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Oyetola, APC, INEC urge Appeal Court to uphold Osun election
….Court reserves judgments on four appeals
The Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have asked the Court of Appeal in Abuja to uphold the victory of Oyetola and APC in the governorship election held in the state on September 22 and 27, 2018.
Their request is contained in three separate appeals they filed against the majority judgment given by the Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal on March 22, 2019.
The tribunal had, in the majority judgment, given by two of its three members upheld the petition by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the election, Senator Ademola Adeleke and voided Oyetola and APC’s victory.
In their appeals, argued on Wednesday, Oyetola, the APC and INEC prayed the five-man panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Jummai Sankey, to set aside the majority decision of the tribunal, uphold their appeals and dismiss the October 16, 2018 petition by Adeleke and the PDP.
They equally urged the court to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by Adeleke, on the grounds that it is unmeritorious.
In the appeal by Oyetola, his lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) faulted the reasons given by the tribunal in reaching the judgment appealed against, arguing that the decision was not supported by the evidence led by the petitioners.
He urged the court to void the judgment because the judge, Justice Peter Obiorah who wrote and delivered it, did not participate in all the proceedings of the tribunal.
Olanipekun noted that “the judge, who did not sit, came to write the leading judgment and reviewed the evidence of the February 6, 2019 proceedings where he was absent.
“Adjudication is like video watching. It cannot be done by proxy. The judge cannot analyse the evidence of a witness, whose demeanor he did not observe. The judgement should be declared a nullity on this ground alone”
Olanipekun, who said he and some named senior lawyers were at the tribunal on February 6, 2019, faulted the argument by lawyer to Adeleke and the PDP that it was not clear from the record of proceedings, whether or not Justice Obiorah was absent on the particular day.
He argued that the judge’s failure to sigh at the end of the proceedings on February 6, 2019 was enough evidence to justify the appellant’s claim that Justice Obiorah was absent on the day in question.
Olanipekun also faulted the tribunal’s cancellation of results in 17 polling units in the state, and noted that the petitioners did not tender any result of the election before the tribunal.
“If there was no result before the tribunal, the tribunal could not have cancelled what was not before it. Since no single result was submitted and could not have been cancelled,” he said.
He argued that the tribunal went beyond its powers by annulling results in the 17 polling units in order to justify its the judgement it gave in favour of the petitioners.
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Lawyer to the APC, Akin Olujinmi (SAN), while arguing the party’s appeal, contended that the tribunal was wrong to have allowed the petition, which was incurably incompetent.
“The 1st and 2nd respondents sought to be declared winner of the election, held on September 22, 2018, which was declared inconclusive. They also asked the tribunal to void the rerun election held on September 27, 2018, because they believed it was unlawful.
“You cannot say you should be declared a winner on the election that you said was unlawful and void,” he said.
Olujinmi accused the tribunal of exceeding its jurisdiction when it engaged in amending the petitioners’ reliefs to make them grantable.
“No tribunal has the jurisdiction to reframe, amend or formulate reliefs for the petitioners.
“On realising that the reliefs could not be granted, they (members of the tribunal) amended the reliefs and granted it by themselves.
“We are saying the tribunal has no power to amend a petitioner’s reliefs. The much they ought to do, on realising that the reliefs could not be granted, was to have dismissed the petition.”
He further faulted the tribunal for holding that the petitioners proved its case of non-compliance in respect of the polling units where it voided results.
Olujinmi added: “The tribunal was wrong. They cannot use the allegation of non-compliance directed at the election of September 27 against the election of September 22.
“The tribunal relied on certified true copy of Form EC8A, which they said were dumped on the tribunal. This was what they still relied on to nullify results in the polling units in which they said malpractices were proved. The so called non-complaince did not affect the result of the election,” Olujinmi said.
He argued that the tribunal went outside its powers and contravened Section 140(2) of the Electoral Act when it engaged in the deduction of votes from the outcome of the election to arrive at the decision it gave.
Lawyer to INEC, Yusuf Ali (SAN) who argued in similar manner, contended that the tribunal erred in its majority judgment, particularly as regards the issue of non-compliance.
He noted that the tribunal, having found that accreditation was properly done and that all witnesses agreed that the votes scored were not affected by the omissions noted in some result sheets, ought not to have voided any results.
Citing Section 134 (b) of the Electoral Act, Ali argued that non-compliance means not compliance with the provision of the Act, not an act of omission on the part of INEC officials, which are not contrary to the provision of the Act.
Ali also argued that since the tribunal held that the petitioners did not prove over-voting and non-compliance, it ought not to have turned around to void votes in some polling units.
On the question of why INEC did not call it witnesses at the tribunal, Ali said it was unnecessary because the petitioners did not discharge the burden of prove placed on them by the law to warrant INEC to call fresh witnesses.
Ali added: “There is no law that said INEC most call witnesses, since the petitioners could not discharge the responsibility of proving their declarative reliefs, there was no need for INEC to have called its own witnesses.”
