Author: Festus Adeloye

The Supreme Court has nullified the judgments of the Court of Appeal and Federal High Court, which sacked Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). A five-member panel of the apex court held that the issue of who is the National Secretary of the PDP borders on the internal affairs of a political party which is not justiciable. Justice Jamilu Tukur, who delivered the lead judgment of the Supreme Court, consequently struck out the judgment of the trial court delivered in October 2024 and also set aside the majority judgment of the court of appeal…

Rivers Sole Administrator Vice-Admiral Ibok Ibas (rtd) has given his mandate in the state, which is to restore law and order, stabilise the polity, and create the necessary environment for the full restoration of democratic institutions. Ibas, in his maiden statewide broadcast in Port Harcourt on Thursday evening, decried the state of affairs that led to the declaration of emergency rule by President Bola Tinubu. He said: “My mandate is clear: to restore law and order, stabilise the polity, and to create the necessary conditions for the full restoration of democratic institutions and representation. “My appointment comes at a difficult…

The Oyo State Government has officially withdrawn criminal charges against Naomi Silekunola, the former wife of the Ooni of Ife; Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, owner of Agidigbo FM; and Abdullahi Fasasi, principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan. These individuals were initially charged following the tragic stampede that occurred in December 2024 during a children’s festive party, which claimed the lives of at least 35 children. Following the court proceedings on Thursday, a video emerged showing the defendants visibly relieved, exchanging pleasantries, and smiling—an indication of their elation at being released from the charges. The State’s Attorney General, Abiodun Aikomo, confirmed…

The House of Representatives has approved the request of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a state of emergency in Rivers State with an amendment.  The House resolved while the emergency lasted; it can be reviewed at any time without necessarily waiting for the six months prescribed in the proclamation. Minority Whip of the House, Ali Isa JC, moved the amendment to the request that when there are signs of resolution of the crisis, the President should review the emergency rule in the State. A total of 243 lawmakers attended the plenary session where the resolution was passed on Thursday.

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State. In a Wednesday statement, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) chieftain said the reasons adduced for the suspension do not hold water. El-Rufai’s statement comes following the president’s Tuesday declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of Fubara, deputy governor Ngozi Odu and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. El-Rufai said, “There are things that are so clearly wrong that the justifications summoned in their defence fall flat. “The decision of Mr. President to…

The FCT Fire Service (FFS) has revealed that a brake failure by a truck conveying Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) canisters led to Wednesday’s Abuja-Keffi expressway explosions. The FFS Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Mohammad, confirmed this in an interview with the Newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja. Mohammad said that the truck which was headed towards the Nyanya axis from AYA, lost control and in the process rammed into several vehicles along the route. “And as a result of the impact on the vehicles and the impact of its own CNG-loaded containers, they started flying out of the truck and anywhere it…

A Federal Government’s visitation panel on prisons has said the conditions of the correctional centres and their inmates are appalling and unbearable. The panel, headed by a former Ekiti State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Olawale Fapohunda (SAN), found that most inmates are languishing in prisons due to lack of legal representation and the inability of the Legal Aid Council (LAC) to cope with the huge number of cases it is handling. The findings are contained in the report the panel submitted yesterday in Abuja to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). Fapohunda…

Former presidential spokesperson Doyin Okupe will be laid to rest in his hometown, Iperu-Remo, Ogun State, on March 28, 2025. According to an official announcement, his burial rites will commence on Saturday, March 22, with a commendation service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David, Abuja. On Thursday, March 27, a Service of Songs and a Day of Tributes will take place at Trinity House, Water Corporation Drive, Victoria Island, Lagos, at 11 a.m. Later that day, a wake will be held at Agbonmagbe Castle, Sagamu-Iperu Road, Ogun State, at 4 p.m. Okupe’s lying-in-state is scheduled for…

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has made clarification on its withdrawal of the land title of the Peoples Democratic Party’s secretariat located at Abuja central area, stating that the PDP owes it over N7 million for non-payment of ground rent from 2006 till date. The FCTA Director of Lands, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, made the disclosure while briefing journalists shortly after the administration’s executive council meeting chaired by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday. Nwankwoeze futher stated that while the PDP headquarters at Wadata Plaza does not belong to the political party, the owner of the property also owes the administration…

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria have strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, describing it as an attack on democracy. In a joint statement on Wednesday, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo, faulted the move as “hasty and unconstitutional,” arguing that it violated Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution. The statement read, “This reckless move should deeply concern every governor and citizen who believes in the rule of law. “No democratic society can thrive where elected leaders are arbitrarily removed at the whims…