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Edo Guber: Tribunal reserves judgment in Ighodalo’s petition against APC

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal for Edo has reserved judgment in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and it’s governorship candidate, Mr Asue Ighodalo.

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Ighodalo is challenging the outcome of the Sept. 21, 2024 governorship election in the state.

The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal reserved the judgment on Monday after counsel in the matter adopted their final written addresses.
According to Justice Kpochi, a date for judgment will be communicated to parties by the secretary of the trubunal.
“The tribunal stands adjourned until then,” he said.
At the resumed hearing of the matter, counsel to the petitioners, Mr Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN told the tribunal that the business of the day was for adoption of final written addresses.
Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Mr Kanu Agabi, SAN proceeded to adopt the final address of his client.
Agabi by way of adumbration prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit.
He said this was based on the grounds that the tribunal could not annul the Sept. 21, 2024 governorship election because it was not one of the reliefs sought by the petitioners.
The senior lawyer also told the tribunal that it could not declare the petitioners as winners of that election in the light of their own assertion that the election was invalid.
Speaking on the claim of non-compliance pleaded by the petitioners, Agabi said it was weak as it was not accompanied by the appropriate relief which was nullification of election.
He also said that the claim of majority of lawful votes pleaded by the petitioners could not avail them since their other claim was that the election was invalid.
He also argued that the number of polling unit agents called as witnesses represented an insignificant or even negligible per cent of the number of polling units in Edo.
Another ground that INEC prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition based on was that all the polling unit agents called as witnesses signed the result sheet and they could not distinguish between what they heard and what they saw.
“This is a clear indication that the election was conducted in compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
“The results were duly collated at all levels of collation.
“The petitioners have not pleaded any alternative results on the basis of which they can be declared as winners.
“The case of the petitioners is based on analysis undertaken by hired consultants ,” he said.
He further held that the documents upon which the petitioners relied were all dumped on the tribunal and could not be used in their favour.
He therefore prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition in its entirety as it had no merit.
For his part, counsel to Gov. Monday Okpebholo, Mr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN told the tribunal to dismiss the petition on the grounds that it had become an academic exercise.
He said that in the course of their research, they carefully extracted the polling units which the petitioners tendered documents on and compared them to the ones they presented and even at that, his client was well ahead of the petitioners in the polls.
On the contentious Form EC25b where the petitioners claimed the serial numbers of sensitive materials must be given, Ikpeazu said that all that was required for the form was quantity of electoral materials received and quantity returned.
He added that a pronouncement of the Supreme Court said that one could not prove over voting without the Bimodal Verification Authentication System (BVAs) Machines but that none of the machines was opened to allow the tribunal look at the content.
According to him, the petitioners by not tendering the right documents, failed to prove over voting on the whole.
Speaking on behalf of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Mr Emmanuel Ukala argued that it was clear that the case of the petitioners was based virtually and entirely on non-compliance.
“By the nature of the case they pleaded, the Supreme Court has over the years laid down that they need to prove this by polling unit to polling unit, ward to ward and local government by local government.”
He, however, held that rather than prove this, the petitioners dumped documents on the court.
He said that without polling unit agents testifying to those documents, they were useless and the case remained unproved.
Ukala argued that with over 4,000 polling units in Edo, the petitioners called only five polling unit agents and no single presiding officer.
He also said that since the petitioners failed to demonstrate how the BVAs worked, it was clear that the case of the petitioners was not proved and it should be dismissed.
Responding, counsel to the petitioners, Mr Ken Moze, SAN, said that with 4519 polling units in Edo, the complaint in the petition was concerning 765 of them.
According to him, it is law that successful prosecution of election petition is not about the percentage of the total polling units in the state but the effect of the successive establishment of the complaint.
He further argued that the petition must be considered whollistically and not in parts.
“So the submission of isolating grounds and labeling them alone as academic is not well founded,” he said.
On the issue of not presenting the tribunal with an alternative result, the senior lawyer said that it was on record that all the results before the tribunal were tendered by his client.
On why the petitioners called only five polling unit agents, he said that the grouse of his client was with what happened at the collation centres and not at the polling units so they didn’t need more than five agents to testify.
“We concede that elections took place at the polling units but how 25 votes metamorphosed to 525 votes at the collation center is what we are quarrelling with,” he said.
Speaking on the claim that they dumped documents on the tribunal, Moze said that all the documents they tendered were duly certified by INEC and were tendered without objection from the commission, the makers of the document.
He also held that the tribunal had requisite jurisdiction to hear the petition because their allegations were not pre-election matters.
Having taken all the arguments, Justice Kpochi said that judgment in the matter was reserved to a date to be communicated to the parties by the secretary of the tribunal.
The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the PDP and its governorship candidate, Mr Asue Ighodalo approached the tribunal, praying it to invalidate the outcome of the governorship election on the grounds of alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
They further contended that Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of majority votes cast in that election.(NAN)

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I recognise the role my family has played and continues to play in entrenching democracy, good governance, and the betterment of our people. I will never depart from the well-established path of honor, dignity, integrity, and service as personified by my late father.

Please permit me, dear colleagues, to restate my position as expressed in the newspaper publication, where I stated as follows: It is with heavy responsibility that I wish to resign my position as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly with effect from this day, March 3, 2025. I took this decision carefully and with firm consideration. On one hand, I accepted the position of Speaker on January 13, 2025, and on the other hand, I resigned the position as it is threatening the democracy of this House.

