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Virtual courts: Lagos takes Fed Govt, NASS to Supreme Court

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The Lagos State Government has asked the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of virtual court hearings.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) and the National Assembly are the respondents in the suit.

It said, among others, that divergent views on whether or not virtual court proceedings are lawful, is causing apprehension over proceedings already conducted virtually in compliance with Practice Directions issued by the Chief Judge of Lagos State.

Lagos, through its Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), is asking the court to determine whether by Section 36(1), (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution, “the use of technology by remote hearings…whether by Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Skype or any other audio visual or video-conference platform by the Lagos State High Court or any other Courts in Nigeria in aid of hearing and determination of cases are constitutional”.

The Plaintiff also wants the court to determine whether “…the National Assembly can usurp the powers of the Chief Judge of Lagos State under Section 274 of the Constitution by commencing the process for the amendment of Section 36(3) and (4) of the Constitution to include virtual or remote hearings”

The state is further “seeking a Declaration that the Constitution, especially Sections 36 (3) and (4) are adequate to accommodate virtual or remote hearings…as provided for in the Practice Directions issued by the Chief Judge of Lagos State dated 4th and 15th May 2020.”

It also made another prayer for “a declaration that it is not within the legislative competence of the 2nd Defendant or any other body, person or authority to make laws or otherwise amend the Constitution for the regulation of the practice and procedure of the courts of Lagos State having regard to Section 274 of the Constitution”.

It prayed further that, “the Bill presented before the 2nd Defendant seeking to specifically include remote hearing in the Constitution constitutes a usurpation of judicial function”.

A counsel in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Oluwayemisi Osisanya, averred in a 45 paragraph supporting affidavit that following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic which practically halted judicial proceedings in courts in Lagos, the National Judicial Council (NJC) issued guidelines on May 7, 2020 to aid the dispensation of justice in Nigeria.

She further averred that pursuant to the provisions of Section 274 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) the Chief Judge of Lagos State issued Practice Directions to accommodate virtual or remote hearing.

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Update : Tinubu to attend Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration in Rome, A signals Nigeria’s engagement with global efforts for peace, Says Onanuga

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will this weekend travel to Rome at the invitation of the newly elected head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, to attend the historic inaugural mass of the new Pontiff.

The solemn ceremony, which marks the formal beginning of the Papacy of Pope Leo XIV, will take place on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

The event is expected to draw Heads of State, diplomats, religious leaders and dignitaries from around the world.

Tinubu will depart Abuja on Saturday, May 17, and is scheduled to return to Nigeria on Tuesday, May 20.

According to a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, the invitation to President Tinubu was conveyed through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.

In the message, Pope Leo XIV emphasised the symbolic significance of the Nigerian leader’s presence at “this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”

The Pontiff added a personal note, recalling his time in Nigeria: “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”

Tinubu’s delegation includes a mix of government officials and senior Catholic clergy, underscoring Nigeria’s religious and diplomatic ties with the Vatican.

Among those accompanying the President are the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri, who is also the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese.

The Vatican Conclave of Cardinals elected Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 27 days after the passing of Pope Francis on April 21.

A seasoned theologian and Vatican administrator, the new Pope is expected to steer the Church through complex global challenges, including geopolitical tensions, migration, poverty, and religious extremism.

Nigeria, home to one of Africa’s largest Catholic populations, has long maintained close diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

Tinubu’s participation in the Papal inauguration not only affirms this relationship but also signals Nigeria’s engagement with global efforts for peace, dialogue, and religious harmony.

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Breaking : JAMB to reschedule UTME for 379,997 candidates affected by technical issues in southeast, Lagos, There were errors, Says Oloyede

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said it would reschedule 379,997 candidates affected by technical glitches in the five states of the South East and Lagos to retake the Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, made this known in an ongoing press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said, “206,610 in 65 centres were affected in Lagos and 92 centres in the Owerri zone comprising 173,387 candidates in the five states of the South East were affected.”

Oloyede, who took responsibility for what he described as a “sabotage” of the 2025 UTME, said the affected candidates will start getting text messages from the Board starting Thursday.

He added, “The affected candidates will start getting text messages for rescheduling starting from tomorrow.

“I apologise, I take full responsibility.”

Of the 1.9 million candidates who sat the UTME, over 1.5 million reportedly scored below 200 out of the maximum 400 marks, raising concerns across the education sector.

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Update : Court dismisses suit against Tinubu on removal of Danladi Umar as CCT Chairman

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Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit instituted against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu challenging the removal of Danladi Yakubu Umar as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

The suit was struck out by the judge following its withdrawal by the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs: Community Rescue Initiative, Toro Concerned Citizens of a Relief Foundation, and an Abuja-based lawyer, Comrade Nasir Bala, had jointly instituted the suit against President Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and six others.

It will be recalled that the Senate, in November, asked President Tinubu to sack Danladi Umar as CCT Chairman over allegations of corruption and misconduct.

The upper chamber adopted the resolution during a plenary session after Senate President Godswill Akpabio put it to a vote, and a majority of the senators supported it.

The resolution was passed in accordance with the provisions of Section 157(1) of the Nigerian Constitution, which stipulates that two-thirds of the Senate’s membership can advise the President to remove the CCT Chairman.

However, in the suit, the plaintiffs sought to restrain the Clerk of the National Assembly from transmitting the resolutions of the Senate and House of Representatives to the President, and to halt any attempt by the Executive to act on the resolution purportedly removing Justice Umar from office.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Tuesday, counsel to the plaintiffs informed the court of their decision to discontinue the case.

He stated that a formal notice of withdrawal had already been filed and brought to the court’s attention.

Justice Omotosho consequently dismissed the case on the ground that the parties had already joined issues with one another.

The plaintiffs had earlier argued that the National Assembly acted in breach of constitutional provisions, particularly Section 157(1), Section 22(3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, and relevant paragraphs of the 1999 Constitution, in recommending Umar’s removal.

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