Author: Lawal AbdulSalam Olawale

The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal on Monday struck out the Labour Party and its candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, from the petition

filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Olajide Adediran, against the recent governorship election in the state.

Jandor is challenging the return of Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Obafemi Hamzat in the March 18 Lagos State gubernatorial election.

At the proceeding, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Arum Ashom, said the court would deliver judgment first in the case of the PDP and its candidate before giving its judgment in the petition of the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

While delivering the judgment, which was read by Justice Abdullahi, the tribunal first dwelt on the preliminary objections filed by the parties.

On whether the deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, could be listed as a respondent in the petition, the Tribunal noted that the issue has been decided in a number of cases and went on to hold that a deputy governor and governor are not separate candidates and they are not required to pay a separate security deposit.

The PDP in the second objection, asked the tribunal to decide whether a person who lost an election could be joined as a respondent in an election petition, considering that Jandor had joined the candidate of the Labour Party Rhodes Vivour as a respondent in his petition.

The tribunal agreed that a petition is contemplated to be filed between the winner and the loser of an election and not between two persons who lost.

The tribunal then upheld the preliminary objection and subsequently struck out the name of Rhodes-Vivour from the petition filed by Jandor.

The court also removed from its records all exhibits tendered in evidence by Rhodes-Vivour in the petition filed by Jandor while holding that Rhodes-Vivour cannot subsequently go on to challenge any part of the judgment of the Jandor’s petition or else he becomes a meddlesome interloper.

Similarly, the court held that the Labour Party ought not to have made a respondent in Jandor and the PDP’s petition. The name of the party was subsequently struck out for being improperly joined. All evidence and exhibits concerning the party were also expunged from the tribunal’s records

The Trade Union Congress, TUC, and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN are protesting against the ban on RTEAN operations by the Lagos state government.

The Senate has urgently called for the rescue of the abducted female students of the Federal University in Gusau, Zamfara, by yet-to-be-identified bandits.

NAN reports that the police stated that on Friday, at about 02:50 hrs, suspected bandits, riding about 50 motorcycles and armed with sophisticated weapons, invaded three students’ rented apartments in Sabon Gida Village near the Federal University of Gusau, kidnapping an unspecified number of students.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Army, Sen. Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, made the call in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

He emphasised that rescuing the innocent female students from the captivity of the bandits must be the topmost priority of the country now.

Yar’Adua decried the scourge of banditry and insurgency by criminal elements in the country, with the attendant abduction of law-abiding citizens being a serious dent in the image of the country and the collective conscience of Nigerians.

“This is a moment that demands swift and decisive action. We cannot underestimate the trauma and anguish that these young girls and their families are experiencing right now. It is our duty as leaders to prioritise their safety and well-being above all else,” he said.

He further mentioned that the Nigerian Army and other security agencies must be well-equipped and positioned to stop the menace that is already threatening the nation’s unity, peace, and progress.

“The recent kidnapping of more than 24 innocent school students of the Federal University of Gusau, Nigeria, particularly the young girls, is not just another unfortunate incident but a clear indication that the insecurity plaguing our country has reached alarming levels.

“We can no longer stand idle and allow our nation’s future to be continually threatened. I call upon all stakeholders in government, from the executive to the legislative and the judiciary, to immediately divert our attention to this heinous attack and ensure the safe rescue of our young daughters.

“Furthermore, let us use this unfortunate incident as a wake-up call; the Nigerian government must intensify its efforts in curbing the escalating insecurity that has permeated our land.

“We cannot continue to allow bandits, insurgents, and criminal elements to terrorise our communities, disrupt the education of our children, and instil fear in the hearts of law-abiding citizens

Festus Akande, the Public Relations Officer for the court, says the fire incident that occurred on Monday morning has no connection and won’t have an effect on the presidential election petition.

Earlier that a wing of the Supreme Court complex situated at the Three-Arm-Zone, Abuja, was engulfed by fire on Monday morning.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Monday, Akande stated that the fire outbreak won’t affect anything in the court.

He said, “As a matter of fact, there’s no single connection, and it won’t affect anything in the court.

“This incident occurred in a chamber equipped with a computer and other equipment, as well as a functional library used by any justice occupying such chamber.

“The only thing that was affected were the books and computer equipment in the chamber. Even the books are replaceable.

“Also, it has nothing to do with it because it was from an electrical fault, which could happen anywhere, and there are things that happen daily

A wing of the Supreme Court complex situated at the Three-Arm-Zone, Abuja, was engulfed by fire on Monday morning.

It was learned that the fire, which started around 7am, caused panic among staff members of the court who scampered to safety.

Though no human casualty was recorded, however, it was not clear whether sensitive documents and files were destroyed by the early morning fire.

A source told Vanguard that the fire was probably caused by electrical malfunction in one of the offices within the administrative wing of the court.

The source confirmed that three offices, including that of Justice Mohammed Saulawa, was touched by the fire before it was eventually put off.

Meanwhile, the court is yet to issue a formal statement on the incident