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Abuja, Nov. 15, 2019 (NEWS INVESTIGATORS) The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, adjourned continuation of hearing on the suit challenging whether Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi, is fit to contest in the Nov. 16 governorship election till Nov. 21.

The presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, who adjourned the case, said the decision was to afford Gov. Bello, who sought to be joined in the matter, a fair hearing.

Justice Ekwo said all preliminary objections in the suit would be taken in the adjourned date and any party absent on the day would be deemed to have adopted them.

NAN reports that Bello had, through his lawyer, Mike Enahoro, filed a motion to be joined in the case on Friday.

Counsel to the plaintiff, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, who acknowledged receipt of the motion this morning, hinted that the motion sought to stop court’s proceeding on the matter.

He, however, argued that the motion be thrown out considering that the election is Saturday.

On his part, Counsel to the APC, Abdulwahab Mohammed, said he would need more time to study the motion.

However, Counsel to INEC, Alhassan Umar, SAN, said he had no objection to the motion.

NAN reports that the suit, dated Oct. 10 and marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1221/2019, filed by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, on Akpoti’s behalf, sought the court’s determination on the eligibility of Governor Bello in the Saturday election, having allegedly involved in double registration as a voter.

Akpoti said “that by his wilful act of making double registration as a voter, Yahaya Bello, candidate of the 1st defendant is not a fit and proper person to be allowed by the 2nd defendant to vote or be voted for in the forthcoming Kogi state governorship election, having committed act of electoral fraud.

“That Mr Yahaya Bella. the candidate of the 1st Defendant. was initially registered as a voter sometime in 2011 in Abuja, by the 2nd defendant.

“That Bello. the candidate of the 1st defendant again fraudulently procured from the 2nd defendant. a second registration as a voter on May 23, 2017, at Government House, Lokoja, while his 2011 first registration as a voter in Abuja was still live, extant and subsisting.

“That the said Yahaya Bello, the candidate of the 1st defendant carried out the double registration with the 2nd defendant so as to scuttle due electoral process.

“That such a person is not a fit and proper person to vote for in any election, let alone for the high office of the governor of a state.”

NAN reports that Justice Ekwo had, on Tuesday, delivered judgment, disqualifying the APC Deputy Governorship Candidate in Bayelsa, Sen. Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, over false information given in his CF0001 Form submitted to INEC for the Saturday’s poll.   (NAN)

(FLOWERBUDNEWS) Mrs Busola Dakolo, wife of Nigerian singer Timi Dakolo, has vowed to take her rape case against Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, founder Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), to the Appeal Court following decision of an FCT High Court to declare it “statute barred”.

The decision came after the Court sitting in Bwari, ruled on Thursday that the matter was filed out of time because the events that crystallized to form the cause of action took place 16 years ago.

The Court presided over by Justice A.O Musa, also ruled that the claimant, Mrs Dakolo, had only six years within which to seek redress in court in line with the statute of limitation.

According to Musa, the matter amounted to injustice, and an abuse of judicial process as the case was empty and purely sentimental, adding that the case was aimed more at cruelty than obtaining justice.

The court also awarded costs of N1million against Busola Dakolo and held that the fine should have been 10 times more because the court’s time was wasted.

Mrs Dakolo who is also a celebrity photographer had accused Fatoyinbo of raping her when she was 17 years.

Fatoyinbo, however, denied the allegations stressing that he had never raped anyone before, ‘not even as an unbeliever’.

He eventually filed an objection and an affidavit at the court stating that Busola’s statements were concocted to embarrass, scandalise and ridicule Fatoyinbo.

Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi, lawyer to Busola Dakolo, in a statement issued on Thursday stated that the High Court had not exonerated Fatoyinbo from the alleged rape.

“While we acknowledge the time of the Court, we know in accordance with the Nigerian Judicial system that the Court’s decision is not final as it is glaringly contestable.

“For all intent and purposes and having seen several sponsored misleading reports in the media, we are duty bound to state that the court has not and did not exonerate Mr Biodun Fatoyinbo.

“As it stands, the substance of the matter has not received any judicial attention.

“Mr Biodun Fatoyinbo, through his lawyers, has only argued that the court should not allow the matter to proceed to trial because it is an event that occurred long ago and hence out of time.

“We shall therefore in this circumstance approach a superior court to intervene for a better appreciation, and take a more expansive view of the suit considering that the subject matter is one that is novel in our clime,” Olajengbesi said. (NAN)

(FLOWERBUDNEWS)Nigeria, the Republic of Benin and Niger, have established a joint border patrol team comprising the Police, Customs, Immigration of the tripartite countries to recommend a date for the reopening of the borders.