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As good people of Lagos, our mandate is to protect the good people of Lagos State and ensure good governance.

I feel that I have demonstrated leadership and selfless sacrifice by resigning in order to protect these resources that we have suffered to build. With your unwavering support, I take this step to step down as the Speaker of the House of Assembly.

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I cherish the solidarity that I have enjoyed and that has been given to me by my honorable members. I do not leave out the management and staff of the Lagos State House of Assembly. I want to thank you for your support and collaboration.

As short as it is, this is a memorable event. I need you to permit me to resign as the Rt. Honorable Speaker, and I shall continue to serve my good people of Apapa Constituency 1 in particular and the entire Lagos State in general.

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Thank you for finding me worthy to lead this distinguished and honourable Assembly. I am not a quitter; however, I took this bold decision in order to save this legislative institution from further unnecessary conflict and embarrassment.

Police restore Meranda’s security detail, explain withdrawal
Accordingly, I have agreed to yet again make a personal sacrifice by stepping down as the Speaker of this great Assembly.

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Dear distinguished and gallant honourable members of this 10th Assembly, occasionally, we are confronted by overwhelming challenges and conflicts, but as responsible leaders, we must not break down the legislative House that we collectively built in pursuit of justice and fairness.

For those who have been unfairly referred to for standing on the side of fair play, kindly take note that there will always be an opportunity to right any wrong.

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I appreciate the spectrum of solidarity that I received through phone calls, messages, and visits throughout my short tenure.

I sincerely thank you for your understanding and support, just as we know that party decisions are supreme.

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At this point, I take a bow as your Speaker, and I step down as your Speaker for this great House.

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BREAKING; President Tinubu approves 11 Universities (see full list and locations)

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BREAKING; President Tinubu approves 11 Universities (see full list and locations)

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), at its third meeting of the year on Monday, approved provisional licenses for 11 private universities in the country.

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Dr Morufu Alausa, the Minister of Education, said this while briefing State House Correspondents after the FEC meeting.

He said the universities approved were: New City University, Ayetoro Ogun; University of Fortune, Igbotako, Ondo State; Eranova University, Mabushi; Minaret University, Ikirun, Osun Annex and Abubakar Toyin University, Oke-Agba, Kwara.

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Others are: Southern Atlantic University Uyo, Akwa Ibom; Lens University, ilemona, Kwara; Monarch University, Iyesi-Ota, Ogun; Tonnie Iredia University of Communication, Benin City; Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management, Lagos and Kevin Eze University, Mgbowo, Enugu State.

Alausa said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was Committed to expanding the frontiers of educational opportunities and infrastructure, hence the approval of the new universities. (NAN)

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S3xual harassment; Another Senator reveals eye’s Witness account of what transpired at Akpabio’s birthday

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Natasha vs Akpabio; Senator reveals eye’s Witness account of what transpired at Akpabio’s birthday

The Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, has vehemently denied the sexual harassment claims against Senate President Godswill Akpabio made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

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During a visit to his home in December 2023, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, reportedly accused Akpabio of making unwanted attempts toward her. During the visit, Akpabio allegedly offered an intimate relationship while showing her around his Ikot-Ekpene home, she recalled on February 28, 2025, on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’.

When she went to his office to address her move regarding the Ajaokuta Steel Company, she said the identical request was made once more.

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However, Senator Nwaebonyi, who was present at Akpabio’s birthday celebration, has denied the allegations.

In an interview on Arise TV on March 3, 2025, he stated that the Senate President did not make any inappropriate moves toward Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan during the event, adding that he had no knowledge of the alleged harassment.

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“On the issue of sexual harassment as alleged by Natasha, as God would have it, I am an eyewitness, and as I posted on social media, I narrated what transpired. On that fateful day of December 8, 2023, I was among the Senators that attended the birthday ceremony of the Senate President.

“Right from Senator Attah Airport, I drove in the same vehicle with the Senator and her husband. In fact, I was in the front seat while the senator and her husband were in the back seat. We attended a series of programmes with the Senate President within Uyo town. At the end of the day, we moved to Ikot-Ekpene, the hometown of the Senate President.

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“I remember very well, as we were coming down from the vehicle, she was complaining about her shoes paining her, and she and her husband (had) to stay back while I rushed inside to join other senators to inspect the building of the Senate President.

“I must tell you for free, and that’s the truth, that Senator Natasha never joined us inspecting the building of the Senate President. She was seated at the parlour with her husband. The Senate President took us around, took us to the chapel, and called those who were Catholic Senators to join him in a Holy Mass.

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“We celebrated the Holy Mass and, at the end of the day, ended up in the garden as he hosted us. There was never a time when the Senate President touched Senator Natasha.

“There was never a time the Senate President told Senator Natasha do you like my house? We will come back to have a good time. That never happened, Senator Natasha knows that very well.

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“It is disheartening and unbelievable for a Senator of the Federal republic to, out of mere provocation — simply because you were given a new seat and probably your committee was changed — get up to lay a false allegation against a man that is old enough to be your father.

“The Senate can’t act on hearsay. Senator Natasha has never presented any issue before us.”

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