Category: Politics and Governance

Orders Appellant to pay Respondents N1m each.

,,, Describes issues raised in Adeyemi’s brief as unreasonable, vexatious, not triable.

,,, Condemns TV utterances while case was in court.

By correspondent.

The Supreme Court, on Monday, finally dismissed an appeal filed by Senator Smart Adeyemi against the judgements of the two lower courts on the All Progressives Congress’ primary election, which held in Kogi State on April 15, 2023.

of the APC based on his petition against the alleged unlawful conduct of the primary election.

Justice Shuaib said that the issue of denial of fair hearing was not raised in his originating summons at the Federal High Court, hence, could not be raised as a fresh issue at the Court of Appeal.

In the absence of cogent and verifiable evidence on the part of Adeyemi, the Court of Appeal held that his allegations remained mere assertions that could not enjoy any probative value.

The Court of Appeal upheld the judgment of Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered on July 12, which had held that Adeyemi did not prove his allegations that Ododo was not lawfully nominated by the APC.

Senator Adeyemi had, therefore, sought an order of the Supreme Court, setting aside the judgments of the lower courts, allowing his appeal and granting all the reliefs sought in his originating summons.

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says its results viewing portal is to enhance election transparency and not a result collation or transmission system.

The INEC Director of ICT, Paul Omokore, gave the clarification in his presentation titled: “The role of BVAS, IReV for Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo Governorship elections” at a two-day capacity workshop for journalists on Monday in Akwanga, Nasarawa State.

Omokore advised journalists and members of the public not to confuse uploading of PU results to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) with electronic transmission of results.

He said that INEC Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is only used to upload pictures of PUs results on form EC8A to IReV, which does not translate to electronic transmission of results.

“Form EC8A is the result that we collated at the PUs. We use BVAS to snap this form and upload the same thing to the IReV portal for public viewing.

“This is not a collecting system. It does not tally a system. What it does is to snap the EC8A which is the result at the polling unit and upload the same to the public view. That is all.

“I know that 70 per cent of the populace think that the others have collected the figures. No.

“All what it does is snapping the EC8A that the presiding officers have collected all the scores of the parties, signed and stamped and then sends this same picture to the IReV for public viewing. That is all. So it is not a collecting system,” he said.

Omokore said that from inception of elections in Nigeria, results were transmitted manually, from the PUs to the collation centres.

He said that technology deployment had proven to be an effective tool in achieving free, fair and credible elections.

He said that while challenges were eminent, INEC had put in extra efforts to ensure that they were mitigated.

“The role of BVAS is to ensure one-person-one-vote.

“The role of the IReV Portal is to improve the openness and credibility of our elections,” he said.

Ezenwa Nwagwu, who is also the Chairman, Partners for Electoral Reform, in his lecture titled: “Ethical Dilemma in Election Reporting: Navigating Bias, Balance and Promoting Transparency” urged journalists to uphold accuracy reporting.

He said that the core issues in election reporting are Independence, unbiased and accuracy report by the media.

“Accurate and transparent report is the only cure for fake news, which is the responsibility of the media,” Nwagu said.

He advised the media to always investigate reasons behind some news being presented to the media by people with biased minds on electoral process and balance it with what the provision of the laws.

NAN

By Collins Yakubu-Hammer
Abuja:  The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris says he is advocating trust in public communication as most Nigerians no longer have faith in their leaders.

The Minister stated this in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

“What we want is to let Nigerians know the truth from those that should tell the truth. I think it is imperative that trust in public communication should be returned.

“This is because, we have seen a gradual erosion in the believe and trust of government communication in this country.

“We have reached a level where most Nigerians don’t even believe what their leaders are telling them and these are leaders the people elected by themselves.

“So, there is a need for us, seeing where we are coming from and seeing that deficit in trust, to begin to, at least maintain the truth at all times, no matter what it cost, so that people can then trust their leaders and the information coming from them,” he said.

According to the minister, telling the truth is the starting point, adding that when people know that. government is telling the truth, those who are reporting the information also have to report the truth.

He said the government is going to encourage everyone involve to always say the truth.
“We are going to campaign against conveyors of bad news, because bad news can lead to destruction, anarchy and disunity.

“It is absolutely important that we tell the truth at all times, and we are going to encourage all media practitioners to adhere to the values and truth; the values that this profession had taught us,” the Minister said.

On fake news, the Minister emphasised that it was not only Nigeria’s problem, stressing that it is actually a global challenge that even developed countries are struggling to overcome.

He explained that there is a global search for the best way to tackle the issue of fake news.
“When such best strategy is gotten, Nigeria will begin to key into it, to see that the issues of fake news are deal with in a more responsible manner.

