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Tag: Tribunal Judgement

  • After Internet Tribunal judgement: Kano govt declares 24-hour curfew

    After Internet Tribunal judgement: Kano govt declares 24-hour curfew

    The Kano State Government has declared a 24-hour curfew statewide after tribunal delivered verdict via zoom.

    This follows the judgement of the election petitions tribunal,which sacked the state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.

    This development was contained in a statement by the Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Usaini Gumel.

    The commissioner, who personally signed the statement on Wednesday evening, said a combined team of security operatives has been dispatched across the city to enforce the curfew.

    “Going forward, Kano State residents are called upon to note that combined security forces have already been dispatched to the nooks and crannies, including the entry and exits of the state, to ensure enforcement and strict compliance of the 24-hour curfew order as communicated by the State Government via letter with Reference No: K/SEC/H/435/T.1/153 dated 20th September, 2023 taking effect from 6pm of Wednesday, 20th September to 6pm of Thursday, 21st September 2023.

    “In view of the Constitutional mandate of the Nigeria Police Force alongside the relevant internal security and law enforcement agencies to preserve law and order in the state, the Kano State Police Command has mapped out strategies in that direction and calls on the good people of the state to give the necessary confidence and support.”

  • Tribunal judgement: No shaking at all – Senator Dafinone assures supporters

    Tribunal judgement: No shaking at all – Senator Dafinone assures supporters

     

    The lawmaker representing Delta Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Ede Dafinone, on Tuesday urged his supporters and the great people of Delta Central to remain calm and steadfast that there was no cause for alarm over the cancellation of 23 Polling Units results in the February 25 National Assembly Elections.

    Dafinone stated this in a Press Statement where he reacted to the outcome of the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal holding in Asaba, Delta State, and made available to newsmen.

    According to the chartered Accountant turned lawmaker the National Assembly Petition Tribunal sitting at Asaba today nullified my return as the winner of the Delta Central Senatorial Election of 26th February, 2023 and ordered a supplementary election within 90 days in only 23 polling units, out of the 2,180 units in the district.

    “While I respect the ruling of the tribunal, I do not accept its decision. I have therefore directed my legal team to appeal the judgement immediately.

    “Like we promised during our campaign to defend our votes, we shall fulfill our promise by defending the mandate which the people of Delta Central freely gave to us.”

    Senator Dafinone Press Statement added that “It is instructive to note that despite the cancellation of the affected units, we are still having an insurmountable lead over our closet opponent.

    “As a consequence, we are not perturbed by today’s momentary setback which we shall surely overcome.

    “We, therefore, urge our party faithful, supporters, and the great people of Delta Central to remain calm and steadfast, because this also shall end in Praise!”

  • Tribunal fires Lagos LP HoR member, replaces him with APC candidate

    Tribunal fires Lagos LP HoR member, replaces him with APC candidate

    The National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Lagos has nullified the election of the member representing Ojo Federal Constituency, Seyi Sowunmi of the Labour Party.

    The court on Thursday, August 24, 2023, declared former Secretary of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Honourable Lanre Ogunyemi as the winner of the consistuency.
    Ogunyemi had challenged Oluwaseyi Ayopo Sowunim of the Labour Party who was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).!
    Delivering the judgement on Thursday, the three-man panel, Panel 3 sitting at the old National Assembly complex, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, declared Ogunyemi as the winner.
    Members of the panel are: Justice Ashu A. Ewah, Chairman; Justice Abdullahi A Ozegya; and Justice M A Sambo.

  • Tribunal judgement: Continue with screening of commissioner-nominees, Diri tells Bayelsa lawmakers

    Tribunal judgement: Continue with screening of commissioner-nominees, Diri tells Bayelsa lawmakers

    Members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly on Monday paid a solidarity visit to Governor Douye Diri following the ruling of the state’s election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja.

    The lawmakers declared total support for the governor and his appeal of the tribunal judgment.

    The Acting Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, said in a statement that the delegation was led by the Speaker, Abraham Ingobere, and accompanied by the House of Representatives member representing the Ogbia Federal Constituency, Fred Obua.

    The visit came just as Governor Diri urged the Assembly to go ahead with the screening of his commissioner-nominees, saying he would swear them in after the exercise.

    “I hear you are having some august visitors on Tuesday, August 18. Go ahead and perform your legislative duties by screening them, and I will swear them in as commissioners. The state is already in motion and we are not going back,” Diri said.

    Continuing, Ingobere said the House suspended its plenary when they received the news of the judgment.

    He emphasised that as a God-fearing leader, the Assembly would stand solidly behind the governor because he had proved that he had the interest of Bayelsans at heart.

    The Speaker said: “Your Excellency, the House is solidly behind you and we believe strongly that it is the Supreme Court that will give the final judgment on what happened today.

    “The world is aware of how elections were conducted in a volatile situation and where the opposition party caused crisis that claimed the lives of Bayelsans. But we thank God for averting their plans by giving power to you and we are sure that He will do the same for you again.”

    Ingobere stressed that the assembly leadership was not interested in wresting power from the executive and that their only interest was the wellbeing and development of the state.

