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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.
Read Also: Easter: Oyetola okays free train transport for Osun citizens
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.
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Renewed Hope : No governor can complain of lack of funds under Tinubu’s administration, Says Sanwo-Olu,
No
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has declared that under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, no state governor or local government chairman can genuinely complain of a lack of funds.
He said the Tinubu administration has significantly increased allocations to subnational governments, ensuring that states and local councils have more resources to meet their developmental obligations.
Sanwo-Olu stated this on Tuesday, November 11, while delivering the keynote address at a one-day public lecture organized by the Arewa Think Tank (ATT) to commemorate Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary at the Arewa House, Kaduna.
The lecture, themed “65 Years of Nigeria’s Independence: The Journey So Far with the Renewed Hope Agenda in View,” brought together political leaders, academics, youth groups, and other stakeholders to reflect on Nigeria’s national progress and future under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Lagos Governor praised the resilience and ingenuity of Nigerians since independence, noting that despite the country’s challenges, its capacity for growth, reform, and unity remains unmatched.
“Today, that story has changed. Ask any State Governor or Local Government Chairman, and they will tell you just how much revenue has surged under the watch of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is now more money to do more that benefits the people of Nigeria,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He attributed the improved fiscal outlook to deliberate policy reforms by the Tinubu administration, particularly those designed to strengthen federalism and empower the states and local governments.
According to him, between 2023 and 2024, federal allocations to state governments rose by about 62 percent, while allocations to local governments increased by 47 percent. He said the recently enacted tax reforms, which reduced the Federal Government’s share of Value Added Tax (VAT) from 15 percent to 10 percent, further underscored the President’s commitment to fiscal decentralization and grassroots development.
“With the new tax laws, states now get 55 percent of VAT, while local governments receive 35 percent. This is another bold step by the President to ensure that governance is closer to the people,” he noted.
Sanwo-Olu also lauded the President’s insistence on local government financial autonomy, recalling the administration’s Supreme Court victory, which secured historic legal backing for that autonomy.
He disclosed that President Tinubu’s next major reform focus is restructuring Nigeria’s security architecture through the creation of State Police, an initiative he described as “long overdue and fundamental.”
Citing Tinubu’s recent remarks during a meeting with Katsina leaders, Sanwo-Olu quoted: “I am reviewing all aspects of security. I have to create a State Police. We are looking at that holistically. We will defeat insecurity.”
He described the Renewed Hope Agenda as a bridge-building framework aimed at uniting Nigeria’s diverse regions through equity, reform, and inclusive development.
“President Tinubu is a veteran unifier and a bridge-builder. His Renewed Hope Agenda is about connecting Nigeria, bridges of reform, prosperity, and national unity,” he said.
Drawing inspiration from Nigeria’s founding fathers, especially the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sanwo-Olu emphasized that true national development must be homegrown and context-specific.
“More than six decades later, Sardauna’s words still ring true. Our duty is to build on those legacies, planting trees we may not sit under, but ensuring a better Nigeria for future generations,” he said.
He reaffirmed that Nigeria’s diversity remains its greatest strength, saying: “We will continue to affirm that Nigeria is a proudly multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multicultural country. What binds us together is far stronger than what divides us. We shall overcome every challenge, poverty, hunger, and terrorism.”
Sanwo-Olu pledged Lagos State’s continued partnership with the Federal Government in actualizing the Renewed Hope Agenda and building a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient nation.
President Bola Tinubu has sent a high-level delegation to London to discuss the case of a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who has been serving a prison sentence in the United Kingdom since March 2023.
Newsthumb gathered that the Federal Government is actively seeking arrangements that would allow Ekweremadu to serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria.
The delegation, which included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, on Monday held discussions with officials at the UK Ministry of Justice regarding Ekweremadu’s incarceration.
Following the meeting, the team was received at the Nigerian High Commission in London by the Acting High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu.
Confirming the development to Arise News on Monday night, the spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Minister, Alkasim AbdulKadir, said the consultations with UK authorities are ongoing.
He added that a formal request for a prisoner transfer to allow Ekweremadu to serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria has been submitted.
He said, “Consultations are still ongoing with UK authorities on the matter.
“An appeal for a prisoner exchange for him to serve the remainder of his term in Nigeria was tabled before the United Kingdom authorities.”
Our correspondence earlier reported that Ekweremadu and his wife were arrested by the London Metropolitan Police in June 2022, after a man was falsely presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free Hospital in London as a cousin to their daughter Sonia, in what turned out to be a failed attempt to persuade medics to carry out an £80,000 transplant.
Ike Ekweremadu was convicted in the UK for his role in organ trafficking after attempting to bring a 21-year-old Lagos street vendor to Britain for a kidney transplant intended for his daughter, Sonia.
The 21-year-old man, who was allegedly promised work in the UK, reported the matter to the police in May of the same year, stating that he was brought to the country for an organ transplant.