“This will be done without infringing on the rights of the people and what is happening around them”. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng) / Flowerbudnews

Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi/Ekemini Ladejobi

The Kogi State Chairman of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Kingsley Oga, and other members of the party across the three senatorial districts have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The ADC chieftains and members, on Friday, collapsed their entire structure into the APC and endorsed the party’s candidate, Usman Ododo, for the November 11 governorship election.

The only ADC State Assembly member, Hon. Idowu Ibikunle, representing Yagba West State Constituency at the Kogi State House of Assembly, also declared his support for the APC candidate, saying her would campaign widely for him despite being an ADC House of Assembly member.

Addressing party members during the defection on Friday, Oga affirmed his position as the state chairman of the ADC but noted that the ADC members in the state had decided to abandon the ADC candidate and work for Ododo.

According to him, among all the governorship candidates for the November 11 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, Usman Ododo, the APC candidate, is the most suitable for the seat.

He said a five-man committee was previously set up to assess all the candidates contesting, and that the committee’s report concluded that Ododo was the right candidate to vote for in the upcoming election.

He emphasised the need to consolidate on Governor Yahaya Bello’s sterling achievements across all sectors, noting that Ododo would continue from where he would stop.

The ADC Chairman commended Governor Bello for the remarkable achievements across the state during his seven-and-a-half-year tenure.

He also pointed out that, from what had been seen and heard about the APC gubernatorial candidate, he would undoubtedly perform well when he becomes the next governor of the state.

Hon. Idowu Ibikunlen, representing Yagba West State Constituency in the Kogi State House of Assembly, said he contested as an ADC candidate and won his election.

He added that, despite being a member of the ADC, he and his supporters had all decided to vote for the APC candidate in the governorship election.

All three senatorial chairpersons of the ADC also spoke, affirming their commitment to mobilising their people in the ADC to vote en masse for the APC candidat

Abuja:  Mr Timipre Sylva, the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s candidate in the forthcoming Nov. 11 Bayelsa governorship election, on Tuesday, filed an appeal against the judgment of a lower court disqualifying his candidacy.

Sylva, in a notice of appeal filed by his lawyer, Mr Ahmed Raji, SAN, prayed the court to set aside the judgment.

Besides, the immediate-past Minister of Petroleum also filed a stay of execution of the judgment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, in a judgment he delivered Monday night, disqualified the APC candidate from contesting in poll.

Justice Okorowo had held that Sylva, having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of the state, would breach the 1999 Constitution (as amended) if allowed to contest again.

The judgment followed a suit filed by Mr Deme Kolomo, an APC member in Bayelsa, praying the court to order the Indeoendent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to delete Sylva’s name from list of candidates contesting the Nov. 11 governorship poll.

Kolomo argued that having occupied the office of governor of Bayelsa May 29, 2007 to April 15, 2008 and May 27, 2008 to Jan. 27, 2012, Sylva was not eligible to contest.

Raji, shortly after the appeal was filed, said the FHC judgment was against settled principles of law and notable precedents.

“The chances of success at the Appeal Court are very high,” he assured.

He said the appeal raised three fundamental issues touching on jurisdiction, locus standi and wrongful evaluation of affidavit evidence.

In a motion on notice dated Oct. 10, Sylva prayed the court for “an order staying execution and/or further execution of the entire judgment and the orders contained in the judgment of the court, delivered on the 9th October, 2023, pending the hearing and final determination of the appeal lodged against the judgement and orders of this court before the Court of Appeal, Abuja.”

He also prayed the court for an injunction, restraining the respondents from implementing and/or giving effect to the declaratory and executory orders contained in the judgment.
Also in the appeal dated Oct. 10, the ex-minister raised three grounds of appeal.

According to him, Justice Okorowo in his judgement wrongly assumed jurisdiction by delving into the internal affairs of his party, APC, which is a non-justiciable cause of action and thereby occasions a grave miscarriage of justice.

He said the trial court had a duty to understand the case presented by the parties and apply the law correctly.

In ground two, the former governor said Justice Okorowo erred in law when he wrongly conferred, allowed and adjudicated on the matter when the respondent had no locus standi to initiate or institute the action, having confessed not to have participated in the primary election that produced him as the governorship candidate of the APC, thereby occasions a grave miscarriage of justice against him.

He said the court failed to properly evaluate, determine and pronounce on his notice of preliminary objection challenging the competence of the suit and thereby breached his right to fair hearing as guaranteed by the 1999 ‘Constitution.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the appeal.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng) /Flowerbudnews