The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, said the two weeks suspension of plenary being considered by the House in order to sensitize Nigerians of the deadly disease has not commenced and is equally subject to reconsideration by the House.

A statement made available to ABN TV, by the Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, stated that the House also considered a motion on the urgent need for emergency response and need to contain the deadly coronavirus.

According to Kalu, Some of the prayers include the need for the leadership of the National Assembly to set up an ad-hoc committee to liaise with the relevant health agencies to ensure efforts to combat the virus are intensified

The statement reads in full,

“The House of Representatives, in plenary on Tuesday the 3rd of March, 2020,
considered a motion on the urgent need for emergency response and need to contain the deadly coronavirus in Nigeria. The motion was thoroughly debated and passed.”

“Some of the prayers include the need for the leadership of the National Assembly to set up an ad-hoc committee to liaise with the relevant health agencies to ensure efforts to combat the virus are intensified. The House also called for a better orientation of the disease by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture through relevant media outfits to keep Nigerians abreast of the situation.”

“An amendment to the prayers of the motion calling on the House to suspend plenary for two weeks to work and contribute its legislative efforts by helping to sensitize constituents on the coronavirus and how it is being handled was also adopted.”

“The amendment also urged the management of the National Assembly to put measures in place to ensure the virus does not find a place to fester in the National Assembly.”

“It is, however, necessary to clarify that the two weeks suspension of plenary has not
commenced and is subject to reconsideration by the House.”

“The leadership of the House is to meet and consider the arrangement necessary before a date can be fixed for the sensitization of constituents by their respective lawmakers, therefore, the business of lawmaking continues on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.”

Justice Chima Nweze on Tuesday gave a dissenting ruling when the Supreme Court in Abuja dismissed the application for review of its January 14, 2020 judgment which removed Emeka Ihedioha as Imo State Governor, and declared Hope Uzodinma as the valid winner of the last governorship election in the state.

A seven-man panel of the apex court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, in a split ruling of six-to-one, described the application by Ihedioha as an invitation to sit in an appeal over its judgment.

But Justice Nweze, in disagreeing with the majority judgment, held that the Supreme Court had the power to overrule itself in a desirous situation.

He affirmed the Court of Appeal’s decision which upheld Ihedioha’s victory, adding that the apex court in the January 14, 2020 judgment wrongly declared Uzodima winner of the last governorship election.

“The reasoning in the judgment will sooner or later haunt our electoral jurisprudence,” Nweze said.

He said although his opinion was dissenting, “it is an appeal to the brooding spirit of the law.”

He noted that Uzodinma misled the court to accept the allegedly excluded results in 388 polling units without indicating the votes polled by other political parties.

He also faulted the results from the said polling units without indicating the number of accredited voters in the polling units.

Justice Nweze recalled how Uzodinma admitted at the election tribunal that he hijacked the result sheets from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s officials and completed the result sheets by himself.

He said the results could not be valid without indicating the number of accredited voters.

Justice Nweze, who commended Ihedioha’s lawyer, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN) for having the courage to file the application for the review of the judgment, said the apex court’s verdict gave rise to having the number of votes cast exceeding the number of accredited voters.

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. ”