Tag Archives: Judgment

Court Reserves Judgment On Appeals Seeking To Overturn Ruling On Ikpeazu’s Removal

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The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved final judgment in multiple appeals filed by the Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other interested parties seeking to overturn the judgment of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja which sacked Ikpeazu as governor.

A five-man panel of justices of the court led by Justice Morenike Ogunwumiju adjourned the matter for judgment after it heard six separate appeals.

 The hearing of the appeal which lasted till 5p.m., witnessed several drama including the attempt by the Ali Modu Sherrif’s faction of the PDP to come in but was rebuffed by the court.

Justice Ogunwumiju had drawn the   attention of the court to a letter from the Sheriff-led faction of the PDP that sought to withdraw the appeal.
The said letter was signed by the Deputy National Legal Adviser of the party, Bashir Maidugu.

After hearing from the parties, including Mr. Olagoke Fakunle (SAN) who said he appeared for the PDP, the court decided that the Sheriff’s group had no business in the appeal.
“Fakunle what exactly have you said? There are six appeals before this court which we must hear today. And we are going ahead with the appeals already filed. Do not disrupt this court again. You can go on appeal if you so wish,” the judge told the lawyer who was from Sheriff’s camp of the PDP.

Read More: Thisday

 

Uba, Oduah Approach Supreme Court For Clarification Of Judgment

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Indications emerged at the weekend that the nine federal lawmakers repre­senting Anambra State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the National Assembly, in­cluding Senators Andy Uba and Stella Oduah may return to the Supreme Court this week for clarification regard­ing their status with respect to its judgment on the leader­ship crisis rocking the party in the state.

Interestingly, Chief Chris Ubah, John Emeka, Annie Okonkwo and others on the list of Ejike Oguebego-led national executive of the party, who got judgment of the Supreme Court, have approached the Independent National Electoral Commis­sion (INEC) to issue them Certificates of Return as elected senators and House of Representatives members for Anambra State.

Already, Uba and Oduah have written to INEC insist­ing that the judgment did not affect their seats in the Na­tional Assembly.

Sources said that the motion seeking clarification of the judgment became nec­essary in view of the insinua­tions that the lawmakers may have lost their seats by the judgment of the apex court.

In a letter addressed to the Chairman of INEC by their lawyer, Chief Arthur Oka­for (SAN), the politicians insisted that the Supreme Court judgment delivered last Friday has not in any way rendered their seats va­cant in both chambers of the National Assembly.

The January 29 letter stated that the lawmakers urged the INEC chairman to “resist the machinations of those who are ill-motivated and bent on causing confu­sion in the system. If you find that the national ex­ecutive of PDP, which, in the case, nominated our cli­ents, then in the absence of a court order, there will be no compulsion or justifica­tion on your part to interfere with the mandate vested in our clients by the PDP and the electorate.”

They insisted that the primary election which pro­duced them as candidates for the 2015 general elec­tions was conducted by the national secretariat of the PDP as required by law and not the Anambra chapter of the PDP as being insinuated.

Credit: Sun

Ekweremadu Fails In Bid To Stop Judgment

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Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has failed in his bid to stop the delivery of judgment by the Federal High Court in a suit seeking to sack the Senate leadership.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola, had in December 14 last year, reserved judgment after hearing parties in the suit, challenging the process that led to the emergence of Bukola Saraki and Ekweremadu as President and Deputy President of the Senate.

Plaintiffs in the suit, led by Senator Abu Ibrahim, are of the view that the Senate Standing Orders of 2015 on which Saraki, Ekweremadu and other principal officers of the Senate were elected was a product of forgery.

Credit: Nation

Appeal Court Reserves Judgment On Taraba Speaker

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The Court of Appeal sitting in Yola, on Monday reserved judgment on the appeal filed by the Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly Hon. Peter Abel Diah.

Diah had approached the Appeal Court to set aside the judgement of the Elections Petitions Tribunal which nullified his election victory under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The 3-man panel of judges of the Yola Appeal Court – Justice Jummai Hannatu Sankey, Justice U. Onyemenem, Justice Saidu Tanko Hussaini, called on the counsel to the Speaker and APC to deliberate and inform the court on the day they agree for judgement.

Speaking to reporters briefly after the court sitting, the counsel to the PDP, Barrister Solo Akuma (SAN) said that he was confident that the Appeal Court judgement would favour the embattled Speaker.

Credit: ChannelsTV

INEC Faults Tribunal’s Judgment On Rivers Guber Election, Asks Appeal Court To Set It Aside

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has filed an appeal  against the judgment of the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal nullifying  the election of Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
The electoral body filed her appeal dated November 4, 2015 at the Court of  Appeal, Abuja Judicial Division on  November 5, 2015.