The three countries agreed in a resolution on Thursday in Abuja at the end of the Tripartite Anti-Smuggling Committee Meeting of Nigeria, Benin and Niger.

Reading the communiqué at the end of the meeting, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the meeting took note of all concerns raised and agreed to establish a monitoring and evaluating committee of the three countries.

Onyeams said that the committee will comprise of Ministers of Finance, Trade, Foreign Affairs, Customs, Immigration and National Security Adviser.

He said that the Committee is with a mandate to ensure actions that would facilitate and enhance the suppression of smuggled goods and other related matters.

“The meeting agreed that the monitoring and evaluation committee will ensure the full implementation of the adopted mandate of the Joint Anti-Smuggling Human Trafficking Committee.

“Nigeria, Benin also agreed on the establishment of trade facilitation committee among the three countries, comprising of Ministers of Finance and Trade.

“To promote intra-regional trade among the three countries, as well as put in place, sanctions against smuggling of goods.

“The governments agreed to ensure persons from the three countries to enter/exit each other’s state with valid ECOWAS recognised travel documents through recongnised controlled posts.

“Establishment of Joint Border Patrol Team comprising the Police, Customs, Immigration of the three countries.

“The team is to hold its first meeting in Abuja from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27, 2019.

“The patrol team is to agree on the modality to carry out its operation and recommend a date for the opening of the borders,” Onyeama said.

On the anti-smuggling issues, Onyeama earlier said the meeting deliberated on the myriad of challenges faced by the three countries.

Onyeama added that more importantly, the meeting dwelt on the areas of smuggling of goods and services that were not approved under the Protocols on ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme.

He said that the meeting also proffered to address issues as regards Free Movement of Persons without valid ECOWAS travel documents, as well as plethora of illegal warehouses along the border corridors.

“In this regard, the meeting acknowledged smuggling of goods, as well as human trafficking as collective violation of ECOWAS Protocols on ETLS and Free Movement.

“That pose severe ecnonomic and security threats to intra-regional trade and free movement,” Onyeama also said.

Onyeama said that Niger and Benin Republic however appealed for the reopening of the land borders.

Responding to the attack of Nigerian traders in Ghana, Onyeama said that the Nigerian High Commission was engaging with the Ghanaian government and the leadership of the Nigerian traders in Accra.

Onyeama said that there was however no threat to the physical safety of Nigerian traders in Ghana, adding that the tripartite meeting have agreed on modalities for the way forward. (NAN)

Abuja, Nov. 16, 2019 (FLOWERBUDNEWS) Situation reports of the conduct of the Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections on the response of security agents and electorate are impressive, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (NCSSR) says it has deployed no fewer than ninety election observers to Bayelsa for effective monitoring.

Esther Uzoma, Alternate Chairman of NCSSR, a coalition of civil society organisations, says that the coalition is working in partnership with other stakeholders such as the Police Service Commission to monitor the conduct of the election.

She says further that NCSSR would collate information from the field to assess the level of compliance with electoral rules and guidelines.

In Yagba West of Kogi, there is a good early turnout of the electorate for accreditation and voting in some wards.

One of the electorate, Mr Bayo Ajayi, said that the election was very “peaceful at the moment, as there is no distraction from anywhere.’’

Although in some wards in Lokoja, some voters complained that their names were missing on the voter register, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission allayed their fear.

In Bayelsa, although there was initial delay in the arrival of electoral materials from the Registration Area Centres (RAC) to polling units in some wards, there was no report of violence.

Vehicles conveying both sensitive and non-sensitive materials were seeing ready to move the materials to the appropriate wards at the time of filling this report.

Mr John Ebiladei, the RAC Manager of Ward 13 and Mr Festus Abulema, the RAC Manager of Ward 12 in the state, said that all the materials would soon leave the RACs to be delivered to the various communities.

In Yenagoa, although some homes certain areas are submerged in flood, the electorate was ready to vote after accreditation.

Amid effective security, Mr Pere James, an electorate said “we are still waiting; we cannot go to the units now because we have seen INEC officials.

“I believe is because of the flood; as you can see, every home is under the water.’’

Polling stations at Amarata, Ovom, and Opolo areas of Yenogoa opened early as directed by INEC officials.

At Opolo, Mr James Fefegha, a voter at Unit 6, Ward 2, “the election started early today and materials arrived early and we are waiting to vote already while the atmosphere remains very peaceful.’’

Also, in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa, election materials arrived in some polling units early enough.

Assemblyman Salo Adikimo, representing Sagbama Constituency III at the Bayelsa House of Assembly said that he was impressed by the conduct of the election.

