News
Tinubu, APC lose battle to shut out APM’s petition challenging presidential election
An attempt by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop the Allied People’s Movement (APM) in its petition challenging his qualification for the February 25, 2023, presidential election was on Monday rejected by the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
Tinubu, through his lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, had sought to use a Supreme Court judgment delivered on May 26, 2023, to terminate the APM’s petition, but the request was turned down.
The grouse of Tinubu was that the Apex Court had resolved the sole issue raised in the petition of the APM in the judgment in a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He sought to move the Court to invoke the spirit and letters of the Supreme Court judgment to halt the hearing into the APM’s petition.
The Presiding Justice of the Court, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, however, disagreed with Tinubu and held that the party cannot be shut out in the face of fair hearing.
Justice Tsammani asked Tinubu to keep his objections against the hearing of the petition to the final address stage of the court’s proceedings.
Similar objections raised by APC through its counsel, Charles Edosomwen SAN, against the petition on the same ground were turned down by PEPC for the same reason.
Earlier, the APM, through its lawyer, Mr Gideon Ijiagbonya, had informed the Court of receipt of the Supreme Court judgment being sought to be used to terminate its petition.
The lawyer said that upon perusal of the judgment by the Supreme Court, he and his legal team concluded that there is life in the petition and applied for its hearing.
He, however, sought adjournment till June 26 to enable him to obtain a vital document from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to establish his case.
Justice Tsammani, in a brief ruling, rejected a week-long adjournment and fixed Wednesday, June 21, for the hearing of the petition.
News
Eid-ul-Adha: FG declares Wednesday, Thursday public holidays
Tunji-Ojo conveyed the warm felicitations of the Federal Government to all Muslim faithful in Nigeria and throughout the diaspora, describing Eid ul Adha as a festival of deep spiritual significance rooted in the values of sacrifice, obedience to God, and compassion for one’s fellow man.
The Federal Government has declared Wednesday, 27th May and Thursday, 28th May, 2026, as public holidays to mark the celebration of Eid ul Adha.
The announcement was made by the minister of interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in a statement signed by the permanent secretary of the ministry of interior, Dr Magdalene Ajani, on Monday in Abuja.
The declaration, according to the statement, reflects the federal government’s respect for the faith and spiritual heritage of millions of Nigerian Muslims joining the global Islamic community in observing the sacred occasion.
Tunji-Ojo conveyed the warm felicitations of the Federal Government to all Muslim faithful in Nigeria and throughout the diaspora, describing Eid ul Adha as a festival of deep spiritual significance rooted in the values of sacrifice, obedience to God, and compassion for one’s fellow man.
The federal government urged all Nigerians to use the period for prayer and sober reflection, seeking divine guidance upon the country as it presses ahead in its pursuit of peace, security, and prosperity for every citizen.
News
Humanitarian Services: NEMA distributes relief materials to victims of terrorist attacks in 2 Niger communities
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed relief materials to victims of terrorist attacks in the Allawa and Bagna communities of the Shiroro Local Government Area in Niger State.
The distribution exercise was conducted at the Mutum Daya community in Shiroro local government area, in collaboration with the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, where community members were also sensitised on safety precautions in respect to the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Annual Flood Outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
Terrorists in April attacked Bagna, Erena, Yelwa and neighbouring communities, killing residents and vigilante members, burning houses and displacing several families forcing some of the community members to flee.
The Head of NEMA’s Minna Operations Office, Hussaini Isah, stated that the intervention aimed to provide humanitarian support and alleviate the hardship faced by vulnerable persons affected by the attacks.
Isah said the distribution was organised according to the affected communities to ensure fairness, transparency and orderly conduct.
- Abdullahi Baba-Arah. DG, Niger State Emergency Management Agency
Both the Village Head of Allawa, Ibrahim Salihu, and his Bagna counterpart, Bitrus Leo and some beneficiaries appreciated the Federal Government and NEMA for the timely intervention, saying the relief materials had restored hope to vulnerable households affected by the attacks.
Items distributed include 1,000 bags of 25 kg rice, 1,000 bags of 25 kg beans, 1,000 cartons of spaghetti, 100 cartons each of seasoning, vegetable oil, tomato paste and iodised salt.
NEMA also used the medium to advise residents to avoid farming, building houses and carrying out business activities along waterways and flood-prone areas due to the risk of severe and localised flooding predicted for 2026 by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Annual Flood Outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has announced power outage in various parts of Abuja including hotels and diplomatic buildings.
The AEDC made the announcement in its verified X handle today.
It said the blackout also affected Bolingo Hotel, Wada Maida Building, which houses the headquarters of Sudan, Egypt embassies, Envoy Hotel, the European Union embassy, among others.
The other places affected by the blackout are the National Planning Commission (NPC), the National Hospital, and the Turkish, Pakistani, and Indian embassies.
“Also, Garki Area One, Two, Three, Seven and Eight; Garki village; Garki market; Ubiaja Street; Kaltungo Street; and Lagos Street have been affected.
“Also affected are Oka Akoko Street, Treasury House, Karibu Hotel, and part of Asokoro, such as Yakubu Gowon Street.
“Similarly, Imo Government Lodges, Gado Nasko Street, Justice Sowemimo, Hassan Musa Katsina Streets, part of Jasse Martin, NIA, and TY Danjuma Street are without power supply.
“It said also affected are Lugbe, Jedo, Forte Royal, Back Of Dunamics, Customs Quarters, Aviation Village Piwoye Kapwa Ok Water, Nicomsat, Korean School and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport,”.
It attributed the power outage to a technical fault.
“The technical team of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is currently working to restore the power supply.
“We regret the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding,” AEDC said.
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