politics
Update : Court moves to merge all the petitions against Tinubu and determine them together
The Presidential Election Petition Court, sitting in Abuja, has disclosed its intention to consolidate the three different petitions that are seeking to nullify the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
Consequently, the court, at its resumed proceedings on Saturday, said it was empowered by Paragraph 50 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, to merge all the petitions and determine them together.
However, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, who is the lead counsel for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, pleaded the court for time to consult his client.
“My lords, we will not say that we have not looked at it, but perhaps it may require consultation with the other petitioners.
“We, therefore, ask for a stand down or an adjournment so that we can explore the modalities since this is like a marriage which is a union between two consenting adults,” Uche, SAN, added.
On its part, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, threw its weight behind the planned consolidation of the petitions.
“My lords, my personal conviction is that the provision is mandatory. It clearly stated that if there are two petitions or more that are filed to nullify the same election or return, it must be consolidated, unless the court directs otherwise.
“We are happy with the provision of the law and we are also happy with whatever position your lordships will take with respect to this matter,” INEC’s lead counsel, Mr. Abubakar Mahmood, SAN, told the court.
However, Mr. Roland Otaru, SAN, who appeared on behalf of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, said he would need time to consult.
“My lords, I will need to consult Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, who is the lead counsel in this matter,” he pleaded.
The Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel subsequently adjourned till Monday for the parties to report the outcome of their consultations on the issue of consolidation of all the petitions.
It will be recalled that INEC had on March 1, announced Tinubu of the APC as winner of the presidential poll, ahead of 17 other candidates that contested the election.
It declared that Tinubu scored a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat the two major contenders, Atiku of the PDP, who came second with a total of 6,984,520 votes and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes.
However, dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, both. Atiku and Obi, while separately claiming that they won the contest, lodged petitions before the court.
They maintained that Tinubu was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the election.
Aside from praying the court to disqualify the President-elect on the basis of his alleged indictment in the United States of America, USA, on a drug-related case, the petitioners, among other things, sought the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return that was issued to him by INEC.
While Atiku’s joint petition with the PDP, was marked CA/PEPC/05/2023, that of Obi and the LP was registered as CA/PEPC/03/2023.
However, aside from Atiku and Obi, another petition by the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, is still pending before the court.
The APM, in its petition marked: CA/PEPC/04/2023, that the withdrawal of Mr. Ibrahim Masari who was initially nominated as the Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, invalidated Tinubu’s candidacy in view of Section 131(c) and 142 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The party argued that there was a gap of about three weeks between the period that Masari, who was listed as the 5th Respondent in the petition, expressed intention to withdraw, the actual withdrawal of his purported nomination, and the time Tinubu purportedly replaced him with Senator Kashim Shettima.
It further argued that Tinubu’s candidature had elapsed as at the time he nominated Shettima as Masari’s replacement.
Even though five petitions were initially filed to challenge the return of Tinubu as winner of the election, however, the Action Alliance, AA, on May 8, withdrew its case, even as the Action Peoples Party, APP, followed suit two days later by also discontinuing further proceedings on its own petition.
politics
BREAKING: Rivers State Assembly Begins Impeachment Process Against Governor Fubara and Deputy
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The Rivers House of Assembly has commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Oduh.
The move followed a plenary session on Thursday presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule.
During the session, the Majority Leader of the House, Major Jack, formally read the notice of allegations and claims of gross misconducts levelled against Governor Fubara.
He disclosed that the notice was endorsed by 26 members of the Assembly, who alleged that the Governor had acted in violation of provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.
Speaker Amaewhule stated that the notice of impeachment would be served on Governor Fubara within the next seven days in line with constitutional procedures.
The Deputy Majority Leader, Linda Stewart, read out a separate notice of allegations and gross misconduct against the Deputy Governor, Oduh, marking the formal commencement of impeachment proceedings against her as well.
politics
Breaking : Accord Party Faces Internal Crisis in Osun as Bamigbola Emerges for 2026 After Adeleke
A faction of the Accord Party has produced Clement Bamigbola as its governorship candidate for the 2026 Osun State election, just four days after the emergence of Governor Ademola Adeleke as the party’s flagbearer.
Newsthumb recalls that Adeleke had emerged on Wednesday as the party’s candidate, being the sole aspirant in the exercise.
However, a faction of the party rejected his emergence, insisting that Barrister Maxwell Ngbudem is not the legally recognised national chairman of the Accord Party.
In a fresh development on Sunday, about 300 delegates of the Accord Party from across Osun State elected Bamigbola as the factional candidate during a primary held at Regina Suite, Osogbo.
Bamigbola emerged through a voice vote conducted by the delegates, after which the Chairman of the Primary Committee, Hon. Olufemi Ogundare, declared him the party’s candidate for the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
Following his declaration, Ogundare and other party leaders formally presented the party’s flag to Bamigbola ahead of the 2026 contest.
politics
2026: Tinubu Hosts Osun APC Aspirants in Aso Villa, Emphasizes Unity and Consensus Building
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PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appealed to governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2026 election for unity and consensus-building ahead of the party’s primary on December 13.
The President made the appeal when he met with the aspirants at the State House, Abuja, on Monday night.
The Osun State governorship aspirants who attended the meeting with the President include former Deputy Governor Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, Dotun Babayemi, Akin Ogunbiyi, Senator Babajide Omoworare, Kunle Adegoke (SAN), Babatunde Hareter Oralusi, Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
Also in attendance at the meeting were the National Chairman of the APC, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; the Chairman of the Progressive Governors, Hope Uzodimma; and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
President Tinubu, who praised all the aspirants for their contributions to the APC in Osun State, urged them to close ranks and support the consensus candidate the party will present for the governorship election in the state. He also advised them to avoid the internal bickering and disunity that caused the party to lose the last election in the state to the Peoples Democratic Party.
While harping on the importance of party supremacy, President Tinubu charged the aspirants to allow it to prevail in choosing the flagbearer, noting that only the party can benefit from it when it wins elections.
“You all have a duty and obligation to the party by ensuring the candidate of our party wins the next election in Osun State. You must strengthen the bonds of unity, party supremacy and collective responsibility. I have absolute confidence in your ability to deliver victory to our party in Osun State. You have my support and that of the National leadership of APC to win the coming election,” President Tinubu assured.
At the end of the meeting, a joint statement was issued in which the aspirants and the leaders committed to support the candidate who would emerge at the primary.
Here is the statement signed by all the aspirants and the APC leaders: “We, the undersigned aspirants for the 2025 Osun State Governorship Election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), having met and deliberated in the presence of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and in the spirit of unity, discipline, and loyalty to our great party, hereby declare as follows:
That we affirm and uphold the supremacy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in guiding and determining the most appropriate process for selecting the party’s flag bearer for the 2025 Governorship Election in Osun State.
That we unanimously agree to abide by the party’s decision to nominate a consensus candidate for affirmation at the APC Primary Election scheduled for Saturday, 13th December 2025.
That we accept the outcome of the party-led nomination process in good faith, and pledge our total support to the candidate so nominated and affirmed.
That we commit ourselves to peace, unity, and cohesion within the APC, and pledge not to engage in any act, public or private, that may undermine the integrity of the process or the standing of the party.
That we will work collectively and individually to ensure the success of the APC at the polls and the consolidation of good governance in Osun State.
“We make this declaration voluntarily, in absolute loyalty to our great party, and in recognition of the guidance provided by Mr President and the National Chairman in the overriding interest of the progress and stability of Osun State”.
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