News
Benue tackles CJ for relocating LG poll tribunal to Abuja

The Benue State Government has raised concerns over the directive issued by the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpembese, to relocate the Local Government Election Petition Tribunals to Abuja.
The tribunals are currently handling disputes arising from the Benue State Local Government elections conducted on October 5, 2024.
Reports indicate that 93 petitioners, including aggrieved candidates from both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, have filed cases at the tribunal since October 17, 2024.
In a statement on Wednesday, Justice Ikpembese cited security concerns as the primary reason for relocating the tribunal proceedings to Abuja, emphasising the need to safeguard the lives of judges amid rising threats of violence.
However, speaking to journalists in Makurdi, the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Mr. Fidelis Mnyim, questioned the CJ’s unilateral decision, noting that neither the governor nor his office had been formally notified.
“The state government, which funds the judiciary, was not informed about this decision,” Mnyim said. “We woke up to rumours that the tribunals had been relocated. When we went to the court premises, we found them deserted. As the Attorney General and a respondent in these cases representing the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission, I retain the right to be officially informed of such a critical decision.”
Justice Ikpembese had issued a circular titled ‘Directive for the Immediate Relocation of the Local Government Election Petitions Tribunals to NBA House, Abuja,’ explaining that the move was necessary due to security threats and an ongoing strike by the Benue State Judiciary Staff Union.
“In view of the prevailing security threats and the judiciary workers’ strike, it has become necessary to take urgent measures to ensure the safety of tribunal members, litigants, and counsel while facilitating smooth proceedings within the legally prescribed time frame,” the CJ stated.
Tensions between the Benue State Government and the Chief Judge have been escalating in recent weeks.
The Benue State House of Assembly, acting on a petition from Governor Hyacinth Alia, recently recommended Justice Ikpembese’s removal, a move that was resisted by the National Judicial Council and the Nigerian Bar Association.
Meanwhile, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the state has backed the Chief Judge’s decision to relocate the tribunals.
Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday, Benue PDP Publicity Secretary, Tim Nyor, emphasised security concerns.
“This is a matter of safety, and the party supports the relocation order given by the Chief Judge,” Nyor said. “Sponsored hoodlums previously held tribunal judges hostage for five hours and blocked access to the court premises using sandbags.”
Given that election petitions are time-bound, Nyor maintained that relocating to Abuja is the best option to protect the lives of tribunal judges and litigants while ensuring the process continues without interference.
News
BREAKING: Fire guts Fresh FM office in Ibadan

A fire outbreak has been reported at a popular Ibadan radio station, Fresh FM, at Felele area in Ibadan South-West local government area of the Oyo State capital on Friday.
The incident, which started a few hours ago, has disrupted other related activities at the station.
A staff member of the station, @Arugboboisi, confirmed the incident on Friday evening in a post on his X handle.
He appealed to the Fire Service to respond without delay and urged the public to help spread the word and notify the nearest fire station.
“Fresh FM is currently on fire! We urgently need the Fire Service to respond immediately. Please retweet, spread the word and alert the nearest station,” he posted.
In another post, he shared the fire raging with “What a night” as the caption.
It is unclear what caused the fire, whether it has been put out or the extent of the damage.
International
APC Declares Canadian IAD Reports False

Felix Morka, the National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday urged the Party faithful, supporters and all Nigerians to disregard the report labelling the party as a terrorist organisation by the Canadian Immigration Appeal Division [IAD), saying its false and misleading.
Morka, in a statement on Friday, stated categorically that the Canadian court did not declare APC as a terrorist organisation, contrary to highly erroneous media reports in circulation.
He clarified:
“As reported, the declaration was allegedly made in the case of Douglas Egharevba and the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, in which the Applicant (Douglas Egharevba) sought judicial review of a decision by ] which determined that the Applicant was inadmissible in Canada under its Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
In a decision in the matter dated June 17, 2025, Judge Phuong T.V. Ngo dismissed the application for judicial review on the ground that the Applicant was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that the PDP was an organization engaged in acts of subversion under paragraph 34(1)(b.1) of the IRPA making him inadmissible in Canada.
In his analysis, the Judge stated, “As such, applying the reasonableness standard of review, I cannot find the IAD’s conclusion that the Elections in question constituted a democratic process or institution and that the PDP, its members and supporters engaged in subversive acts committed against the electoral process for the improper purpose of maintaining political power to be unreasonable.”
To be clear, the only reference to APC in the entire 16-paged decision was in the introductory “Background”, Paragraph 4, where the court referenced a “Background Declaration Form in which the Applicant stated that “he was a member of the People’s Democratic Party [PDP] of Nigeria from December 1999 until December 2007, and a member of All Progressives Congress [APC] party of Nigeria from December 2007 until May 2017.”
For the record, APC was not in existence as of 2007.
The Party was registered in 2013. The Applicant’s claim of membership of APC as of 2007 is evidently false, as he could not have been a member of APC, which didn’t exist then.
For the avoidance of doubt, we dare to state that the court never made any determination on the question of terrorism in its decision. In the Judge’s own words:
“Having found that the IAD’s analysis on subversion was reasonable, this is sufficient to dismiss the application for review. I will therefore refrain from analysing the IAD’s findings on terrorism.”
Clearly, reports that the APC was declared a terrorist organisation by the Canadian court in this matter are patently erroneous, if not mischievous.
The court did not make such a declaration, and could not have done so, as that would be an unjustifiable overreach and a major breach of fair hearing, among other due process rights, given that APC was not a party to the proceedings.
Such a decision would also have been of absolute irrelevance as being made without jurisdiction, and of no extraterritorial applicability or significance. “
News
Okonjo-Iweala Says Nigerian Economy now stable under Tinubu
“The reforms have been in the right direction. The next step is growth, and alongside that, building social safety nets so those feeling the pinch of reforms can get support.”

THE Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, declared that President Bola Tinubu and his team have worked hard to stabilize the economy.
“You cannot really improve an economy unless it’s stable,” said Okonjo-Iweala during a meeting today with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“The reforms have been in the right direction. The next step is growth, and alongside that, building social safety nets so those feeling the pinch of reforms can get support,” she said.
She added that growth, job creation, and income expansion must go hand-in-hand with measures to cushion the impact of ongoing reforms on vulnerable Nigerians.
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