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JUST IN: Supreme Court refuses Murtala Ajaka’s request for constitution of full panel, reserves judgment
The Supreme Court, on Monday, reserved judgment in the appeal filed against the Tribunal and Appeal Court Judgements by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the Kogi Governorship election, Muritala Ajaka, to a date that will be communicated to the parties.
The Apex Court also declined a request by Ajaka’s counsels for the constitution of a full panel to hear and determine his appeal.
At the hearing on Monday, Pius Akubo, SAN told the court that he had applied to the Chief Justice of Nigeria to allow a full panel of the Supreme Court to hear the appeal in view of paragraphs 4.28 and 4.29 of the Appellant’s Brief of Argument.
He said they had not received a response from the CJN.
But counsels to the Respondents kicked against the application and urged the court to proceed with hearing.
UC Ukala, SAN, representing the 3rd Respondent, argued that there was a decision of the Supreme Court that a five-man panel could take an application for departure from a previous decision.
In a short ruling, Justice Garba Lawal, who led the five-man panel, held that election appeals are time-bound, and that the court constituted as a five-member panel had the jurisdiction to determine the appeal as presented.
The five-member justices of the Apex Court therefore proceeded with the hearing of the appeal.
JB Daudu, SAN, who represented the 2nd Respondent with others, moved his application to strike out certain grounds of appeal contained in the Appellant’s Notice of Appeal.
He also presented a notice of preliminary objection challenging the competence of the Appeal itself.
Akubo SAN urged the Court to allow the appeal, set aside the Judgment of the Court of Appeal and return Ajaka as the duly elected Governor of Kogi State.
JB Daudu, SAN also adopted his brief for the 2nd Respondent and urged the Court to dismiss the appeal and refuse all the prayers sought by the Appellants.
He urged the Court to dismiss the Appeal, including the application to depart from previous decisions.
Kanu Agabi SAN, while adopting his process, urged the Court to dismiss the appeal since the Appellant had himself contended that the election was invalid.
On the main appeal filed by Ajaka seeking to overturn the judgment of the court of Appeal, the Supreme Court reserved Judgment to a date that will be communicated to the parties.
News
Akran of Badagry is dead, aged 89
The demise of the monarch marks the end of his 48-year reign on the throne, making him one of the longest-serving traditional rulers in Lagos State.
Photo: Akran of Badagry, De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi
The traditional ruler of the Badagry local government area in Lagos State, the Akran of Badagry, De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi, is dead, aged 89.
The demise of the monarch marks the end of his 48-year reign on the throne, making him one of the longest-serving traditional rulers in Lagos State.
According to the palace, the Akran was pronounced dead by medical experts, after a brief illness, and the traditional rites for his burial have gradually commenced.
Residents of Badagry, who are currently mourning the loss of their revered monarch, described his death as a heavy blow, noting that the town has lost not just a king but a father figure whose wisdom, counsel and presence brought reassurance in moments of uncertainty.
News
Osun sues UBA, officials to court over illegal LG accounts
They were specifically accused of allowing the opening, operation and maintenance of accounts for each of the local government councils “by unknown private individuals as signatories…
• Map of Osun State
The Osun State Government has instituted a criminal case against United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) and four of its top officials over alleged illegal opening of local government accounts.
Tribune newspaper reported that the Chief Magistrate Court, sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has fixed January 30 for the hearing of the case, marked Charge No: MOS/601c/2025.
The defendants in the suit are: the UBA Plc, its Group Managing Director, Mr Oliver Alawuba, the Company Secretary and Group Legal Adviser, Mr Billy Odum and the Deputy Managing Director, Mr Chukwuma Nweke.
In the charge sheet, the government filed the 31-count charge against the bank and its officials, with each count relating to alleged infractions involving opening of bank accounts for the state’s 30 local government councils.
In count one, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, on or about December 9, 2025, and on subsequent days, at UBA’S Osun State branch office located in the Olonkoro area of Osogbo, conspired to commit a felony by opening, operating and maintaining what it described as illegal Osun State Local Government Council accounts.
The alleged offence, the charge stated, occurred within the Osogbo Magisterial District and is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.
They were specifically accused of allowing the opening, operation and maintenance of accounts for each of the local government councils “by unknown private individuals as signatories” after the Local Government Service Commission had introduced to the defendants, Directors of Administration and General Services and Directors of Finance of all the local governments as signatories to the councils’ statutory accounts “and thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 2 and 3 (1) and (2), and punishable under Section 5(1) and (2) of Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law, 2025.”
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Umahi: We’re not tolling Third Mainland Bridge
Umahi affirmed this during inauguration of the N40 billion Closed Circuit Television Camera Centre on the Third Mainland Bridge, the previous day.
• Third Mainland Bridge
The Minister of Works Senator Dave Umahi has confirmed that the Federal Government has no plan to toll the rehabilitated Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
Umahi affirmed this during inauguration of the N40 billion Closed Circuit Television Camera Centre on the Third Mainland Bridge, the previous day.
He said : “We will not engage construction on this bridge because it will entail static load on the bridge.
“It is also within the town, so it will introduce many bottlenecks; that is why we are not tolling this bridge,” he said.
Umahi said that security would be handled by the police, noting that the 11-kilometre bridge would have a five-minute response time.
Akran of Badagry is dead, aged 89
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