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Edo guber tribunal: APC Supreme Court case stalls hearing of Ighodalo’s petition

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The hearing of petitions filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo as the winner of the Edo State governorship election, was on Monday stalled due to an All Progressives Congress, APC, suit coming up at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

The three-man tribunal headed by Justice Wilfred Kpochi had on December 21, 2024, adjourned the hearing of the petitions to January 13, 2025, during the presentation of the pre-hearing and scheduling reports to parties and counsel in Benin City.

When the petition was called for hearing on Monday, the tribunal was notified that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the APC had filed a motion for adjournment to enable them to attend to a case at the Supreme Court.

The Assistant Secretary to the Tribunal, Dayo Dahunsi, informed the court that the application was from the Ist Respondent, INEC and the 2nd Respondent, APC, seeking adjournment of the sitting to Wednesday, January 15, 2025.

Dahunsi said the application was premeditated upon the premises that the lead counsel to the two applicants would be before the Supreme Court on Tuesday in a matter slated for definite hearing.

He stated that the applicants said that their requests also applied to other petitions against their clients before the tribunal.

Reacting counsel to the petitioner, Ken Mozia, SAN, said he was not opposed to the application in the spirit of cooperation.Mozia, represented by Oladipo Oshinowo, said the lead counsel to the petitioners got a copy of the motion seeking for adjournment late from the court’s registry.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who said they were prepared to commence trial on Monday, added that they were constrained to concede to the respondents’ request for adjournment.

He, however, averred that on the strength of the undertaking, such a request for adjournment shall not be made by the respondents in future.

The chairman of the tribunal, Justice Wilfred Kpochi who granted the respondents’ application, adjourned all petitions to Wednesday, January 15, 2025.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission had on September 22, 2024 declared Senator Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the APC, winner of the election.

Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of PDP, who scored 247,274 votes.

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Police Debunk Viral “Terror Attack” Video in Abuja, Launch Investigation

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The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismissed as false and misleading a viral video claiming terrorists were advancing on Abuja with heavy gunfire.

In a statement on Thursday, the Command said there was no terrorist attack or security breach anywhere in the Federal Capital Territory.

Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, described the video as a deliberate attempt to incite panic and spread misinformation.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, preliminary investigations revealed that the gunshots in the footage were manipulated and edited from an unrelated source, then superimposed on visuals of buildings under construction at an unidentified location.

The Commissioner has ordered a full forensic analysis to trace the origin of the video and identify those responsible for prosecution.

The FCT Police warned content creators and social media users against spreading false information that could cause fear and public disorder.

Residents were urged to disregard the video and refrain from sharing unverified content.

The Command reassured residents of its commitment to maintaining safety and security in the FCT.

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US Declares 23 Nigerian States High-Risk for Citizens

Southern and Southeastern states were not spared. The Department urged caution in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt), citing crime, kidnapping, and violent protests.

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Photo: President Donald Trump; President Bola Tinubu

The United States Department of State has classified 23 Nigerian states “High Insecurity Risks” for its citizens to go , work and live.

In an updated travel advisory issued on Wednesday, the Embassy in Nigeria urged Americans to reconsider travel to Nigeria, with certain states classified under “Level 4: Do Not Travel” due to heightened security risks.

Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba were added to the list, bringing the total to 23 states where travel is strongly discouraged.

In Northern Nigeria, the advisory highlighted Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and northern Adamawa as particularly high-risk, citing terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crime.Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara were also flagged due to civil unrest, widespread crime, and kidnappings.

“The security situation in these states is unstable and uncertain due to civil unrest. Widespread violence between communities and armed crime, including kidnapping and roadside banditry.

“Security operations to counter these threats may occur without warning,” the advisory warned.

Southern and Southeastern states were not spared. The Department urged caution in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt), citing crime, kidnapping, and violent protests.

“Crime is widespread in Southern Nigeria. There is a high risk of kidnapping, violent protests, and armed gangs,” the advisory stated.

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INEC releases updated voters registration figure nationwide

Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission has recorded over 3.4 million new voters in the ongoing second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise nationwide.

The figure is disclosed by the Commission in its week 13 update released on Wednesday in Abuja.

” A total of 3,441,121 registrations have been completed as of April 3, covering both online pre-registrations and physical walk-ins,” said INEC .

Given the breakdown, INEC explained that 2,068,384 citizens completed their registration online, while 1,372,737 others registered physically at designated centres across the country.

State-by-state data showed that Jigawa recorded the highest number of registrants with 201,047, representing 5.84 percent of the total.

Lagos followed with 181,095, while Kano ranked third with 177,681 registrations.Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.

Gender distribution indicated a higher turnout among women, with females accounting for 1,922,143 registrations (55.86 percent), compared to 1,518,978 males (44.14 percent).

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