News
JUST IN: Supreme Court refuses Murtala Ajaka’s request for constitution of full panel, reserves judgment
The Supreme Court, on Monday, reserved judgment in the appeal filed against the Tribunal and Appeal Court Judgements by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the Kogi Governorship election, Muritala Ajaka, to a date that will be communicated to the parties.
The Apex Court also declined a request by Ajaka’s counsels for the constitution of a full panel to hear and determine his appeal.
At the hearing on Monday, Pius Akubo, SAN told the court that he had applied to the Chief Justice of Nigeria to allow a full panel of the Supreme Court to hear the appeal in view of paragraphs 4.28 and 4.29 of the Appellant’s Brief of Argument.
He said they had not received a response from the CJN.
But counsels to the Respondents kicked against the application and urged the court to proceed with hearing.
UC Ukala, SAN, representing the 3rd Respondent, argued that there was a decision of the Supreme Court that a five-man panel could take an application for departure from a previous decision.
In a short ruling, Justice Garba Lawal, who led the five-man panel, held that election appeals are time-bound, and that the court constituted as a five-member panel had the jurisdiction to determine the appeal as presented.
The five-member justices of the Apex Court therefore proceeded with the hearing of the appeal.
JB Daudu, SAN, who represented the 2nd Respondent with others, moved his application to strike out certain grounds of appeal contained in the Appellant’s Notice of Appeal.
He also presented a notice of preliminary objection challenging the competence of the Appeal itself.
Akubo SAN urged the Court to allow the appeal, set aside the Judgment of the Court of Appeal and return Ajaka as the duly elected Governor of Kogi State.
JB Daudu, SAN also adopted his brief for the 2nd Respondent and urged the Court to dismiss the appeal and refuse all the prayers sought by the Appellants.
He urged the Court to dismiss the Appeal, including the application to depart from previous decisions.
Kanu Agabi SAN, while adopting his process, urged the Court to dismiss the appeal since the Appellant had himself contended that the election was invalid.
On the main appeal filed by Ajaka seeking to overturn the judgment of the court of Appeal, the Supreme Court reserved Judgment to a date that will be communicated to the parties.
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), has arrived at the Senate for the hearing on the ₦1.48 trillion budget of the state.
According to reports, Ibas was accompanied by other key officials, including members of the economic team to appear before Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Emergency Rule in Rivers State.
The Senate had weeks ago reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the people of Rivers State were not shortchanged following the declaration of emergency rule by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025.
Details later…
The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Maitama, has granted bail to suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the sum of ₦50 million.
Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Justice Chizoba Orji dismissed the Federal Government’s request to have the senator remanded in prison custody pending the outcome of her trial. Akpoti-Uduaghan is facing a three-count criminal charge.
Justice Orji stated that the court found no justification to deny bail, noting that the defendant had shown a willingness to stand trial.
In addition to the bail sum, the court ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan to provide one surety—someone of integrity who owns a landed property within Abuja.
The decision was anchored on Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as Sections 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
The court has fixed September 23 for the commencement of trial.
Senator Natasha is being arraigned on a three-count charge of alleged imputation intended to cause harm to Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
The Trump Organization has revealed plans to manufactured smartphone christened Trump’s Smartphone (T1).
It said that T1 smartphone will be “built in the United States” in line with the U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for more stateside manufacturing.
Owned by U.S. President Donald Trump, the company on Monday announced that the T1, a gold-colored device would retail for $499.
The smartphone will run Google’s Android operating system.
CNBC reported that the Trump Organization says the phone will be “built in the United States” — but experts note the phone was likely designed and would be manufactured by a Chinese firm.
The device will have a 6.8-inch AMOLED display, a kind of screen that is made primarily by South Korean firm Samsung. LG, another South Korean firm, also produces the screen, as does Chinese firm BOE.
JUST IN: Ibas Appears Before Senate to Discuss Rivers State Budget
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