Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, has filed a motion to the US Court to overrule President Bola Tinubu's request to stop Chicago State University from releasing his academic record. Atiku has secured an order from a US magistrate for CSU to make Tinubu's academic records available to his legal team. He is seeking to test the authenticity and origin of 12 pages of documents, including two different diplomas, that purport to have been issued by CSU.

The Federal Government has arraigned Oladipupo Adebutu, the 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, on seven counts related to vote-buying and other electoral offences during the March 18, 2023, governorship poll. Adebutu was arraigned alongside five others before Justice Abiodun Akinyemi of the Ogun State High Court. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges in the criminal case marked AB/10c/2023. The All Progressives Congress had dragged Adebutu before the police, alleging that he induced voters during the poll by allegedly giving out 200,000 vouchers preloaded with N10,000 to prospective voters. The Federal Government filed charges against Adebutu and his PDP allies last year, but their arraignment was stalled as Adebutu was said to have travelled out of the country for medical treatment.

Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has pledged to prosecute individuals who allegedly colluded with the suspended Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Ari, during the 2023 gubernatorial election. Fintiri commended INEC for remaining impartial despite the REC's "irresponsible and unlawful" conduct. He emphasized the need for legal action against those involved to protect the electoral process and democratic culture from abuse. Fintiri called on the opposition and those wanting the state to develop to join his government in taking the state to another stage of development. Ari stirred controversy when he announced Aishatu "Binani" Dahiru as the winner of the governorship during the 2023 general election.

The All Progressives Congress on Thursday slammed the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, for criticising the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal which upheld President Bola Tinubu’s election and the electoral process. This happened as Atiku and Obi attacked the Independent National Electoral Commission over its conduct of the polls. The five-member tribunal had nullified the petitions of Atiku and Obi in the 12-hour judgment delivered on Wednesday. However, speaking on the development during a press conference at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, Atiku said his belief that the PEPC’s judgment left a lot to be desired convinced him to direct his legal team to approach the Supreme Court for redress. The former vice president slammed the Independent National Electoral Commission for poor management of the last general elections which he said the judiciary had a duty to redress. The LP presidential candidate, Obi, has similarly criticised Wednesday’s judgment of the PEPT. The ex-Anambra State governor averred that it was “not conterminous” with justice, adding that everything about the presidential election was not yet over. He insisted the matter had not yet reached its logical conclusion.

Human rights lawyer, femi falana, has asked the department of state services DSS to release the suspended chairman of the economic and financial crimes commission EFCC,Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, from illegal custody without any further delay. in a statement made available to the media on sunday, the remand order issued by  magistrate s' court in the federal capital territory has become spent, invalid and illegal as no magistrate has the power under section 493 of the Administration of criminal suspect for 67days without trial. Indeed, under the adminisration of criminal justice Act, the cumulative lifespan of  a remand order is 56days.                                 

Human rights lawyer, femi falana, has asked the department of state services DSS to release the suspended chairman of the economic and financial crimes commission EFCC,Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, from illegal custody without any further delay. in a statement made available to the media on sunday, the remand order issued by  magistrate s' court in the federal capital territory has become spent, invalid and illegal as no magistrate has the power under section 493 of the Administration of criminal suspect for 67days without trial. Indeed, under the adminisration of criminal justice Act, the cumulative lifespan of  a remand order is 56days.                                 

A  federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Hon. justice Liman has ordered Ecobank Nigeria to pay honeywell flour mills plc the sum of N72.2 billion as damages. in this judgment, Hon. justice liman granted all reliefs spught by HFMP and dismissed Ecobanks request.jutice Liman judgement opinied that no hesitation in granting reliefs in favour of the plantiff all flour reliefs sought were granted by court.dissatisfield with the court of Appeals ruling Ecobank had pursuedfuther legal recourse byfiling an appeal at the supreme court.