“You can see that the entire ward is calm, there are no threats of crisis, no form of tension; we are prepared to begin voting any moment from now.

“Our people are fully informed and aware of their responsibility during election, you can be sure that they will be conduct themselves peacefully,’’ he said.

Another voter in Tumgbo, Mr Tambi Wariebi, also told NAN that he was confident of a hitch-free poll, observing that the presence of security agents in the area gave an assurance of safety and security during the election.(NAN)

(FLWERBUDNEWS) The Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr Timipre Sylva, says the Court of Appeal in Abuja has granted the All Progressives Congress (APC) a stay of execution on the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court nullifying the primaries of the party.

Sylva, who stated this in a news confrerence in Yenagoa on Thursday, said that the APC would fully participate by contesting in the Saturday governorship poll.

“I must tell you that the judgment nullifying the primary was clearly a bias one with all due respect to the judiciary.

“So, I have come to address you because we have good news for the people of Bayelsa. The court in Abuja has granted us stay of execution.

“That means, we are fully as a party in the position of contesting this election.

“Because we know that the people of Bayless are seriously behind us and we will win the election.

“Everyone in Bayelsa knows that APC has the majority in the state and if there is an election today, it is clear even to blind and the deaf that APC will win.

“The electorate should go en-masse and vote the candidature of the APC, Mr David Lyon,” the minister said.

News Agency Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, has on Thursday voided the direct primary conducted by the APC that produced Mr David Lyon as the governorship candidate of the party.

Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, former Minister of State for Agriculture, had dragged APC to court over alleged irregularities during a direct primary conducted by the party on Sept. 4.(NAN)

(FLOWERBUDNEWS) Odu-Ogboyaga (Kogi), Nov. 16, 2019 (NAN) Mr Musa Wada, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship candidate in the Kogi Governorship Election, has cast his vote with a call to the electorate to defend their votes.

Wada and his elder brothers, former Governor Idris Wada, and Dr Ibrahim Wada, cast their votes at Odu Ward 4, Unit 001, Odu-Ogboyaga in Dekina Local Government Area of the state at about 9:15 a.m.

Speaking shortly after casting his vote, the PDP governorship candidate urged the voters to stay tight and defend their votes, saying there was an attempt by “hooligans” to disrupt the exercise in one of the polling units earlier.

On the conduct of the polls, Wada said, “It looks peaceful for now”.

“I have advised the voters to stay tight to defend their votes very well. So much security locks down. Police everywhere, this is because Anyigba is very volatile.

“So,we advised that there should be proper security even at that, there were incidences of ballot box snatching.

On his expectation, Wada said, by God’s grace he would be the winner, saying “ no matter what they do. What will be, will be”.

The Polling Officer at the polling unit, Imokhuede Daniel, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the election was going on smoothly with accreditation and voting going  on simultaneously.

“As it stands now, the only problem we have is that at one of the polling points, we have 2015 stamp, we have complained and it will be corrected although it will not have any effect because we will countersign with today’s date, ” Daniel said. (NAN)

(FLOWERBUDNEWS) Accreditation at Ward A Polling Station, Growther/ Sabongari, Lokoja, was on at 8.35 a.m. when a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) visited the polling station.

Voters were seen checking their names on the register pasted on the walls of Growther Memorial College, Lokoja, while others lined up, orderly, to be accredited.

The exercise was peaceful and orderly.

Men and officers of the Nigeria Police, Federal Road Safety Commission(FRSC), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Customs Service, among other security outfits kept vigil to ensure maintenance of law and order.(NAN)

(NEWS INVESTIGATORS) A boat conveying journalists across flooded parts of Sampou community on Nun River in Kolokuma Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa capsized and threw the four occupants into the water.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the boat was carrying four journalists covering the governorship elections, including its correspondent.

The journalists were returning from the polling station when the incident happened and left the victims submerged but the timely intervention of sympathisers rescued the journalists whose mobile phones, cameras and recorders were drenched.

A stretch of about 200 metres along the road, leading to polling unit 4, Ward 6, where the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Sen. Douye Diri voted was flooded, compelling the journalists to resort to local canoes to cross.

The flood had delayed the setup of polling stations across the flooded community to about 10.16 a.m, two hours behind schedule.

The flood submerged many parts of Amasoma, Yenagoa and parts of Sagbama, a development that displaced polling stations.

Diri who voted at about 10.35 a.m. observed that the elections were peaceful in his area but regretted that he got reports of electoral fraud, violence in Nembe, Opolo and Enewari and other parts of the state.(NAN)