News
Presidential Tribunal: 136 Exhibits Tendered by Obi From Six states
At least 136 additional exhibits have been tendered by the Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi, to support his claim before the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, after alleging that the 2023 presidential election was rigged, on Friday.
The exhibits, which were admitted in evidence by Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel, comprised of results of the presidential election from six states of the federation.
The states the court admitted their presidential election results contained in Forms EC8A, were; Adamawa, Bayelsa, Oyo, Edo, Lagos and Akwa Ibom.
Obi, who came third in the presidential election, told the court that the results he tendered in evidence, were certified true copies he obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
He had on Thursday, tendered results of the election from 115 Local Government Areas, LGAs, in Rivers, Niger, Benue, Cross River, Osun, Ekiti.
At the resumed proceedings on Friday, the petitioners, obtained permission from the court to submit additional results from six LGAs in Rivers State, which were admitted and marked as Exhibits PB 16 to PB 21.
However, INEC, opposed the admissibility of the additional results from Rivers State, which it said were “strange” to it.
Mr. Kemi Pinhero, SAN, who led INEC’s legal team, told the court that the Commission would advance reasons why it opposed the admissibility of the results, in its final written address.
Likewise, counsel that represented President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, as well as that of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, challenged the admittance of the results in evidence.
The respondents said they would equally reserve their reasons for objecting to the admissibility of the election results in their final written address.
Thereafter, Obi and the LP, tendered in evidence before the court, additional results from Bida LGA in Niger State, which was admitted as Exhibit PE 24.
Whereas the court admitted results from 21 LGAs in Adamawa state and marked them as Exhibits PH 1 to PH 21, it also admitted results of the presidential election from 8 LGAs in Bayelsa state and marked them as Exhibits PJ1 to PJ 8.
Also tendered, were results from 31 LGAs in Oyo, which the court admitted as Exhibits PK 1 – PK 31, while results from 18 LGAs in Edo state were marked as Exhibits PL1- PL 18.
The petitioners further tendered results of the presidential election from 20 LGAs in Lagos state which were admitted as Exhibits PM 1 – PM 20, with results from 31 LGAs in Akwa Ibom state, accepted in evidence as Exhibits PN 1 – PN 31.
It will be recalled that though Obi won the presidential election in Lagos state, he, however, alleged in his petition that there was massive suppression of votes in the state, adding that electorates that would have voted to him, were openly harassed or intimidated.
Meanwhile, by consensus of all the parties, the Justice Tsammani-led panel vacated its initial decision to continue the hearing on Saturday.
Even though lead counsel for the petitioners, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, said his team was ready to appear before the court on Saturday, however, counsel for all the respondents took turns to beg the court to shift further hearing of the case till next Monday, a request the panel acceded to.
It will be recalled that Obi and the LP had indicated their decision to call a total of 50 witnesses in the matter.
Specifically, Obi, in the joint petition he filed with the LP, is contending that President Tinubu was not the valid winner of the election.
The petitioners, in the case marked: CA/PEPC/03/2023, equally maintained that President Tinubu was not qualified to participate in the presidential contest.
According to the petitioners, as at the time Tinubu’s running mate, Shettima, became the Vice Presidential candidate, he was still the nominated candidate of the APC for the Borno Central Senatorial election.
The petitioners further challenged Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the presidential election, alleging that he was previously indicted and fined the sum of $460,000.00 by the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, in Case No: 93C 4483, for an offence involving dishonesty and drug trafficking.
On the ground that the election was invalid by reason of corrupt practices and non-compliance with the provision of the Electoral Act, 2022, the petitioners argued that INEC acted in breach of its own Regulations and Guidelines.
The Petitioners argued that the electoral body was in the course of the conduct of the presidential poll, mandatorily required to prescribe and deploy technological devices for the accreditation, verification, continuation and authentication of voters and their particulars as contained in its Regulations.
They are, therefore, praying the court to among other things, declare that all the votes recorded for Tinubu and the APC, were wasted votes owing to his non-qualification/disqualification.
……Appoints AIG Tunji Disu as New Inspector-General of Police.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has removed Kayode Egbetokun as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and appointed Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Tunji Disu as his successor, multiple reliable sources confirmed on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
The development followed a directive from President Tinubu asking Egbetokun to resign, reportedly during a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday.
Egbetokun, who served as the 22nd IGP, had been in the position since his appointment by Tinubu on June 19, 2023, with confirmation by the Nigeria Police Council on October 31, 2023.
Sources within the presidency and the Nigeria Police Force indicated that preparations were underway for a formal handover ceremony from Egbetokun to Disu. An official announcement from the presidency was expected shortly.
Tunji Disu, who until recently served as the AIG in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex in Alagbon, Lagos, is set to become the 23rd Inspector-General of Police. Described by some reports as one of Nigeria’s finest contemporary officers, Disu is anticipated to receive swift confirmation from the Senate.
Egbetokun had been appointed at age 58 and was originally due for retirement on September 4, 2024, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60, though his tenure extended beyond that point.
The leadership change marks a significant shake-up in Nigeria’s security apparatus amid ongoing efforts to address policing challenges across the country.
Further details on the reasons for the removal and Disu’s priorities as the new IGP are yet to be officially disclosed.
The Bayelsa State House of Assembly on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, confirmed Pastor Peter Akpe as the new Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State.
The confirmation occurred during a plenary session after Governor Douye Diri nominated Akpe to replace the late Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who died in December 2025.
Pastor Akpe, a clergyman with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and holder of a Ph.D., had served as Chief of Staff to Governor Diri at Government House, Yenagoa.
He is from Ebedebiri community in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa West Senatorial District—the same senatorial district as his predecessor.
Prior to his appointment as Chief of Staff in March 2024, Akpe held several key positions, including Deputy Chief of Staff (2020–2023), Acting Chief of Staff, Head of Administration, and member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, where he also served as Majority Leader during the Seriake Dickson administration.
With the lawmakers’ approval, Pastor Peter Akpe is now cleared for swearing-in, completing the process to fill the vacant deputy governorship position and ensuring continuity in the state’s executive arm under Governor Douye Diri’s leadership.
…..All Control Tower Personnel Safely Rescued.
A fire outbreak at Terminal 1 (also referred to as the old international terminal) of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos has been successfully contained, according to officials from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service.
The blaze, which originated from the IT server room on the third floor of a five-storey building near the E-wing of the departure lounge, prompted a swift multi-agency response involving the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and other emergency teams.
Controller General Margaret Adeseye of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed in an official update that the fire is now under control. Critically, all 12 personnel in the control tower were rescued alive and uninjured, with no one left trapped in the incident.
“Further updates will be made available in due course,” Adeseye stated.
Related reports from FAAN indicate that a crane was deployed to aid in the rescue efforts at the control tower, where up to 14 individuals were initially reported as trapped in some accounts. All have since been safely evacuated. While some sources mention minor injuries (such as six individuals in stable condition), the primary update from the fire service emphasizes no serious harm to the control tower staff and no fatalities.
The incident led to temporary disruptions, including the closure of the Lagos airspace and suspension of flights at the airfield, as a precautionary measure. Authorities are working to restore operations, potentially through a temporary control tower setup.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, with preliminary indications pointing to the server room as the origin. The affected terminal, which has been undergoing renovations, saw emergency evacuations and containment efforts to prevent spread to other sections.
No lives were lost in the incident, and emergency operations continue to monitor the site for full safety. Airport authorities and emergency services have commended the coordinated response that minimized risks to personnel and infrastructure.
Travelers are advised to check with airlines for updates on flight statuses amid the ongoing recovery efforts.
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