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Why Judgements Sacking Govs Should Be Reviewed – Falana
Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, said the judgements of the appellate court sacking Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State and Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State should be reviewed.
Falana made this call in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed in its duty to conduct proper elections in the country.
He said the votes of Nigerians should not be nullified by the courts because of the supposed negligence of the electoral umpire that shouldn’t have cleared candidates put forward by parties without primaries conducted.
He also said thousands of votes should not be invalidated by the court because INEC officials failed to stamp ballot sheets.
Falana noted that election matters should be concluded before the inauguration of any administrations.
Recall the appellate court sacked three governors that INEC declared as winners in the March 2023 poll. All the three governors sacked by the appellate court are in opposition parties.
The court sacked Yusuf of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and declared his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Nasir Gawuna, as the winner of the poll.
In Zamfara, the appellate court sacked Governor Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when it declared the poll inconclusive about eight months after.
The court ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election in three local government areas of the state. PDP’s Lawal and APC’s Bello Matawalle are the major contenders in the race.
On Sunday, the appellate court sacked PDP’s Mutfwang and ordered INEC to issue a Certificate of Return to APC’s Nentawe Goshwe. The court held that the party violated the court order that a valid congress be conducted in the 17 local government areas of that state.
However, the appellate court affirmed the election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC in Lagos State.
But, peaking on the judgements of the appellate court, Falana said INEC failed to perform due diligence before and during the elections.
He said all those dissatisfied with the appeal court verdicts can go to the Supreme Court.
“If you look at what happened in Lagos is different from what happened in Plateau. You are being told in Plateau that there was a judgement of the high court to the effect that primaries have to be conducted. The judgement, as usual, was dishonoured and disobeyed and the election went on.”
He said the political class must learn to comply with the decision of the court.
“It is different from Kano where you are being told that voters can be punished. It is a very dangerous judicial policy to sanction voters for the mistake of electoral officers. We are being told that 165,000 votes are wasted, they are invalid because some electoral officers committed an error by not stamping them.
On how that affect the validity of election, Falana said, “I do hope that this time around the Supreme Court will resolve these needless controversies surrounding the non-stamping of ballot papers by INEC officials who have not been recommended for any sanction.
“This is why these judgements will have to be reviewed.”
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Unity Bank, CashToken Rewards Promo Produces New Millionaire
A Unity Bank customer, Mr. Amadi Chinmenem Gift Chike, has emerged as the latest winner of One Million Naira in the ongoing Cash Rewards Promo by Unity Bank Plc and CashToken Rewards Africa.
CashToken Rewards Africa is a Cash-Reward-as-a-Service company that rewards customers for their patronage and loyalty.
Mr. Amadi, a customer from Unity Bank’s Aba Road Branch, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, won the cash prize after completing qualifying transactions on Unity Bank’s digital banking channels including Unifi, *7799#, and on his Unity Bank-issued Verve card. Through these transactions, he received CashTokens, which entered him into the weekly national consumer draw, where he was selected as the lucky winner of the N1 million prize.
The grand prize winner, Mr. Amadi is the second customer to claim the N1 million grand prize in the rewards promo, which commenced in November 2023. Since the launch, Unity Bank customers have collectively won over N6 million in cash rewards.
Unity Bank and CashToken Rewards promo offers guaranteed instant cash rewards and life-changing opportunities for loyal customers who transact on any of the Bank’s electronic payment platforms, including the Unifi mobile banking application and the *7799# USSD platform. Every card transaction earns customers CashTokens, which qualify them for the weekly national consumer draw, with prizes ranging from N5,000 to N100 million.
Presenting the cheque to the winner in Port Harcourt, Unity Bank’s Regional Manager for Port Harcourt/Uyo Region, Mr. Etop Ikpe, congratulated the winner and reiterated the Bank’s commitment to building a sustainable loyalty platform for customer engagement and satisfaction.
He said, “We are happy to see another one of our loyal customers win a substantial cash prize through the Unity Bank and CashToken Rewards Promo. This initiative aligns with our mission to reward customer loyalty while providing a seamless and rewarding banking experience. As we continue to innovate and enhance our digital banking platforms, we are committed to creating more opportunities for our customers to benefit from their relationship with Unity Bank.”
In his reaction, an elated Mr. Amadi said, “This is a reward for my steadfastness. I have been banking with Unity Bank for a long time and I am really happy to win the cash prize. I commend the bank for the initiative and Unity Bank has always come through in keeping their promises both in terms of service delivery and meeting expectations of customers.”
