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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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Enugu Air: NSIB releases preliminary report

The preliminary report is available for download on the NSIB website for members of the public and the media.

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The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has released the preliminary report on its ongoing investigation into the accident involving an Embraer ERJ 170-100LR aircraft with nationality and registration marks 5N-ENR, operated by Enugu Air Limited.

This was disclosed on Friday by Mrs Funke Adebayo-Arowojobe
Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB.  

The accident occurred on 23 July 2026 at about 14:55 h during a scheduled passenger flight ENU4264 from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to Oba Akenzua II Airport, Benin, Edo State.

The aircraft, which had five crew members and 63 passengers on board, landed on Runway 05 at Oba Akenzua II Airport and subsequently overran the end of the runway, entering the unpaved area beyond the runway.

The aircraft struck approach-lighting installations and two fixed concrete structures associated with a decommissioned localizer installation.

All 68 occupants were evacuated without injury using the emergency escape slide.

The preliminary report presents the factual information gathered so far, including information from witness statements, flight recorders, air traffic control communications and a preliminary inspection of the aircraft.

The investigation remains ongoing, and further technical examinations are underway.

The preliminary report also contains four immediate safety recommendations, A-2026-039 to A-2026-042, addressed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, concerning the runway-end environment, control tower line of sight and the availability of meteorological information.

The preliminary report is available for download on the NSIB website for members of the public and the media.

As part of its commitment to public transparency and the communication of safety information, the NSIB has also released a preliminary flight path recreation video based on data available at this stage of the investigation.

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2027 Polls: INEC Fixes November For Nationwide Mock Accreditation Exercise

The exercise will test the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other electoral equipment, allowing the Commission to identify and address potential operational challenges ahead of the polls.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 as part of preparations for the 2027 general election.

The exercise will test the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other electoral equipment, allowing the Commission to identify and address potential operational challenges ahead of the polls.

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the Canadian High Commission to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

He said that the mock exercise was among INEC’s five strategic priorities for 2027, alongside strengthening technology, improving electoral inclusion, building institutional capacity, and combating misinformation.

Amupitan also said that INEC would require about 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel to conduct the 2027 elections across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.

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FG Declares August 25 Eid ul Mawlid Public Holiday

The declaration was announced on Friday by the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

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The federal government has declared Tuesday, August 25, 2026, a public holiday to mark this year’s Eid ul Mawlid, commemorating the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

The declaration was announced on Friday by the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

In a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani, the minister extended the federal government’s greetings to Muslims in Nigeria and across the diaspora.

He encourages Muslim faithful to reflect on the virtues embodied in the life and teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, particularly compassion, humility and service to humanity.

“Every Eid ul Mawlid gives us reason to pause and draw lessons from a life defined by compassion, humility and service to others,” the minister said.

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