In a 12-grounds appeal filed on behalf of INEC  by her counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, the  electoral  body challenged the  entirety of  the tribunal’s judgment.

The  reliefs sought by INEC  in her appeal include: “an order allowing  the  appeal, an order setting aside the decision of the tribunal and an order dismissing the petition as lacking in merit.”

According to INEC, the learned justices of the tribunal erred in law when it failed to evaluate the evidence of each of the witness called by the petitioners before reaching  its decision.

INEC stated: “The tribunal was obligated to making findings as to where elections were said to have held on the one part and where they were alleged not to have held on the other part.”

The electoral body further stated that the tribunal  erred when it resorted to generic declaration like “many instances,” when the justices were obligated to specify where the  evidence  elicited under cross examination enhanced the case of the first and  second  respondents.

The INEC further stated that the tribunal erred  when it used the testimonies of witnesses  who were not at polling  stations  to nullify  the Rivers  governorship election.

Credit: ThisDay

Wike Asks Appeal Court To Set Aside Tribunal’s Judgment Nullifying His Election

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Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike,  has filed an appeal at the Abuja   Division of the Court of Appeal,  asking the court to set aside the  judgment  of  the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal  which nullified  his election  on October 24, 2015.

In a notice of appeal dated November  3, 2015 and filed same day by his lawyer,  Mr. Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), the governor raised 26 grounds of appeal upon which he sought to set aside the tribunal judgment.

The governor is challenging the entire judgment.

He joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as respondents.

He asked the court to allow the appeal and to make an order setting aside the judgment/decision of the  Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal.

He further urged the Court of Appeal to make an “order striking  out or dismissing the petition filed on May 3, 2015 by Peterside and the APC.”

Credit: ThisDay

Appeal Court Adjourns Judgment On Saraki’s Case Indefinitely

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The appeal by Senate President, Bukola Saraki against the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), to try him over alleged false declaration of assets, was on Monday, adjourned indefinitely by the Appeal Court, sitting in Abuja.

Recall that Saraki is challenging the legal propriety of the 13-count criminal charge the Federal Government preferred against him before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.

He had also gone before the appellate court to query the constitutionality of the warrant of arrest earlier issued against him by chairman of the CCT, Justice Danladi Umar.

Read More: vanguardngr

Delta State Governorship Tribunal Adjourns Judgment

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The Delta State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba on Wednesday adjourned judgement of the petitions filed by the governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP) O’terga Emerho and Great Ogboru respectively, to a date that would be communicated before August 28.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Nasir Gummi, announced that the tribunal would  communicate to counsels, the date for the judgement shortly after submissions from the 1st, 2nd and  3rd respondents’ counsels against the suit filed by the petitioners to invalidate and nullify the result of the April 11 governorship elections in the state.

At the sitting, Alex Iziyon (SAN), the lead counsel to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petitions which he said varied with the petitioners’ evidences before the tribunal.

Read More: channelstv

Supreme Court Delivers Judgment On Osun Governorship Election On May 27

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The Supreme Court on Thursday fixed May 27 for judgment on the appeal filed by Senator Iyiola Omisore, challenging the Court of Appeal’s judgment, affirming Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s election in Osun.

Omisore, the Osun governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the August 9, 2014 election, had challenged Aregbesola’s victory at the Election Petition Tribunal, where he lost.

The apex court panel of justices led by Justice John Fabiyi reserved the judgment following the adoption of the briefs of arguments and written addresses by counsels in the suit.

Omisore’s counsel, Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN), in his submission, urged the court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure Division and the Governorship Election Tribunal in Osun.

Izinyon also urged the court to nullify the outcome of the governorship election, arguing that the election was fraught with irregularities. “The tribunal identified the irregularities which marred the election but failed to pronounce on it in its decision.

“The Tribunal also did not make any finding as it ought to do in respect of the alleged irregularities,” Izinyon argued.

Also, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), Counsel to Aregbesola, while adopting his brief of arguments and written address, urged the court to dismiss the appeal and allow his cross-appeal.

Olujinmi also urged the court to dismiss the main appeal, arguing thus: “Out of the 43 witnesses who testified at the tribunal only seven witnesses were party agents.

“The rest who claimed to be supervisors gave ‘hear say’ evidences and agreed at the tribunal that the entering they made in the result sheets were false,” Olujinmi said.

Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and Adegboyinga Awomolo (SAN), Counsel to APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) respectively, also urged the court to dismiss the appeal and allow the cross-appeal.

Credit: NAN