.
According to him, the appointment of Lagbaja as the COAS was one of his finest made so far.
“As an eternal symbol of our appreciation, I have granted the late Chief of Army Staff, the posthumous national honour of the Commander of the Federal Republic of the Niger (CFR),” Tinubu declared.
He thereafter invited the wife of the late COAS, Mariya, to collect the award on behalf of the Lagbaja family amid applause from the congregation.
-
Sports2 days agoBREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
-
Aviation2 days agoDisaster averted as bird strike hits Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight
-
metro1 day agoCourt orders varsity to pay lecturer N40m compensation for wrongful dismissal
-
Opinion1 day agoApomu king turns warmonger for PDP
-
Education3 days ago12-year-old Nigerian girl Eniola Shokunbi invents air filter to reduce spread of diseases in US schools
-
Politics1 day agoOndo poll: Three gov candidates withdraw for Aiyedatiwa
-
News2 days agoEdo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
-
metro2 days agoWe are understaffed, ICPC boss laments