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Tribunal Strikes out PDP, Adebutu’s reply on Vote Buying Allegation Against Dapo Abiodun

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The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Monday struck out the vote buying allegation, levelled against Governor Dapo Abiodun and the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu.

Adebutu had dragged Governor Abiodun and the APC to the tribunal challenging their declaration as the winner of the 18, March 2023 governorship election in the state.

But the governor’s lawyers, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), in their defence to the petition, made weighty allegations backed up with police report, establishing that Adebutu and the PDP engaged in vote buying during the elections.

On 22 May, 2023, Adebutu and the PDP filed a reply to the defence by Governor Abiodun and the APC, also levelling vote buying allegation against the ruling party.

The Governor’s lawyers, represented by Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), however, filed an application asking the Tribunal to strike out the Reply in its entirety or in the alternative, to strike out offending paragraphs from that Reply.

Osipitan argued that the Reply filed by Adebutu and PDP contravenes paragraph 16(1) (a & b) of the Electoral Act and the rules of court pleadings.

While ruling on the matter, the Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice H.N. Kunaza, agreed with the submissions by Prof. Osipitan

In the ruling, supported by the other two members; Hon. Justice J.B. Egele and Hon. Justice Sannusi Shehu, the Tribunal overruled Adebutu’s lawyers, led by Chief Goddy Uche (SAN), saying that the application filed by the Governor’s lawyers was not the kind of application that the Constitution requires to be determined at the end of proceedings in judgment.

Relying on relevant provisions of the Constitution, the Tribunal held that only applications that challenge the tribunal’s jurisdiction or the competence of a petition will be deferred till judgment whereas the application filed by Governor Abiodun’s lawyers was not that kind of application.

The Tribunal also held that the Reply by Adebutu and PDP was incompetent for multiple reasons.

The Tribunal identified some paragraphs which contained unnecessary and repetitive allegations, others, which contained arguments and legal conclusions (which are not allowed in replies), and some paragraphs which were an improper expansion of the petition earlier filed.

The Tribunal noted that in their petition, Adebutu and PDP alleged that Governor Abiodun and APC committed corrupt practices during the gubernatorial elections. The Tribunal further noted that vote buying is a specie of corruption and that if PDP and Adebutu truly believed that APC engaged in vote buying, the petitioner ought to have included those allegations in their petition from the start, which they did not do.

The Tribunal noted that if the Reply filed by Adebutu and PDP was permitted, there was a risk to prejudice, surprise, or even shut out Governor Abiodun and APC on the issues raised in that Reply.

The Tribunal denounced Adebutu and the PDP for coming up with the vote-buying allegation only after APC and Governor Abiodun had done same against them.

With this backdrop, the Tribunal unanimously concluded that Governor Abiodun and APC would be prejudiced if the Reply filed by Adebutu and PDP is allowed.

The Tribunal held that when Governor Abiodun and APC filed their defence, they joined issues with Adebutu and PDP; that by joining issues, the parties fixed the dispute; and that it was improper to go outside those issues in the Reply.

The Tribunal also found that it was unnecessary to file a Reply in the circumstance, as held in several decisions of the Supreme Court and the Appeal Court.

The Reply was accordingly struck out.

With this ruling, only the allegation of vote buying made by Governor Abiodun and APC against Adebutu and the PDP would be entertained by the tribunal.

Jelili Owonikoko (SAN), represented INEC, while the APC team was led by Chief Onyeazu Ikpeazu (SAN).

It would be recalled that Adebutu and PDP leaders in Ogun State have been charged for the offence of vote buying by the Federal Government, a situation that has led to Adebutu being a fugitive to the law.

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FG Launches Counter Terrorism Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030

For ours, the question is clear: How do we secure our nation, safeguard our people and set Nigeria irreversibly on the path of peace, growth and stability?“ The Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030 answers this question with vision, discipline and ambition.

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The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has formally unveiled Nigeria’s Counter Terrorism Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030.

The Strategic Plan was put together by the National Counter Terrorism Centre in the Office of the National Security Adviser.

In his Keynote address, Akpabio said the occasion was not merely the launch of another policy document but a defining moment in the nation’s journey.

“It is a moment when Nigeria again reaffirms that our people deserve to live without fear, that our children deserve a future of peace, and that our nation must be secured to prosper,” he said.

The Senate President remarked that every generation faced a question that history demanded it must answer.

“For ours, the question is clear: How do we secure our nation, safeguard our people and set Nigeria irreversibly on the path of peace, growth and stability?“ The Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030 answers this question with vision, discipline and ambition.

It offers a framework for transforming our institutions, modernising our security architecture, strengthening national resilience and expanding partnerships across government, industry, civil society and the international community”

“As President of the Senate, I have seen how insecurity weakens the foundations of development. Investors withdraw, schools close, farmers abandon their fields, and hope retreats from the hearts of our young people.

That is why a pragmatic, forward-looking and implementation-driven plan such as this is timely, necessary and welcome.”

(Independent)

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Delta Police Dismiss Bandits Invasion of Girls Secondary School Kwale

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• Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda

The Delta State Police Command said that the rumoured invasion of Girls’ Secondary School, Utagba-Ogbe, Kwale, today was entirely false and misleading.

In a statement, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, clarified that upon receiving the report, the Command immediately ordered a coordinated response and deployed the DCO Kwale Division, SP Udofia Kufre, to lead a patrol team for immediate on-the-ground verification and security assessment.

The Vice Principal of the school and the security man on duty were interviewed, and both confirmed that no attack occurred and that the panic emanated solely from misinformation among students.

As a precautionary measure, adjoining schools within the Kwale axis were visited and all were found to be calm, safe, and in a normal academic session.

Parents who rushed to pick up their children are advised to remain calm, as the earlier rumour has been decisively addressed and normalcy has been fully restored.

CP Olufemi Abaniwonda warns strongly against the spread of unverified rumours capable of causing fear or disrupting academic activities.

The CP reiterated the Command’s unwavering resolve to respond swiftly to any credible threat while ensuring the safety of all educational institutions across the state.

He further urges school authorities to strengthen internal communication, promptly report suspicious observations to the nearest police formation, and maintain close collaboration with local security outfits to enhance monitoring around school environments.

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Okonjo-Iweala Decries Kidnappings of school children, teachers

As a mother I am greatly saddened by the kidnappings in our country, particularly of our children and teachers from places of learning.

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The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has expressed worries over the escalating wave of kidnappings across Nigeria, particularly the abduction of schools children and teachers.

Okonjo-Iweala in a post on X said she was “greatly saddened” by the disturbing trend, stressing that the attacks on learning institutions have inflicted fear, trauma, and uncertainty on families nationwide.

“As a mother I am greatly saddened by the kidnappings in our country, particularly of our children and teachers from places of learning.

” My heart goes out to the children and all those kidnapped and to their families living in fear and uncertainty,” she said.

She prays for the safe return of all abductees and strength for parents and relatives enduring the ordeal.

“May those taken be found, rescued, and returned safely into the arms of those who love them.

We pray God for their protection and strength for every parent and relative waiting,” she added.

Her comments come amid a series of mass abductions targeting schools and farming communities in several states in Nigeria, which has led to renewed calls for urgent action to protect citizens and restore security nationwide.

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