Politics
Supreme Court Upholds Election of Governors Uzodimma, Diri, Ododo
The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday delivered a series of landmark judgments, affirming the elections of Governors Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, and Usman Ododo of Kogi State, following the November 11, 2023 off-cycle governorship polls.
Imo State: Hope Uzodimma’s Victory Confirmed
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who was declared the winner of the gubernatorial election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with 540,308 votes, has had his victory upheld by the Supreme Court.
Uzodimma had defeated Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 71,503 votes, and Athan Achonu of the Labour Party (LP), who secured 64,081 votes.
After losing at both the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, the PDP and LP candidates sought the Supreme Court’s intervention, challenging Uzodimma’s victory.
However, in a unanimous decision delivered by Justice Mohammed Baba Idris, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeals filed by the PDP and LP, citing a lack of merit.
The court held that the petitioners failed to establish their claims of overvoting and electoral malpractices, thereby affirming Uzodimma as the duly elected governor of Imo State.
Kogi State: Ododo’s Election Stands
In Kogi State, the Supreme Court also upheld the election of Governor Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ododo had been declared the winner by INEC, having secured 446,237 votes to defeat his main rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who garnered 259,052 votes.
Ajaka had challenged the election results, alleging substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act. However, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment, dismissed Ajaka’s appeal, ruling that the allegations were unproven. The court further noted that claims of age falsification and certificate forgery were pre-election matters that should have been addressed at the Federal High Court, which has jurisdiction over such issues.
Bayelsa State: Diri’s Re-election Validated
Similarly, the Supreme Court affirmed the re-election of Senator Douye Diri as the Governor of Bayelsa State. Diri, who won the election with 175,196 votes, had his victory contested by Timipre Sylva of the APC, who polled 110,108 votes. Sylva had filed an appeal against Diri’s victory, but the apex court dismissed the appeal for lacking merit.
A five-member panel led by Justice Lawal Garba ruled that Sylva’s appeal was an abuse of the court process, as he had filed two notices of appeal, which contravened the provisions of the 1999 Constitution that permit only a single appeal against a tribunal judgment. The court thereby upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal, which had earlier dismissed Sylva’s case.
With these rulings, the Supreme Court has brought finality to the governorship elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa states, reaffirming the victories of Governors Hope Uzodimma, Usman Ododo, and Douye Diri, respectively.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has criticized the alleged forceful conversion of public reading and learning facilities in Dugbe, Ibadan, into shopping malls and lock-up shops by the state government, describing the development as shameful, ill-conceived, and unacceptable.
In a statement released over the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the APC also raised concerns about the alleged sale of the modern motor park facility at Wema Area on New Ife Road, Ibadan, built during the administration of the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
According to the party, the motor park has been sold to a pastor who presides over a popular church near the facility.
Residents of Ibadan, the state capital, were reportedly stunned when they noticed the sudden erection of massive private business complexes within the premises of the Oyo State Library Board.
The facilities, built by the defunct Western Region government, had served as public libraries and archives for decades, benefitting students, researchers, and tourists until recently.
“It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archives in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures,” Sadare said.
“The implication is that education and research development have been relegated to the background in the state by an administration that has done little to address the poor reading culture among young students.”
The APC expressed alarm over what it termed the erosion of public heritage under Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, alleging that public properties are being sold or leased to private individuals and groups under questionable circumstances.
“How can a government wake up one day and convert public reading facilities and archives into lock-up shops in the name of making money, thereby subjecting society to the dangers of illiteracy and ignorance?” the statement queried.
The party also cited other instances of alleged mismanagement of public assets, including the concession of OYSADEP Guest House in Saki and Agbowo Shopping Complex in Ibadan, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the state’s socio-economic development.
“Sad enough, the ignoble activities of the governor and a few other characters around him as they involve mismanagement of land and other resources belonging to the state have paved the way for a surge in land grabbing cases in most parts of the state capital. There are many cases involving appointees of the governor, PDP lawmakers, local government officials, and party chieftains,” the statement added.
The APC called on well-meaning individuals and stakeholders in the state to demand accountability from the Makinde administration and halt what it described as the systematic erosion of public resources and heritage.
Over 300 constituents of Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in Oyo State benefitted from a skill acquisition and empowerment programme organized by their representative in the National Assembly, Hon. Akinmoyede Olafisoye.
The event, held at Faith Joe Event Centre, Alegongo, Akobo, Ibadan, aimed to address the challenges of unemployment and economic hardship by equipping participants with practical skills and financial support.
The programme focused on empowering youths, students, and unemployed graduates to become self-reliant. Each participant was provided with a certificate, a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, an umbrella, and ₦100,000 as a startup grant to kickstart their businesses.
The tools and financial aid were designed to enable beneficiaries to establish sustainable sources of income.
Participants received comprehensive training, gaining hands-on experience to ensure they could effectively utilize the tools provided. The POS machines were configured with the personal details of the recipients, ensuring proper use and discouraging unauthorized transfers.
Addressing the participants, Akinmoyede who is the Chairman House Committee on Nigeria/ Mexico Parliamentary Friendship enjoined the beneficiaries to explore the opportunity for their benefit by ensuring that they use the machines for the purpose it was meant for.
He added that all the machines have been configured with the documents of individual beneficiaries which will make it very difficult to transfer to another person.
In his goodwill message, the Oyo Central Senatorial chairman of APC, Hon. Joshua Oyebamiji said comparing what the lawmaker has been doing in the area of dishing out empowerment and palliatives to his constituents, it is difficult to tag him a first-timer at the national assembly.
While appreciating Akinmoyede for his gesture at the event, former APC Deputy State Chairman, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, and Hon. Akinbode Emmanuel said they were yet to discover the magic wand being used by the lawmaker for his constant and habitual empowerment programmes.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the end of the training, Afolabi Kuburat, Akinropo Akindotun, Ajala Abisade Iyabo, and Grace Anuoluwapo Ayinde lauded the lawmaker for giving them the opportunity to be self-reliant at this time when Nigerians are facing economic hardship.
The House of Representatives member representing Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency Oyo State, Hon. Prince Akinmoyede Olafisoye Wasiu has initiated another skill acquisition and capacity-building training for no fewer than 300 members of his constituency.
The initiative which is being organized in partnership with Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan is part of a strategic effort by the lawmaker to foster rural development of cooperative for their economic emancipation and break the shackles of poverty so as to alleviate the impact of the high cost of living among the people in Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency he represents.
The training programme is coming up on Monday 18th November, 2024 at Faith Joe Event Centre hall. Alegongo, Ibadan by 8.00am.
A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the lawmaker, Alimi Abdullahi stated that the capacity-building is designed to equip participants with essential entrepreneurial skills with a view to building sustainable livelihoods and improve the quality of lives of the people of Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency.
All the participants for the training are expected to be at the venue by 8am so as not to miss any part of the training.
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