Lawyer to Adeleke and the PDP, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) faulted the three appeals and the arguments proffered by Olanipekun, Olujinmi and Ali.
Ikpeazu argued that the tribunal was right in its decision to have declared Adeleke and his party as the winner of the election.
He faulted the argument that Justice Obiorah did not participate in all the proceedings of the tribunal, arguing that there was no sufficient evidence to that effect.
Ikpeazu urged the court to dismiss the three appeals and uphold the judgment of the tribunal.
Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), who argued Adeleke’s cross-appeal, urged the court to allow his client’s appeal and reverse the portion of the judgment, where the tribunal rejected the evidence the petitioners lead in relation to six polling units.
Ogunwumiju argued that the tribunal wrongly excluded some of its evidence, because while it called 23 witnesses to prove it’s allegation of non-compliance in 23 polling units, the tribunal only upheld 17 where it voided elections.
Olanipekun, Olujinmi and Ali argued that the cross appeal was incompetent on several grounds and urged the tribunal to reject it.
At the conclusion of proceedings that lasted over eight hours, the presiding judge, Justice Sankey said judgments would be reserved till a later date.
She told parties that the date of the judgment would be communicated to them by the court’s Registry.
Other members of the court’s five-man panel are: Justices Abubakar Datti Yahaya, Ita George Mbaba, Isaiah Olufemi Akeju and Bitrus Sanga.
For decades, achieving economic independence in Nigeria has been limited by a fundamental deficit: access to reliable electricity.
In rural and peri-urban communities, often referred to as the “last mile,” small businesses, agro-processors, and households have historically survived on costly, polluting petrol generators or lived in complete darkness. However, a silent revolution has been taking place across the country. Led by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), decentralized renewable energy solutions are systematically closing the energy gap. Driven by bold policy shifts and unprecedented private sector funding, the REA’s mini-grid solutions are not just illuminating homes, they are serving as a critical infrastructure backbone to catalyze the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) ambitious target of achieving a $1 trillion economy.
This rapid transformation underscores the strategic vision of the current administration. As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu marks his third year in office, this milestone stands as a testament to his administration’s foresight. By recognizing early on that the fragile national grid could not single-handedly carry the weight of Nigeria’s industrial ambitions, the President prioritized decentralized energy solutions to intentionally ease the burden on the national grid.
Of notable mention is Mr President’s appointment of Dr. Abba Aliyu as the Managing Director of the REA. Abba’s appointment has injected a much-needed dose of technocratic competence, corporate governance and execution speed into the agency, effectively turning a bottleneck into a launchpad for national growth.
Historically, the mention of the REA in Nigeria’s public discourse was frequently tied to headlines of systemic corruption, contract inflation, and abandoned projects. For years, the agency operated as a black box where public and international donor funds vanished into ghost electrification schemes, leaving rural communities in perpetual darkness.
Today, transparency has become the order of the day. At the heart of this institutional transformation is the deployment of advanced digital data platforms including the REA Project Monitoring and Performance Hub (MPH), the Nigeria SE4ALL web platform, and specialized tracking architectures managed alongside data partners like Odyssey. By utilizing real-time IoT (Internet of Things) remote monitoring and data portals, the REA tracks precisely how much power is generated and which communities are connected. This data-first architecture ensures full accountability to international donors, eliminates ghost projects, and guarantees that disbursements are strictly tied to verified performance.
Under the leadership of Dr. Abba Aliyu, Nigeria’s off-grid sector has undergone a massive structural shift, moving from a heavy reliance on imported technology to becoming a regional manufacturing powerhouse. Driven by deliberate government policies aimed at de-risking private capital, Nigeria’s installed local solar panel production capacity has skyrocketed from 120 megawatts (MW) to approximately 300MW.
With an additional 3.7 gigawatts (GW) of capacity currently in the development pipeline, Nigeria is fast positioning itself to anchor West Africa as a renewable energy manufacturing hub. Locally manufactured solar panels are already being exported from industrial corridors like Lagos to regional neighbors like Accra, Ghana.
This domestic manufacturing surge is underpinned by a groundbreaking regulatory environment. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (NERC) Mini-Grid Regulations have expanded the allowable capacity for interconnected mini-grids to 10MW. By defining exactly how mini-grids interact with the main national grid, Nigeria has established one of the most progressive and investor-friendly regulatory frameworks in Africa, one that is currently being studied and replicated by countries like Mozambique, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
At the center of REA’s current aggressive rollout is the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) programme, widely recognized as the largest publicly funded renewable energy access initiative globally.
DARES is an ambitious $750 million initiative structured to pull an additional $1.1 billion in private sector investments through a results-based financing model. Under this mechanism, private developers must fully mobilize and deploy their own capital to build functioning energy infrastructure before unlocking financial incentives.