High Court of the Federal Capital Territory yesterday struck out an application by the State Security Service to secure an order to detain the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele for a further 14 days. The application, marked FCT/ 2023 and heard by Justice Hamza Muazu, was filed on Wednesday by lawyers from the agency and came up before the vacation judge yesterday. Justice Muazu struck it out for being an abuse of the court process and for want in jurisdiction. When the judge questioned counsel to the SSS, Victor Ejelonu, on the court’s jurisdiction given the provisions of Sections 293 and 296 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which vests exclusive rights on the Magistrates’ Court to grant detention orders, the counsel withdrew the prayer. 

Emefiele was on Tuesday granted bail for N20 million with one surety in like sum by the Federal High Court in Lagos State where he is facing two counts of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

The Fedes for N6.9bn procurement fraud at the federal capital Terriotory high court, maitama, Abuja. Emefile will be arraignment and mention. Emefiele will be arraigned along a female CBN emral Government will on thursday arraign the suspended central bank of Nigeria governor Godwin Emefile and his asocsiateployee, sa'adatu yaro and her company , April 1616 investment limited on 20 charges of procurement fraud, consipracy and conferring corrupt advantages on his associates. Emefiele, who had been in detention since he was accused of conferring corrupt advantages on yaro a director in april 1616 investment ltd.  Emefiele s'associate the ex-CBN governor was said to have conspired with yaro to confer corrupt advantages on the CBN staffer by awarding to her a contract for the supply of two toyora hilux shell specification vehichles.

All Abstract

The year 2021 ended on a frantic note in Nigeria, with a raft of developments in the judiciary designed to lock in strategic leverage for various entrenched interests in Nigeria's ruling classes. Senior judges and politicians were handing out judicial office to their spouses and children as end-of-year hampers, with one Senator having his young daughter sworn in as a judge and a former governor swearing in one of his serving wives as a High Court judge. This is known as judicial capture, as judges now have the casting vote in Nigeria's elections and ambitious politicians have decided they must own the judges. The Supreme Court is the most powerful court in Nigeria, presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), who is a totem to judicial capture and heads the judiciary; the Supreme Court; the National Judicial Council (NJC); the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC); the Board of the National Judicial Institute (NJI); and the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC). This has had a devastating effect on Nigeria's judiciary, with the consequences for the country being incalculable.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the failure to publish spending details of about N400bn saved as a result of the removal of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) subsidy on petrol. The suit seeks an order of mandamus to direct Tinubu to publish the spending details, provide details of the plans for the savings, and ensure that the savings are not diverted into private pockets. SERAP argues that transparency would increase public trust and confidence that the savings would be used to benefit Nigerians. The Tinubu government has a legal obligation to protect individuals against the threat posed to human rights by the removal of the subsidy on petrol and to effectively address the aftermath of the removal. The removal will continue to undermine the rights of Nigerians and increase their vulnerability to poverty. The implementation of the National Social Safety Net Programme (NASSP) and spending on the program have been mostly shrouded in secrecy.

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, on Wednesday, berated the Department of State Services, DSS, and officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, for engaging in a free-for-all within the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos, following the arraignment of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele.It will be recalled that operatives of the DSS had in a bid to retain the embattled ex-governor of the apex bank in their custody, manhandled a senior prison official.Trial Justice Nicolas Oweibo had after Emefiele pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition that the Federal Government preferred against him, granted him bail to the tune of N20million with one surety in the like sum.The court, thereafter, ordered that the defendant should be remanded in prison custody, pending the perfection of his bail conditions.The legal association, in a statement that was signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Akorede Habeeb Lawal, “particularly denounced the DSS for its peculiar part in the disgraceful and unlawful conduct, considering the fact that the Court had earlier ordered that the suspended CBN Government be kept in a Correctional Centre pending the perfection of his bail conditions.”