    Receiving the delegation, Diri described the visit as a morale booster that would inspire him to forge ahead with governance undeterred.

    The governor said the tribunal judgment, which had a dissenting ruling by its chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo, was not enough to slow the wheel of governance, and thanked the legislators for their show of solidarity.

    He said: “It actually encouraged me. It gave me the strength and hope that we have a brighter tomorrow, and that we have an assembly that cares. Let me use this opportunity to call on Bayelsans to be calm as nobody has removed the governor.

    “This is the court of first instance and we respect the judiciary. The judiciary is there for the common man and we believe that justice would be done.

    “Even this judgement is not unanimous. The chairman of the tribunal said the judgment by the other two Judges was not correct and he has read his own, saying what they did was wrong. He said as far as he was concerned, the governor remained validly elected.”

    While expressing confidence in God to complete what his administration had started, Diri noted that although the legal fireworks had not ended, he is confident that it would end in his favour.

  • Don’t bother appealing Tribunal judgement, prepare for 2023, APC tells PDP

    Don’t bother appealing Tribunal judgement, prepare for 2023, APC tells PDP

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has told the leading opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) not to waste its time and resources appealing the recent tribunal judgement, but rather go and prepare for the 2023 general elections.

    Chieftains of the APC in Igabi local government area of Kaduna State made the call in Kaduna while celebrating 100 days in office of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

    Speaking at the occasion, Former House Representatives member, Hon. Ibrahim Bello Rigachikun said, the PDP petitions were thrown out of the tribunal both in Kaduna governorship and the presidential elections, because they could not prove their allegations of irregularities.

    According to him, “In the court of law, if you don’t have any substance there is no need to fight. So, the PDP don’t have a case, they should just go and start preparing for 2023, instead of wasting their time to appeal the tribunal judgement.

    “As far as we are concerned, President Muhannadu Buhari and Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai have been victorious at the polls and even in the court of law, and that is why we are celebrating them today.” He said.

    Also speaking, House of Representatives Aspirant in the 2015 general elections and convener of the event, Hajia Rabi Salisu said, they chose to celebrate because Governor El-Rufai has in 100 started fulfilling his campaign promises.

    According to her, “we are happy, we have a governor who is ready to help the people of Kaduna state. We are here to celebrate success, we are here to celebrate fulfilled promises, we are here to celebrate victory and also the masses of Kaduna state by giving them an elegant governor in Mal. Nasiru El-Rufai who has just fulfilled all his campaign promises just in 100 days.

    “Mall Nasir El-Rufai’s policies are developmental, especially at the grassroot level. If you come to the security issue, the educational issue to the civil service and other sectors, he has performed wonderfully well.

    “Our Governor is a leading example because he is the first governor in this whole federation to start the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage when others are still foot-dragging. Even if it is this minimum wage alone, he is supposed to be celebrated nationwide not even Kaduna state alone.” She said.

    Hajia Rabi, however, called on the people of Kaduna state, including the opposition to support the government of Governor El-Rufai to enable deliver more dividends of democracy to the people.

  • El-Rufai hails Tribunal judgement upholding his re-election as Kaduna governor

    Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on Monday hailed the affirmation of his re-election by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

    A statement by the Special Adviser, Media & Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, quoted the governor as thanking the tribunal for its verdict and expressing his gratitude to the people whose electoral choice has been reaffirmed.

    The tribunal on Monday upheld the election of El-Rufai as the duly elected governor.

    The Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Ibrahim Bako, said the petitioner, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Isah Ashiru, was unable to prove his allegations of massive rigging and other electoral irregularities against Governor El-Rufai, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    In the petition filed before the tribunal, the PDP candidate had alleged that irregularities marred the conduct of the March 9, 2018 governorship election and asked the tribunal to declare him winner.

    The Vice Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Mohammed Bello, who was the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer, had said El-Rufai polled 1,045,427 to defeat his closest rival, Isa Ashiru, the PDP candidate, who scored 814,168.

    The PDP and its governorship candidate, Ashiru, had petitioned the tribunal asking it to nullify El-Rufai’s election.

    The petitioners, in their final written address, asked the tribunal to cancel 515, 951 votes, which they contended, were unlawfully added to the total votes cast during the poll.

    The petitioners called 135 witnesses out of the 685 they assembled to prove alleged massive rigging, ballot stuffing and other irregularities during the poll as contained in their petition.

    The petitioners accused the INEC of adding 391,741 votes to El-Rufai’s and 124, 210 unlawful votes to the PDP through wrong or double entry on the result sheets.

    They said that declaring El-Rufai as the winner by INEC was illegal, as he did not poll the majority of lawful votes.

    The PDP through its legal team led by Mr. Emmanuel C. Ukala (SAN), said deducting 391,741 votes from 1,045,427 scored by El-Rufai and 124,210 from Ashiru’s 814, 168 votes would give victory to PDP and Ashiru, its candidate.

    The PDP Chairman in Kaduna State, Hassan Hyet, has said his party will appeal the tribunal’s judgment.