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JUST IN: Delta Election Tribunal dismisses Omo-Agege’s application for new witness

Published

2 years ago

July 26, 2023

48 Views

The application of the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, seeking to bring in a statistician expert witness to testify before the tribunal has been dismissed by the Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba.

Led by Justice C.H. Ahuchaogu, the three-man panel also dismissed another application by the APC candidate seeking an extension of time for INEC subpoenaed witness to file a witness statement on oath and also to testify before the tribunal.

Counsels to the second respondent (Governor Sheriff Oborevwori) and third respondent (Peoples Democratic Party, PDP), had opposed the applications on the ground that granting same would overreach the respondents.

They had argued that the first application specifically, was aimed at bringing in new facts when pleadings had long closed, and would not afford them another opportunity to reply.

In dismissing the first application, the tribunal while citing previous cases, agreed with the respondents that the application cannot be granted, noting that it was brought 101 days after an order for inspection of election materials was granted.

The tribunal faulted the petitioners’ claims that INEC was responsible for the delay, declaring that there was no evidence to show that the petitioners applied to INEC for the materials after the order for inspection of materials was granted on April 3 until May 17.

It added while the inspection was done on May 23, the petitioners waited till July 13 to file the report.

“The petitioners having failed to file their expert witness statement on oath, cannot be allowed to eat their cake and have it. The application for an extension to allow for an expert statistician witness is not grantable as it will overreach the respondents who will be left with the short end of the stick as they cannot file another reply to the petition,” the tribunal held.

On the second application which is seeking extension of time for INEC to file a statement on oath based on the subpoena issued by the tribunal, the panel of justices held that the petitioners exhibited no evidence for the application to be granted.

They further held that INEC as an adversary, the tribunal cannot compel the electoral body to file witness deposition for the petitioners, noting that the best the tribunal could do which has been done was the issuance of a subpoena.

“It is not logical that a party should make a witness deposition for an adversary who is a respondent against a petition. Expecting that such a witness would sign and adopt a statement is beyond human reasoning.

“Such expectation is beyond our capacity as a tribunal. The best thing to do and we have done in this circumstance, is to issue a subpoena for INEC to appear. In some, we find no merit in this application, and it is dismissed in its entirety,” the tribunal held.

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Rice farmers blame price hike on cartel, middlemen

The main issue is that the rice price hike can be linked to a cartel that wants to frustrate the government’s effort.

Published

4 hours ago

August 18, 2025

OhiBaba

21 Views

Local rice farmers under the membership of All Farmers Association of Nigeria ( AFAN) have blamed the continuous hike in the price of the commodity on the activities of unscrupulous farmers and middlemen in the sector.

The vice-chairman of the association, Mr Sakin Agbayewa, said that the consistent fluctuations in the price of rice could be linked to human manipulations, in spite of the government’s efforts.

“As regards the high price of rice, I think we are taking one step forward and five steps backwards.

“A few months ago, the federal government came out with a waiver, giving some companies a small waiver to import rice into the country to crush the price. And while that was on, did they mobilise the local farmers? That is where the issue lies.

“Although the federal government empowered a few farmers with a 75 per cent reduction on the cost of production, others were given fertilisers for free.

“Now, the question is this. Those local farmers who were empowered, did they really cultivate anything?

“The main issue is that the rice price hike can be linked to a cartel that wants to frustrate the government’s effort.

“While the waiver was in effect, they imported rice into the country, and the price decreased. However, during this period, they were also warehousing the rice.

“Now that the importation waiver is over, the cartel is creating artificial scarcity,” Agbayewa said.

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Group Plans One Million Solidarity March to Jonathan, following apologies

Published

14 hours ago

August 17, 2025

Charles Flames

31 Views

“Bring Back Our Goodluck” North-East group planned to stage a one-million-man march to the former president Goodluck Jonathan’s country home in Bayelsa to prevail on him to contest the 2027 presidential election after their tour of the whole regions in Nigeria.

The National Chairman of the group, Grema Kyari stated this in Maiduguri when hundreds of youths gathered to strategise on the return of Goodluck Jonathan to presidential villa in 2027.

The group tendered an unreserved apology to former President Goodluck Jonathan over what they described as a damaging narrative of sponsoring Boko Haram terrorists used in removing him from office in 2015.

They said that they now believed that the former President was removed from office in 2015 as a result of “regime change” orchestrated by foreign powers, especially the Democrats-Obama/Biden US administration of 2014 in connivance with some desperate politicians in Nigeria.

“We are gathered here today at a time when our beloved country stands at a decisive crossroads.

The Nigeria of today is struggling under the weight of economic hardship, rising insecurity, and deepening divisions.

Citizens are losing trust in the very institutions meant to protect and serve them.

“I come before you not only as the National Chairman of ‘Bring Back Our Goodluck’ but as a witness to history and as a Nigerian who, like millions of others, was once misled. I am from Borno State, one of the epicenters of the Boko Haram insurgency.

“During the presidency of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a damaging narrative was widely spread in our communities that he sponsored Boko Haram and used the military to suppress us.

These lies thrived in an environment of limited restricted access to truth. But today, with broader exposure and clear understanding, I know those accusations were false.”