News

Rivers: Appeal Court Sets Aside Judgement Nullifying All APC Candidates

Published

1 month ago

December 16, 2022

The decision of a Federal High Court to dismiss Tonye Cole, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, as well as the national and state assembly candidates, has been overturned by an Appeal court in Port Harcourt.

Fidel Info reports that on October 25 in Port Harcourt, a court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Obile dismissed the APC candidates in response to a lawsuit filed by George Orlu and five other people who claimed to have been shut out of the party’s delegate congresses.

Following an appeal from the APC, the party’s candidate for governor, Tonye Cole, and the candidates for the National and State Assemblies, the Court of Appeal issued three separate verdicts on the case.

George Orlu and five other people did not exhaust the internal party system before filing the lawsuit, according to the three-person special panel of the Court of Appeal’s verdict, which was given by the chief Judge, Justice Muhammed Lawal-Shaibu.

Lawal-Shaibu held that the respondents did not participate in the congress of the APC and so did not have any cause of action and lacked the locus standi to go to court.

The judge further said it was inconceivable for the Federal High Court Judge not to have joined some candidates of APC who are interested parties in the suit.

The panel said the nomination of delegates and political parties is purely an internal party affair, and that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit abi initio.

He thereby set aside the judgment against the APC and awarded the sum of N500, 000 each for the three cases as cost against the appeal respondents in favour of APC.

In a related situation, in a 15-ground appeal instituted by Senatorial, Federal House of Representatives and State Assembly candidates the court held that the aggrieved defendants at appeal could not exhaust the internal mechanisms as provided by the party’s constitution before going to court.

Lawal-Shaibu said the trial Judge did something strange when it delivered judgement on the preliminary objection of the defence and the substantive matter just to grant all the prayers of the plaintiff.

He said the judge was in a serious error for not going into the merit of the matter, questioning how the court got reasons to deliver its judgement without properly examining the matter.

Justice Lawal-Shaibu said the appeals by APC, Cole and assembly candidates were in merit and are allowed.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State APC 2023 Campaign Council while hailing the judgment, commended the judiciary for standing on the path of justice.

Spokesman of the council, Barr Sogbeye Eli, said the judgement would give Rivers people the opportunity to choose the candidates of their choice at the poll, even as he called on politicians to approach democracy with utmost fairness and a sense of responsibility.

Eli said the APC would commence activities following the judgement, pointing out that the party would not apply to the state to use public schools for its campaigns.

“We will not apply to anybody to use the school. If we do that it amounts to illegality. We are in court challenging it,” Eli said.

News

Wike Receives Fmr. President Obasanjo In Rivers

Published

3 days ago

January 26, 2023

H B. Ray

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi meet with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Thursday.

Fidel Info reports that Obasanjo and Fayemi are attending the ongoing Port Harcourt International Conference 2023 holding at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt.

The summit is tagged, “Deepening Democratic Culture and Institutions for Sustainable Development and Security in Nigeria.”

News

Non-Indigenes In Kwara State Declare Support For Gov AA

Published

5 days ago

January 24, 2023

H B. Ray

Non-Indigenes in Kwara State have declared a total support for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in his re-election bid, pledging to vote overwhelmingly for him in the forthcoming election.

Fidel Info reports that they made this known at a consolidative forum meeting where they said they would continue to cooperate and support the administration of Governor AbdulRazaq.

In a statement by the Total Coordinator of the Amalgamated Non-Indigenes Associations, Barrister Adokutu Jafaru Ibie, previous administrations were condemned for playing politics of exclusion with non-indigenes in the state.

“Past governors only remember non-indigenes when it comes to getting our votes during electioneering periods. This time around, however, only the AbdulRazaq administration in the history of Kwara State has truly accorded non-indigenes the required recognition in the governance of the state.

“This is one government every non-indigene from the six geo-political zones of the country resident in Kwara must appreciate and work and accept for fulfilling promises made to the people. We’ll ever remember Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as a promise keeper, and has truly activated the substance of his promises to the people of the six geo-political zones resident in Kwara State.”

Adokutu urged non-indigenes in the state not to be swayed by the deceit of opposition, telling them to queue behind the ruling APC in the forthcoming election.

“We accept the reorganization process of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Non-Indigenes, Hon. Caleb Ono Bobi, which has helped to better reposition all affiliate associations, clubs, unions etc of non-indigenes resident in Kwara State. He advised non-indigenes not to allow themselves to be swayed by the deceits of opposition parties in the state but to queue behind the All Progressives Congress led administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to return his government to power in at the March elections.

“In the same vein, the President of the South-South Community in Kwara, Sir Christopher Ozonuwe appealed to all non-indigenes in the state to be very watchful of political hawks during this election year so that they do not fall to their empty promises and open deceits but to always align with the purposeful governance of the current administration of AbdulRazaq.

“Our SSA and other government appointees on Inter-Community Relations are men of good professional and intellectual clout. So, we believe the governor has truly done us a good turn by appointing them into his cabinet. We are solidly behind them in the onerous task to re-elect our governor for another four years of untarnished governance of our Kwara State.”

Adokutu also announced that non-indigenes in the state will carry out a Non-Indigenes Solidarity Rally for the Governor’s second term re-election soon.