Also commenting on the development, Simi Adeoye, Chief Business Development Officer for CashToken Rewards Africa, added: “We are proud to partner with Unity Bank in bringing life-changing opportunities to their customers through our Cash-Reward-as-a-Service model. We aim to make every transaction meaningful by turning regular banking activities into chances for customers to win significant rewards. We congratulate Mr. Amadi on his win, and we look forward to creating more millionaires as the promo continues. Mr. Amadi just like other beneficiaries can easily cash out his win by dialling *6700#, following the prompt and transferring his wins directly to his Unity Bank account.”
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Breaking: Alimosho LG Vice Chairman Gets Appointment Letter To Take Over Office
The Vice Chairman of Alimosho Local Government Area, Mr. Akinpelu Johnson has officially received an appointment letter to take over from the suspended Chairman, Jelili Sulaimon.
The letter, dated 8th October, 2024, was signed by Kikelomo Bolarinwa, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development.
Titled: ‘Re: Suspension of Mr. Sulaimon Jelili, Chairman, Alimosho Local Government Area Resolution of the House’, the appointment letter read: “I write to refer to the resolution of the House of Assembly in respect of the above
subject which states that Mr. Sulaimon Jelili has been suspended indefinitely from
Office as the Chairman, Alimosho Local Government in accordance with Section 24
(1,2,3,4) of the Local Government Administration Law (Amendment) Law, 2016. (Copy attached for ease of reference).
“In view of the above, you are to assume duty IMMEDIATELY as the Acting Chairman, Alimosho Local Government.”
Recall that the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday suspended Jelili Sulaimon from office following various allegations by the lawmakers.
The lawmakers resolved at the sitting that Johnson should take over the running of the affairs of the council.
The lawmakers further instructed the management of the council, including the manager and treasurer, to recognise Johnson and accord him all the support to make him work effectively.
Meanwhile, four out of the seven councillors in the council have denounced the purported suspension of Johnson by their three colleagues.
In a press release signed by the four councillors including Deputy Leader Mojisola Fabusuyi Ayeni (Ward D), Saheed Adejoke (Ward C), Rasheed Semiu (Ward E), Elizabeth Fashina (Ward F), they commended the House of Assembly for intervening while urging stakeholders’ in the council to go about their activities peacefully.
Read the full statement below:
Illegal Suspension of Hon. Akinpelu Ibrahim Johnson,Vice Chairman Alimosho Local Government
We, the undersigned legislators from Alimosho Local Government, officially dissociate ourselves from the staged managed, and illegal suspension of Mr. Akinpelu Ibrahim Johnson, The Vice Chairman of Alimosho Local Government.
We condemn in totality the purported suspension of the Vice Chairman by minority legislators who acted on instructions of the validly suspended Chairman.
As representatives of our people from different wards in Alimosho, we remain committed to supporting the state and federal government’s efforts to improve the lives and well-being of our people, most especially at the grassroots.
We commend the State House of Assembly for their intervention in the mismanagement of the local government over the years. We urge all stakeholders to remain peaceful as there’s no cause for alarm.
The Renewed Hope (RH) Agenda of our Dear President, H.E Asiwaju Bola Tinubu GCFR, and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES + Agenda, deserve every attention and support at this critical stage of our state and nationhood and by extension at the local government.
We would like to emphasize that at no time was the Vice Chairman suspended hence our readiness to support him going forward with the administration of the Local Government.
As a man of the people, we have no doubt in our minds that Hon Akinpelu Johnson will deliver beyond the expectations.
We shall keep the public posted should there be any information of interest to the public.
Signed:
1. Councillor. Mojisola Fabusuyi Ayeni (Ward D), Alimosho LGA, Deputy Leader
2. Councillor Saheed Adejoke (Ward C), Alimosho LGA, Chief Whip
3. Councillor Rasheed Semiu (Ward E), Alimosho LGA, Member.
4. Councillor Elizabeth Fashina (Ward F), Alimosho LGA, member.
News
Court Returns Abure As Labour Party National Chairman
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday returned Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party, LP.
The court declared the 2024 Labour Party national convention held in Nnewi, which re-elected Abure, is valid, stating that the convention was in line with all laid down laws in Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh.
According to the statement, Justice Emeka Nwite while delivering the judgement, compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to grant due recognition and all privileges to the Labour Party’s National Working Committee as led by Abure.
JomogNews reports that INEC had announced that it did not recognise Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
The Commission argued that the Abure-led LP leadership was invalid, stating that the March 2024 National Convention that re-elected Abure as chairman violated both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.
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