Lagos State House of Assembly at plenary on Tuesday passed the bill to create Amotekun Corps as a special unit of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps.

It passed the bill after taking the third reading of the amendment to the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps Agency Law 2019.

The amendment bill had successfully gone through all the different stages of lawmaking ,which includes first and second reading, holding public hearing, laying and presentation of committees report, adoption of report by House, third reading and finally passage.

Details shortly…

The Supreme Court has dismissed the application for review of its January 14, 2020 judgement that sacked former Imo Governor Emeka Iheodiha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A seven-member panel of justices presided by Justice Tanko Muhammad on Tuesday ruled that the court lacks the jurisdiction to sit on appeal over its judgment on the Imo governorship.

In the main judgment read by Justice Olukayode Ariwoola held that the application lacked merit and dismissed the application.

“The judgement of the Supreme Court is a finality,” he said.

The judge however said no cost would be awarded against the applicants.

Justice Nweze however delivered a dissenting judgement.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, has revealed that Lyon’s deputy, Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo is on the verge of committing suicide.

This follows the Supreme court verdict that sustained the sacking of Bayelsa State governor-elect, David Lyon and Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, his deputy,

Recall that the Supreme Court had sacked David Lyon over Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo allegedly certificates forgery.

Speaking in an interview on Channels Tv on Monday, Sylva who maintained that the APC was negated in the Supreme Court Judgement, said he (Silva) is dealing with a matter of life and death.

According to the party leader, the apex court failed to call witnesses to establish the claims that the former APC deputy governor-elect allegedly forged his certificate.

”I’m dealing with a former Deputy-Governor that is on the verge of committing suicide. This is a matter of life and death. Every day I have to call to find out that he hasn’t done anything to himself.

”If someone said you forge your certificate and you have built your life and integrity and someone all of a sudden brings everything down that can lead to suicide.

”If you have a case in court challenging the authenticity of the certificate of a candidate that is a different one but if you say it is a case of forgery and you have not heard from the person concerned then you have not established anything.

”You haven’t gone to school or university where this person studied to confirm the veracity of the allegation but you already condemn the person. It’s is very sad and dangerous.

The former Governor of Bayelsa State further explained that APC approached the Supreme Court for a review because its candidate was wrongly accused.

Sylva added that the apex court should have disqualified the APC deputy candidate and allow David Lyon to be sworn-in because the lower court did not disqualify him.

”I thought the supreme court will have the chance to review itself if it has made a decision that seems to be against the principles of justice.

”For example, if someone is wrongly convicted of a crime they didn’t commit and condemned to death then people find out that they were wrong, the supreme court needs to avert and correct things.

The Supreme Court should have the courage to revert itself. It has happened before.

”They claim he forged certificate, which certificate did he forge? Was it his primary certificate or university certificate? What has been established?

”If you want to prove forgery then you must have the original. Now you say you have a variant in the name so which one is the original. None of that was established. that is not how to prove forgery.

”If you say you are upholding the judgment of the lower court then the judgment of the lower Court did not disqualify our governorship candidate, so where did the Supreme Court have this other thing to add to the judgment of the lower court. If you are going to uphold the judgment of the lower court then disqualify the deputy governor and allow the governor to carry on. ”

The Supreme Court has temporarily shifted the Imo judgement review to a later time today.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Mohammed, postponed the judgement during hearing on the matter.

Ihedioha’s counsel, Kanu Igabi is asking the court to set aside its earlier judgement.

He argued that Uzodinma’s bloc had called the Imo elections invalid, claiming that they even called for a fresh poll.

But Uzodinma’s lawyer, Damian Dodo asked the court to dismiss those applications for in lacking merit.

He argued that the Supreme Court judgement was a ‘tsunami’, adding that it overrules every order of the lower court.

More to follow…

The Supreme Court is hearing the application filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, over the January 14, 2020 judgment which sacked him as the Governor of Imo State.

Mr. Ihedioha and the PDP, in their applications, claim that the judgment of the apex court which installed Senator Hope Uzodinma as the Governor of Imo State was obtained by fraud.

They are therefore praying the seven-man panel of the apex court to review and set aside the judgment.

The panel, headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammed, is currently hearing the application.

Lawyer to Mr. Ihedioha, Chief Kanu Agabi, in his argument, claims that fraud is evident in the judgment, as the appellant, Hope Uzodinma, claimed he was excluded from 388 polling units but tendered results from only 366 polling units

He adds that with the addition of votes from 388 polling units in favour of Senator Uzodinma exceeds the total number of accredited voters by 129,000 votes.

Countering the argument, Lawyer to Senator Hope Uzodinma says the application to revisit, review or set aside the judgment of the court is an incompetent one lacking in merit.

He argues further that the apex court lacks the jurisdiction to sit on appeal over any judgment delivered by the court except where cases of typographical errors or slips are noticed in the said judgment are established and in this case, no such errors have been established.

Mr Damian Dodo adds that the appellant approached the apex court in the face of compelling evidence that Senator Hope Uzodinma won the election, and therefore, has asked the court to dismiss the application.

Supreme Court has stood down Emeka Ihedioha’s application after listening to arguments from all the parties.

The apex court will deliver judgment by 3pm later today.

The Abia state chapter chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa has finally broken his silence in the lingering war of words between the governorship candidate of the party in the state in the 2019 election, Uche Ogah and a member of the BoT, Prince Benjamin Apugo over accusation that Ogah in aided the PDP, the ruling party in the state to truncate the party’s chances in the election.

Hon. Donatus Nwankpa in a chat with ABN TV on Monday called on bigwigs of the party in the state to sheath their swords and allow peace to reign even as the party explores all avenues to enhance its chances in 2023.

Nwankpa said the party at this time cannot allow itself to be mired in internal wrangling, calling for all members and supporters of the party to remain calm.

“We cannot exhaust our energy in intra disagreement. We have a lot do to ahead. In APC, we are putting our house in order. Whatever were our shortcomings in the last election, not just in Abia but across the country, every effort is being made to ensure we get things right. We are appealing for all frayed nerves to calm down so that we can unite as one family” he said.

He called on the parties to be open to the principle of forgiveness and reconciliation, appealing to chieftains on the party to at all times be guided in their utterances.

Hon. Nwankpa also said his party has the popularity, membership, and support of people of the state for what he called a change that is desired in the state come 2023, insisting that the party is strategizing and not ready to engage in meaningless altercations with the ruling party in the state. “The time for action is coming. The problem I have in Nigerian politics is that people at all times politick. We have a tenure of four years and within four years we should have at a time in our life say this is the time for governance, this is time for politics.

It’s not every minute you will be politicking with everything, politick with human life, politick with welfare, politick with health and security. These things are not the best we should do” he added.

He expressed the readiness of his party to welcome members of other parties who are willing to join the party in sacking the PDP leadership in the state.