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JUST IN: INEC explains kicking against tendering own documents against Tinubu’s election

Published

3 years ago

June 2, 2023

185 Views

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has shed light on why it kicked against the tendering of its documents as exhibits by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Gregory Obi, to establish his petition against the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The electoral body had on Thursday vehemently objected to the admission of several documents brought to the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) by Obi and the Labour Party for the purpose of tendering them as exhibits to justify their petition.

However, at Friday’s proceedings, INEC lawyer Kemi Pinheiro SAN, told the court that the electoral body kicked against the tendering of certified true copies of the documents, mainly election result sheets, because Obi and the Labour Party did not challenge the conduct of the election in the areas relating to the documents.

Pinheiro explained that issues were not joined in the local government areas where the result sheets were sought to be tendered, adding that it was wrong of the petitioners to go beyond the areas where the election is disputed.

He accused Obi of trying to confuse issues by bringing result sheets where he did not dispute the election and the returns adding that the presidential candidate ought to have guided himself with the pleadings in his petition.

According to INEC, the local government areas unlawfully smuggled into proceedings of the court are totally strange to the petition and cannot stand in the face of the law.

INEC’s explanation offered while lawyers were ordered to make an appearance, however, drew the anger of the Presiding Justice of the Court, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani.

Justice Tsammani held that it was wrong of INEC’s lawyer to have smuggled the explanation into the proceedings because all parties in the petition had agreed to offer such explanations at the address stage of proceedings.

Pinheiro, in return, apologized to the court but said that he was forced to speak up on the objections because of the deluge of criticisms suffered in the media by his client.

The senior lawyer hinted that social media users had turned his client to an object of ridicule without finding out reasons for objections against the admissibility of the documents.

Meanwhile, the court has admitted as exhibits form EC8A from 21 local government areas of Adamawa and eight local government areas of Bayelsa States and parts of Rivers and Niger State as tendered by Obi and the Labour Party.

Peter Afoba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, is conducting proceedings for Obi and LP.

Earlier, hearing in the petition of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) was further shifted to June 9 by the court to enable lawyers to obtain the May 26 judgment of the Supreme Court that would determine whether the petition still has life to sustain it or not.

News

Army Freezes Officer Retirements Amid Security Emergency

Published

5 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Charles Flames

6 Views

The Nigerian Army has indefinitely suspended all statutory and voluntary retirements for hundreds of officers, citing the nationwide security emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu on November 26.

The directive, contained in an internal memo dated December 3 and signed by Maj. Gen. E. I. Okoro on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, aims to preserve critical manpower and experience as the Armed Forces rapidly expand to tackle escalating insecurity.

November saw over 600 mass abductions, including more than 300 schoolchildren in Niger State, 38 worshippers in Kwara State, and 25 students in Kebbi State, among numerous others.

Invoking Paragraph 3.10(e) of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service (Officers) 2024, the Army has halted retirements for officers who:

– Have reached the age ceiling for their rank

– Have completed 35 years of service

– Failed promotion examinations or conversion boards three times

– Were passed over for promotion three times.

Affected officers may apply to continue serving, but those granted extensions will be ineligible for further promotions, courses, secondments, or extra-regimental postings.

Commanders have been ordered to widely disseminate the policy, manage troop morale, and assure personnel that the suspension will be reviewed once the security situation stabilises.

The retirement freeze is the latest in a series of emergency measures following President Tinubu’s directive for the military, police, and intelligence agencies to significantly boost recruitment and deployment.

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Prominent PDP Figure Kola Ologbondiyan Resigns from Party After Decades of Service

Published

5 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Charles Flames

29 Views

In a surprise move that has sent ripples through Nigeria’s opposition politics, Kola Ologbondiyan, the former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has formally resigned from the party, ending a storied career that spanned national leadership roles and high-stakes election campaigns.

Ologbondiyan, a seasoned political communicator and ex-journalist, announced his departure in a heartfelt letter dated December 5, 2025, addressed to the PDP Chairman of Okekoko Ward (Ward 09) in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The missive was made public on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, underscoring the finality of his decision amid ongoing internal PDP tensions.

In the letter, Ologbondiyan reflected on his journey with the party, extending profuse thanks to its leadership for the platforms afforded to him. “Let me start by thanking you as well as other levels of leadership in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the opportunities provided for me to serve the party as well as our fatherland, Nigeria,” he wrote, evoking a sense of closure to his contributions.

The resignation stems from a deeply personal reckoning, Ologbondiyan explained. After a thorough self-assessment of his role within the PDP’s structure, he determined that stepping away was the most appropriate path forward.

“It is now imperative to bring your attention to the fact that I have reviewed my participation in the PDP and came to the conclusion that, for personal reasons, I need to make my exit. I have therefore come to a decision to formally withdraw my membership of the PDP, henceforth,” he stated plainly.

He concluded the correspondence by notifying the ward executives of his immediate exit and extending warm wishes for the party’s future endeavors, a gesture that tempers the news with goodwill rather than acrimony.

Ologbondiyan’s tenure in the PDP was marked by pivotal media and advisory roles. He previously served as Director of Media and Publicity for the PDP Presidential Campaign Council during the 2019 general elections, where he helmed communications for Atiku Abubakar’s bid against then-incumbent Muhammadu Buhari.

Earlier in his career, he worked as a media aide to former Senate President David Mark, who now leads the African Democratic Congress (ADC), though no immediate ties to that party have been indicated in Ologbondiyan’s announcement.

The resignation comes at a precarious moment for the PDP, which has grappled with internal divisions and electoral setbacks since losing the presidency in 2015. Political analysts speculate that Ologbondiyan’s departure could signal broader disillusionment among the party’s old guard, though he has not yet hinted at future affiliations.

As of Sunday, reactions from PDP stalwarts remain muted, with the party’s national headquarters yet to issue an official response.

Ologbondiyan’s exit leaves a void in the PDP’s publicity machinery, where his sharp-witted defenses often shaped public narratives during turbulent times.