News
Edo Guber: INEC Tenders Additional BVAS Machines, *As Ighodalo closes case against Okpebholo after 19 witnesses
Edo Guber: INEC Tenders Additional BVAS Machines, *As Ighodalo closes case against Okpebholo after 19 witnesses
By Kayode Lawal.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and it’s governorship candidate, Mr Asue Ighodalo has closed their case against the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
The petitioners closed their case on Monday, shortly after calling 19 witnesses who testified of alleged irregularities, especially during the collation of votes at both the ward and local government levels.
The move to close their case was sequel to the tendering of five additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), machines, that were used for the election.
The electronic devices, were tendered by a Senior Technical Officer in the ICT Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Anthony Itodo.
It will be recalled that following a subpoena order of the three-member panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, INEC had last week tendered 148 BVAS machines used in 133 polling units in the September 21 governorship election.
The petitioners had anchored their claim against the outcome of the election on alleged wrongful computation of results during collation at the ward and local government levels.
After taking five witnesses last Friday, the tribunal has adjourned to Monday to enable the petitioners continue their case challenging the declaration of All Progressives Congress (APC’s) candidate, Monday Okpebholo as governor.
However, at the resumed hearing at the tribunal currently sitting in Abuja, the petitioners expressed satisfaction that they have established their case against the respondents, going by the testimonies of their witnesses and the plethora of documentary evidence brought before the three-member panel of justices.
Lead counsel to the petitioners, Mr. Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, thereafter informed the tribunal led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi that they would be closing their case against the respondents.
Although, INEC, Okpebholo and the APC opposed the admissibility of the five BVAS machines, the tribunal however accepted them pending its ruling on their relevance to the case.
Meanwhile, the tribunal has fixed Wednesday for INEC to open its defence.
The electoral umpire had declared Okpebholo of the APC winner of the September 21, governorship election after scoring a total of 291, 667 votes.
PDP’s Ighodalo came second after scoring a total of 247, 655 votes.
Aggrieved by the outcome of the election, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal, praying it to nullify INEC’s declaration of Okpebholo as governor.
The petitioners, among other things, contended that the governorship election was invalid by reason of alleged non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act.
They equally argued in the petition marked: EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, that governor Okpebholo of the APC did not secure the highest number of lawful votes that were cast at the election.
Meanwhile, Edo State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Anthony Aziegbemin, expressed confidence that the petitioners through their lawyers have done justice to the case.
“We think the case is pretty straight forward, we think it is documentary based, we think it is specific, we think the judiciary will give it some judicial cognisance of what we tendered before them.
“We believe that they have all they need from us and all what we should produce, I think we have given it to them. And we expect them to look at them and see how it goes. But suffices to say that it is not a petition as we used to have it in the country where you call a lot of witnesses.
“We didn’t need to call a lot of witnesses, we called the witnesses that we needed, to prove our case and make our case more solid”, Aziegbemin.
The chairman described as strange INEC’s objection to the admissibility of its own documents, adding that it “gives us and Nigerians something to think about, why will INEC oppose the documents it certified to the petitioners to be tendered in the open court.
“I think the tribunal will look into that and see why they are objecting, though they said they will give reasons at the address stage but it is strange. It doesn’t add up”, Aziegbemin said.
Edo Guber: INEC Tenders Additional BVAS Machines, *As Ighodalo closes case against Okpebholo after 19 witnesses
Finally, DSS Arraigns Sowore on alleged Cybercrime Offences
By: Our Reporter
Judge bars him from inciting public, undermining national security
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday arraigned a politician and online publisher, Omoyele Sowore, before a Federal High Court in Abuja, for alleged cybercrimes, with the court barring him from further making statements that are detrimental to the peace and security of the country.
Justice Mohammed Umar, in a ruling, threatened to revoke the bail granted Sowore’ should he ever make such statements. The arraignment came after two previous attempts, with the politician’s lawyer introducing what the DSS lawyer, Akinolu Kehinde SAN, called legal obstacles.
On Tuesday, however, Justice Umar held that since there was evidence that Sowore was a presidential candidate in the country before and having also earlier been granted bail by the court, with his international passport still being held by the court, he was entitled to be granted bail on self-recognition.
The ruling was on a bail application argued by his lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, shortly after Sowore was arraigned on a five-count charge, in which he is accused of defaming President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as a criminal in his posts on X and Facebook.
When the charge, being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS), was read to him, Sowore pleaded not guilty.
In the charge, Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 elections, is accused of contravening the provisions of the the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024 and the Criminal Code Act by calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal
The two other defendants listed in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025 are X Incorp (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Incorp.
Details shortly.
Finally, DSS Arraigns Sowore on alleged Cybercrime Offences
News
One killed, dozens abducted as bandits launch multiple attacks in Zurmi, Bungudu LGAs in Zamfara
One killed, dozens abducted as bandits launch multiple attacks in Zurmi, Bungudu LGAs in Zamfara
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits have carried out a series of coordinated attacks across parts of Zamfara State, killing one person and abducting several others in Zurmi and Bungudu Local Government Areas, security sources have confirmed.
In the first incident, bandits invaded Tungar Tsamiya village in Moriki District of Zurmi LGA at about 10:40 p.m. on Nov. 30, shooting dead one resident and abducting 10 others.
Security forces launched a search-and-rescue operation to locate the victims.
Barely hours later, on Monday morning, another group of bandits attacked Doguwar Gona forest in the same Moriki District.
The assailants abducted 17 men and women who were in the area fetching firewood. Security personnel are tracking the movement of the attackers with the aim of rescuing the captives.
In a separate incident in Bungudu LGA, gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed Makwa village in Kurar Mota District at about 12:15 p.m. on Dec. 1 and abducted an unconfirmed number of residents.
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA and police operatives, supported by local vigilante groups, have intensified efforts to rescue all abducted victims and restore calm across the affected communities.
Search operations are ongoing.
One killed, dozens abducted as bandits launch multiple attacks in Zurmi, Bungudu LGAs in Zamfara
NSA Ribadu visits Kontagora Bishop, pledges swift rescue of abducted Niger schoolchildren
By: Zagazola Makama
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, on Monday paid a sympathy visit to the Bishop of Kontagora, Bishop Bulus Yohanna, following the recent abduction of students of St. Mary Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.
The NSA, who arrived Kontagora by helicopter at about noon, was accompanied by the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Tony Ajayi; the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs; and senior officials from the Office of the NSA.
Ribadu and his entourage proceeded to the office of the Bishop at St. Michael Church, where they met with representatives of families of the abducted students, the school principal, and the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the 19 Northern States, Bishop Joseph Hayap.
During the meeting, the NSA assured the community that the Federal Government was intensifying efforts to secure the safe release of the abducted pupils and staff.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ending attacks on schools and ensuring the safety of students across the country.
NSA Ribadu visits Kontagora Bishop, pledges swift rescue of abducted Niger schoolchildren
Finally, DSS Arraigns Sowore on alleged Cybercrime Offences
One killed, dozens abducted as bandits launch multiple attacks in Zurmi, Bungudu LGAs in Zamfara
NSA Ribadu visits Kontagora Bishop, pledges swift rescue of abducted Niger schoolchildren
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