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has called for an urgent reform of the justice system in the country, saying it was worried that public confidence in the judiciary remained at very low levels.The legal body, in a communique it issued to mark the end of its 63rd Annual General Conference, AGC, further demanded an upward review of the remuneration of judges across the federation.It recommended that issues involving the remuneration of judicial officers should not only be separated from the public sector, but also removed from the purview of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC.Conference also recommended an independent salary scale for judicial officers. Conference recommends that urgent attention be paid to the plight of magistrates and other lower court judges, the NBA stated in the communique that was read to newsmen yesterday by its National President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, SAN.Conference recommended practical strategies to address security concerns. These include community involvement in policing, youth engagement through job creation, enhanced regional cooperation, media sensitization, comprehensive police reforms, religious school regulation, strengthening the judiciary, and observance of human rights.The adoption of state security forces, proper land management, international resource acquisition, and meticulous implementation of approved plans were also suggested,” the communique further read.

Following a summons that was issued on him, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Prof. Yakubu sent a senior official of the Commission, Mrs Moronkeji Tairu to testify in the petition filed by the presidential candidate of the People's Democratic Party(PDP), Atiku Abubakar against President Bola Tinubu. As part of his evidence, the INEC boss produced before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal(PEPT)sitting in Abuja, a document that contained Tinubu's age. On its part, INEC through its lead counsel, Abubakar Mahmood(SAN) said though it was not opposed to the admissibility of the documents which it described as irrelevant to the case before the court, it however contended that the petitioners did not pay the neccesary fees. 

Anxiety is growing among President Bola Tinubu and his presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, as judgment day approaches at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC). Both candidates challenged the declaration of Tinubu as president by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and argued that he was not qualified to contest due to forfeiture of proceeds from drug trafficking, money laundering in the US, declaration of allegiance to another country, presenting a forged university certificate, perjury, and inability to win the highest votes cast in the election. Obi also alleged that Vice President Kashim Shettima was already the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Borno Central. Atiku's final address, settled by his lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche, stated that INEC's assertion that he won 21 states was neither disputed, retracted, or debunked. The former VP accused the electoral body of manipulating the election outcome in favor of Tinubu and the APC, urging the court to stand on the side of justice. Atiku's teams described Tinubu's statement as cheap, misguided, and destructive blackmail, threatening anarchy if the election was nullified. The tribunal should proceed to uphold the declaration, as the electoral umpire claimed that he won 21 states in the last presidential poll.

Civil society organizations, including IRIAD and The electoral Hub, have condemned Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa's recent speech in the Senate, which was criticized for ridiculing the Nigerian judiciary. The group calls for the police and other authorities to investigate the statement and prosecute those found guilty. They urge the Nigerian Police Force, Attorney General of the Federation, and the Nigeria Judicial Council to restore trust in the judiciary and conduct a collaborative review of Justice Bulkachuwa's actions. They emphasize the importance of accountability, transparency, and justice for democracy, democratic consolidation, and societal development.

Civil society organizations, including IRIAD and The electoral Hub, have condemned Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa's recent speech in the Senate, which was criticized for ridiculing the Nigerian judiciary. The group calls for the police and other authorities to investigate the statement and prosecute those found guilty. They urge the Nigerian Police Force, Attorney General of the Federation, and the Nigeria Judicial Council to restore trust in the judiciary and conduct a collaborative review of Justice Bulkachuwa's actions. They emphasize the importance of accountability, transparency, and justice for democracy, democratic consolidation, and societal development.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has been declared the winner of the presidential election, following a 12-hour pulsating judgment at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. The five justices unanimously ruled in favor of the President, dismissing petitions by Atiku Abubakar/PDP, Peter Obi/LP, and Princess ChiChi Ojei/APM. The court also found the nomination of Vice President Kashim Shettima as running mate as untenable. The ruling sparked jubilation in New Delhi, where the President and his team celebrated the victory. The Nigerian Supreme Court has ruled that a presidential candidate must score one-fourth of the votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) before being deemed duly elected. The court criticized the petitioners' interpretation of Section 134(2)(d) of the constitution, stating that the word "and" between the expression "he has not less than 1/4 of the votes cast at the election in at least 2/3 of the states of the federation and the FCT was completely falacious, if not outrightly ridiculous." The court also ruled that the petitioners failed to discharge the burden of proof placed on them by the law.