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Tribunal: Atiku, PDP Indicates Plans To Call 100 Witnesses

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Both the Peoples Democratic Party and it’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar are challenging the declaration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the February 25 election.

Both PDP and Atiku have indicated plans to call “not more than 100 witnesses” to the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

Counsel for Atiku and the PDP, Chris Uche, addressing the court in Abuja on Saturday, said all the parties had met, and considered and agreed on the numbers of witnesses, duration and examination of witnesses.

Uche added that though the new time given them to call the witnesses is seven weeks, they would need three weeks, since the issues were getting narrower.

All the parties in the suit agreed to streamline the numbers of witnesses as well as the duration of each party to call witnesses.

For the evidence in chief, they categorised them into 30 minutes for the lead witness because they will tender and identify documents.

They also proposed 15 minutes for each respondent for cross-examination and five minutes for re-examination of the lead witness of the petitioners. In addition, 10 minutes was proposed for other witnesses of the petitioners, as well as 10 minutes for cross-examination of these witnesses, by the respondents.

The star witnesses of the respondents — the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu and the APC — 30 minutes was proposed, while 30 minutes was proposed for cross-examination of the respondents’ witness, by the respondents.

INEC said it has two witnesses that will testify, while the counsel to President -elect said it had 39 witnesses ready.

For the President-elect, the report of any star witness should be made available 48 hours before hearing.

The schedule of documents to be filed must be given to other parties before the hearing and calling of witnesses.

Examination of experts/star witnesses was fixed for 20 minutes, while cross-examination by respondents was scheduled for 30 minutes. Re-examination was fixed at five minutes.

Furthermore, examination of non-experts/star witness was scheduled for 10 minutes; cross-examination, 15 minutes; and re-examination at five minutes.

The same applies for the APC. The only difference is the number of witnesses — it has 25 witnesses set to testify.

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IGP Disu Wears New DIGs Insignia

Disu, during the ceremony today urged the new Deputy Inspectors-General of Police to uphold discipline, integrity and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

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• IGP Tunji Disu

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu has decorated the newly promoted senior officers at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja .

Disu, during the ceremony today urged the new Deputy Inspectors-General of Police to uphold discipline, integrity and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

He said the elevation to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police was not merely the wearing of new insignia but a recognition of years of dedicated service and a call to greater responsibility in the leadership of the force.

Disu emphasised that the rank represents one of the highest levels of professional trust within the police and demands wisdom, courage and a strong commitment to justice and service.

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BREAKING: Court of Appeal Upholds Federal High Court Ruling Halting PDP’s Ibadan National Convention

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In a major ruling that deepens the ongoing leadership crisis in Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court restraining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from proceeding with its controversial National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15-16, 2025.

A three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, delivered a unanimous judgment on Monday dismissing the appeal filed by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP.

The court upheld the October 31, 2025, ruling by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing, validating, or accepting the outcome of the Ibadan convention.

The Appeal Court held that the PDP’s decision to proceed with the convention violated key provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act, INEC’s guidelines on party primaries and conventions, and the PDP’s own Constitution.

It emphasized that the Federal High Court’s intervention was justified to prevent illegality and to protect the rights of excluded delegates from over 14 states where congresses had not yet been conducted.

The panel further criticized INEC for failing to adequately monitor the party’s processes as required by law. In a related aspect of the judgment, a fine of ₦2 million was imposed on the Turaki-led faction.

Rejecting arguments from the appellants that the matter was purely an intra-party affair outside judicial jurisdiction, the Court of Appeal ruled that violations of constitutional provisions, the Electoral Act, or a political party’s constitution confer jurisdiction on the courts.

This decision marks the first in a series of nine consolidated appeals stemming from the PDP’s protracted internal crisis, which pits the Turaki faction against a rival caretaker leadership aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and headed by Abdulrahman Mohammed.

The appeals challenge multiple Federal High Court rulings that halted the Ibadan convention and recognized the caretaker committee.

The ruling represents a significant victory for the Wike-aligned faction and could have far-reaching implications for the PDP’s leadership structure, upcoming elections, and INEC’s recognition of the party’s national officers.

Further judgments in the remaining appeals are expected later today or in the coming days as the Court of Appeal continues its sittings on the consolidated cases.

The PDP has yet to issue an official reaction, though sources indicate the Turaki faction may pursue further appeals to the Supreme Court.

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IWD: My greatest investments are my three daughters – Otedola

Tolani is a singer, Florence a renowned disc jockey and Temi is an actress and fashion blogger.

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“My greatest investments are my three daughters who make me proud every day. Happy International Women’s Day my angels,” wrote the billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola.

His three daughters are Tolani, Florence (DJ Cuppy) and Temi.

The Chairman of First Holdco Plc stated this in an X post on Sunday to commemorate International Women’s Day.

The billionaire’s daughters are high flyers in various areas of personal endeavour. Tolani is a singer, Florence a renowned disc jockey and Temi is an actress and fashion blogger.

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