In March 2023, Ekweremadu was found guilty of organ trafficking by a UK court and was later, in May, sentenced to nine years and eight months under the UK Modern Slavery Act.
His wife, Beatrice, received a four-year and six-month sentence and was released early in 2025, while a medical intermediary, Dr Obinna Obeta, was handed a ten-year prison term.
However, in January, Beatrice was released from prison and returned to Nigeria.
The case drew widespread attention, sparking diplomatic discussions between Nigeria and the UK, exposing gaps in transplant regulations, and prompting further investigations in the UK.
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Warri- Itakpe train derailment: Police parade suspects, CP Kwaimo, Says vandalism is an economic sabotage
Warri- Itakpe train derailment: Police parade arrested suspects … this act of vandalism is an economic sabotage – CP Kwaimo
…… Railway properties are critical national assets and not scraps, we are going to deploy technology for rail tracks monitoring – Opeifa
The Railway Command of the Nigeria Police Force today Friday 7th November 2025 at it’s headquarters in Ebute Metta, Lagos, paraded the two suspects arrested in connection with the derailment of the Warri Itakpe train service on Sunday 1st of November 2025.
Speaking to newsmen, the Commissioner of Police Nigeria Police Railway Command, CP Vungmoh S.M. Kwaimo, described the vandalism of train tracks as an act of economic sabotage which will be fought to a standstill. According to CP Kwaimo, the suspects, identified as Mudansuru Mutari (male, aged 27) and Blorie Kokori (aged 39), were apprehended around Kilometer 208 before Abraka, Delta State, on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, by operatives of the NRC Police Command in collaboration with local security agents.
CP Kwaimo described the arrest as a breakthrough in the fight against train tracks vandalism in the Agbor Abraka axis. According to him, “We are going all out against the vandals because we have a responsibility to ensure safety of life and property in line with section 4 of the Police Act”.
According to the CP, preliminary investigations and their confessional statements revealed their direct involvement in tampering with vital components of the rail track. He said, “We will pursue this case to see that justice is served”. He also promised to go after the sponsors, some of whom have been identified in Lagos and Agbor.
The CP used the occasion to inform the public that the number of policemen attached to each coach in the operations of the Nigerian Railway is to be increased. He expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of police and the management team of the NRC for their support and zero tolerance for railway vandalism.
CP Vungmoh Kwaimo at the parade of the suspects was flanked by his officers and men which included DCP Yahaya Mana DC (CID), DCP Toyin O. Sulyman DC (OPS), ACP Ibrahim Audu AC (OPS), among others.
In a similar vein, the president general of the Nigerian Union of Railwaymen comrade Innocent Luka Ajiji who led members of his executive to the parade of the suspects, was full of praise for the new leadership of the Nigerian Railway police command under CP Kwaimo Vungmoh for their tireless efforts in the fight against rail tracks vandalism, just as he commended the management of NRC led by Dr Kayode Opeifa for the reinvigoration and turn around of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and railway men for their commitment to their duty even in the face of challenges and setbacks caused by train tracks vandalism.
Similarly, the managing director and chief executive officer of the NRC Dr Kayode Opeifa while speaking to newsmen in his office, called on states governments to show concern to take ownership of the railway tracks that passes through their states through the provision of infrastructures like motorable roads to the train stations.
Comrade Opeifa reiterated his warning that railway properties are critical national assets and not scraps, and warned vandals and their sponsors to stay away or face the full weight of the law. According to the NRC helmsman, “Railway properties are national assets, stay away, we are changing strategies to secure train tracks, We are deploying technology and the use of local communities to safe guard our train tracks”.
According to Dr Opeifa, “We are prosecuting many arrested vandals of train tracks and will not stop, unless they stay away from our national assets”.
Dr. Opeifa emphasized that the NRC under his leadership remains focused on President Bola Tinubu administration Renewed Hope Agenda and will not compromise in the provision of efficient service delivery and safety of it’s passengers whose comfort is non negotiable.
He identified funding as a major challenge in the operations of the NRC, but noted that the support of states governments remains critical, to enhancing quality and efficient service delivery to the people.
Comrade Opeifa said that the corporation was in talks with the Rural Electrification Agency to provide electricity to the stations and trains tracks to about 500 meters to the train stations. He also called on the members of the national assembly to consider the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in their constituency projects.
Speaking on the derailed Warri Itakpe train of the 1st of November 2025, Dr Opeifa stated that only two coaches were affected as a result of the removed bolts and clips. He highlighted that over 300 bolts and clips were removed within the axis which caused the derailment, but that the re-railment was concluded within 24 hours, but due to the need to carry out necessary and diligent safety checks, the resumption of train services had to be put on hold temporarily and that train service has resumed on the corridor.
Comrade Opeifa used the occasion of the press briefing to appreciate and commend the commuting public whose loyalty, according to him, “Strengthened our resolve to remain committed and undeterred by the derailment setbacks”.
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