The impacts of the DARES initiative are aggresively mapped toward radical socio-economic transformation, aiming to provide clean, reliable electricity to over 17.5 million Nigerians, power over 2.5 million households across the federation, and launch 1,350 mini-grids, including 250 interconnected systems.
As at today, over 1000 mini grids are being developed across the country. Additionally, 48 Interconnected mini-grids are being deployed that will inject additional 288MW of clean reliable capacity are being deployed in collaboration with 11 Distribution Companies.
The REA has gone further to unlock private finance through partnerships with institutions like FCMB, Lotus Bank, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), creating an expansive, decentralized energy ecosystem capable of sustaining itself long after public funds are exhausted.
The expansion of last-mile electrification directly intersects with macroeconomic objectives. The CBN’s blueprint for a $1 trillion economy relies heavily on boosting productivity in agriculture, expanding MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises), and scaling up local manufacturing. The REA’s mini-grid solutions act as an economic multiplier for this vision in three distinct ways.
Firstly, it unlocks the agricultural value chain.
A significant portion of Nigeria’s wealth resides in its rural agrarian communities, which suffer from high post-harvest losses due to a lack of cold storage and processing facilities. By deploying solar mini-grids to agricultural hubs, the REA enables the operation of solar-powered mills, irrigation pumps, and cold storage units. This transitions subsistence farming into a commercialized, high-yield industry, drastically boosting rural GDP contribution.
Secondly, it reduces MSMEs operating costs.
High inflation and currency fluctuations heavily penalize businesses reliant on imported fuel for generators. Replacing petrol and diesel with predictable, cheaper solar energy immediately frees up operational capital for millions of small businesses such as salons, tailoring shops, welding centers, and healthcare facilities. These saved costs are directly reinvested into expanding operations and hiring more local labor.
Furthermore, the scale-up of mini-grid capacities to 10MW allows for the strategic deployment of large solar farms in border towns. This positions Nigeria to engage in cross-border electricity trade, selling off-grid power to neighboring West African border communities. This opens up entirely new foreign exchange revenue streams, strengthening the Naira and boosting regional trade volumes in line with sub-regional economic integration goals.
In addition, the REA signed a $700,000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission to electrify healthcare centers and 15 public universities across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger, and Nasarawa states. This initiative has already begun yielding tangible results, with active projects rolling out across institutions like the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).
The Rural Electrification Agency’s mini-grid solutions have evolved beyond basic social welfare into a primary driver of industrialization and economic formalization. By taking electricity to the last mile, the REA is activating trapped economic potential in regions that the traditional grid could not reach.
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Eid-el-Kabir: Let’s Peace, Unity And Selflessness Be Our Watchword, Olowu Urges Muslim Ummah, Nigerians
Olowu of Kuta, HRM Oba Dr Hammed Makama Oyelude, CON, Tegbosun iii, has urged muslim Ummah and Nigerians to let peace , unity and selflessness be their watchword as the world observe the Eid-el-Kabir
The reverred monarch in his sallah message said Eid-el-Kabir remains a highly spiritual occasion that calls for dedication, commitment, and selflessness.
According to him, ” this is the time to reflect on the going on around us and preach messages of hope and unity devoid of any provocation.”
Oba Makama urged Nigerians to live together peacefully, irrespective of religious, political, and tribal affliation.
While calling on politicians to exercise restraint and refrain from any rhetoric that may inflame passion as we approach 2027 general elections, Oba Makama said what should be uppermost in the mind of every patriotic Nigerian is “Country first.”
The monarch, while wishing every Nigerian a peaceful celebration, maintained that people should be vigilant and not be overwhelmed by the insecurity, adding that armed forces and other para military forces are working round the clock to ensure hitch free celebration.
” The price wise men pay for eternal liberty is to be vigilant. I urged everyone to be moderate in celebration and reach out to the less privileged, widows and orphans “as our brothers and sisters keeppers,” Olowu added.
….President Tinubu polls 10,999,162 votes, declared winner.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the winner of its presidential primary election ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party commenced the collation of results from its nationwide presidential shadow election at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja following the conclusion of voting on Saturday, May 23.
In a significant shift from the delegate-based system often associated with controversy, the APC adopted a direct primary method for the exercise. The election was conducted simultaneously across the party’s 8,809 wards in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Under the direct primary system, all registered members of the party were eligible to vote for their preferred presidential aspirant, a move party leaders described as part of efforts to strengthen internal democracy and encourage wider grassroots participation.
The final stage of the process is being supervised by a seven-member Presidential Primary Election Committee chaired by former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.
Other members of the committee include former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Grace Titi Laoye-Ponle, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, former Kogi State Governor Idris Wada, and Sanusi Musa, who serves as the committee secretary.
The atmosphere at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre remained charged as governors, party chairmen, and designated collation officers arrived to present certified results from their respective states before the Anyim-led committee.
Governors coordinating the exercise in their states took turns presenting the official results as the party concluded the nationwide primary process.
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