TheNewsGuru

Tag: Disqualification

  • Speakership: Court hears suit seeking disqualification of Gbajabiamila June 7

    A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned until Friday, hearing in a suit challenging the nomination of Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, a member of the House of Representative vying for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives in the incoming 9th National Assembly.

    Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the suit, following the prayer of Chief Philip Undie’s counsel, Mr Olasupo Azeez, that the defendant was yet to be served with the originating process.

    Azeez earlier prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable the plaintiff to regularise the processes before the court and to serve all the defendants by way of substituted means and it was granted.

    Undie in the suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/539/2019 is challenging the eligibility of Gbajabiamila on the grounds that he has a criminal allegation in the state of Georgia, U.S.

    Other defendants in the suit are: the House of Representative, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The plaintiff in the suit said that Gbajabiamila ought not to be allowed to contest for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives based on information that he had been criminally convicted by the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia.

  • Missing certificate: Lawyer approaches court, seeks Buhari's disqualification

    A Lagos-based lawyer, Itesede Okhai, has approached the Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking an order disqualifying President Muhammadu Buhari from contesting in the 2019 presidential election.

    The lawyer, in his suit marked, FHC/L/CS/1765/18, contended that Buhari had not met the legal requirements to stand for election, because the President did not submit his secondary school certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

    The lawyer is urging the court to declare that the sworn affidavit which Buhari submitted to INEC, stating that his certificate was in the custody of the Nigerian Army, was not enough.

    Okhai is praying the court to declare Buhari’s sworn affidavit null and void, contending that “it could not stand as a substitute to President Buhari’s certificate or take the place of the evidence of President Buhari’s educational qualification as a requirement and condition precedent in INEC Form CF001.”

    The lawyer wants the court to restrain INEC, which was joined in the suit as the second defendant, from allowing Buhari to contest in the election, having allegedly failed to meet the relevant requirements of the Electoral Act.

    He is seeking a declaration that by the combined provisions of sections 31(1), 2 and 5 of the Electoral Act, Cap 15, 2010, Buhari, having failed to attach his secondary school certificate to the forms he submitted to INEC, was bound to be disqualified from the presidential race.

    In an affidavit personally deposed to by himself, the lawyer said he recalled that Buhari made the same claim in 2014, while seeking to be elected as President, that his certificate was in the custody of the Secretary of the Military Board.

    According to him, in response to Buhari’s claim, the Nigerian Army, through its spokesman, Brig Gen Olaleye Olajide, at a press conference held on January 20, 2015, stated that the Nigerian military was not in possession of Buhari’s certificates evidencing his educational qualification.

    Okhai, in his affidavit, said he “reasonably believed that President Buhari has lied on oath where he claimed that his educational certificates are with the Nigerian Military Board.”

    He urged the court to stop Buhari from contesting in next year’s presidential election.

    The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, has yet to be assigned to any judge and no date has been fixed.

  • APC consulting lawyers over INEC’s disqualification of its candidates in Zamfara

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) is consulting its lawyers over the directive from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that it should not field candidates for the 2019 elections.
    The commission had barred the ruling party from the elections over its failure to comply with the October 7 deadline for conducting primaries.
    Internal crisis had prevented the Zamfara APC primaries from holding.
    In a letter to Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the ruling party, INEC said the APC is not eligible to partake in the 2019 elections in Zamfara.
    The letter signed by Okechukwu Ndeche, the commission’s acting secretary read: “Failure to Conduct Primaries in Zamfara State Within the Stipulated Time-frame. Please, refer to the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections released by the commission on January 9 2018.
    “You would note that from the timetable the conduct of primaries is scheduled to take place between August 18 to October 7 2018.
    “However, report received from our office in Zamfara state shows that no primaries were conducted by your party in Zamfara, notwithstanding that our officials were fully mobilised and deployed.
    “Consequently, based on the provision of Section 87 and 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, the commission does not expect that your party will submit names of any candidate from Zamfara state.”
    But NAN quoted a source in the APC national secretariat as saying the party leadership had decided to contact its legal department before responding to the letter.
    The leadership of the APC had tried to resolve the Zamfara logjam by inaugurating a new committee which attempted to conduct the governorship and legislative primaries in the state between October 6 and October 7 but the panel failed to conduct the elections because of the threats by Abdulaziz Yari, governor of the state, to call out supporters in protest.

  • Oyo 2019: Shittu appeals disqualification, threatens to expose others who skipped NYSC

    The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, disclosed on Tuesday that he has appealed his disqualification from the Oyo State governorship race by the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
    He disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
    The minister, who obtained a leave from his ministerial service to pursue his governorship ambition last month, also said he was not alone in the skipping of the compulsory National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
    He said there are others who are seeking elective positions without having participated in the scheme. But he did not name them.
    Shittu said the party was wrongly advised to disqualify him, stressing that the requirements for contesting as governor are clearly stated in the Nigerian constitution. He urged the party to reverse itself to prevent an alleged imminent collapse of APC in the state.
    He expressed the belief that Governor Ajimobi and his supporters may be those behind his travails.
    Entitled: “This time would pass,” the statement read: “It is no longer news that I, Barrister Adebayo Shittu was purportedly disqualified from participating in Sunday’s governorship primary of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, APC in Oyo State on the baseless allegation of not possessing NYSC certificate.
    “Although, I also received the news, like any other person, with shock and disbelief having successfully gone through the screening process by the Party’s Gubernatorial Screening Committee. The intent of the cowards behind the saga is becoming clearer by the day.
    “May I appeal to supporters and well wishers across Oyo State and beyond – many of whom have bombarded my mobile lines with calls and text messages – to remain calm and be loyal to our great party as we resolve the issue politically.
    “Let me assure you that the All Progressives Congress which I took part in writing its constitution, is a party built on the rule of law, justice and fairness. This I believe the NWC would uphold at all times.
    “On the issue of NYSC, I had made my position known and there’s no need to repeat myself but I wish to further add that the position of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) is unambiguous on the qualification for participating in governorship election.
    “ I want to believe that the NWC was wrongly advised to disqualify me. I do not want to agree that a script is being acted, if at all, it is poorly written.
    “On this note, I have forwarded an appeal for the NWC to review and reconsider the decision not to clear me. It is my prayer and hope that this appeal process would afford our leaders the rare opportunity to salvage our party from the potentially destructive precipice into which APC in Oyo State is being pushed by the political shenanigans of Governor Abiola Ajimobi and his cohorts, many of whom have also never served in the NYSC scheme but are also seeking new elective positions.
    “I, once again, seek your understanding, calmness and loyalty to the party.”

  • ‘Judges were unfair in disqualifying me’-Kemen reveals

    ‘Judges were unfair in disqualifying me’-Kemen reveals

    Former Big Brother Naija housemate, Ekemini Ekerete also known as Kemen has stated that the BBN judges were unfair to have disqualified him, but it was normal for them to have taken the decision they took.

    Speaking in an interview with New Telegraph he said: “I don’t think they were fair but in their perception of the scenario, it is normal for them to take the decision they took because it was necessary at that time based on how sensitive they were to the issue.”

    Kemen was eliminated after he was caught on tape fondling Tboss honey pot without her consent.

    When asked If TBoss led him into fondling her, he said: “There was no leading on, I and T-Boss had a cordial relationship. There was no leading on of any sort and there was no case of molestation.”