The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeals of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and affirmed the ruling of the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal that upheld the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All-Progressives Congress as the winner of the February 25, 2023.
Unavailability Of Election Results On IReV Not Ground For Election Nullification, S’Court Rules
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the non-availability of election results on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) is no ground for the nullification of the February 2023 presidential election.
Justice Inyang Okoro, leader of the five-panel of Supreme Court justices, gave the ruling in the appeals filed by Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the Presidential Elections Petitions Court (PEPC) which upheld Bola Tinubu’s February win.
He said it is clear that the petition seeking to nullify the election for noncompliance must not only be ready to prove how the non-compliance affected the outcome election but must be ready to give evidence.
According to him, the petitioner abandoned the duties imposed on them to prove the gravity of noncompliance and its effect.
Justice Okoro said the Electoral Act empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the best method to use during an election.
He added that the unavailability of results on the IReV, cannot be a ground to nullify the the election.
Justice Okoro says the petitioner needed to lay credible evidence to prove the alleged noncompliance. According to him, he has not produced an original or certified true copy of the evidence they want the court to rely on.
He held that the non-availability of the presidential election results on the IReV Portal did not affect the outcome of the election..
Supreme Court dismisses ’25 per cent of FCT’ argument against Tinubu
The Supreme Court has declared that election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cannot be annulled because of his failure to secure 25 per cent of the votes in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The Court gave the ruling while delivering its judgment in the appeal filed by former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP against the ruling of lower court affirming the victory of President Bola Tinubu, in the February 25, presidential election.
BREAKING: Supreme Court dismisses Atiku’s bid to file fresh evidence against Tinubu
The application by Atiku Abubakar and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to present fresh evidence on the Chicago State University (CSU) diploma of President Tinubu has been dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The deposition by the Registrar of the CSU, Caleb Westberg, was rejected and ruled inadmissible on the ground that the Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction after the 180 days timeline for determination of election petition had elapsed.
Justice Okoro noted that since the time for trial at the Court of Appeal had elapsed, the Supreme Court cannot accept fresh evidence on appeal.
Details Shortly…
Supreme Court delivers final judgement on Tinubu’s election today
The Supreme Court is set to bring down the curtain on the legal disputes over the outcome of the 25 February presidential election, as it will, today, Thursday, deliver the final judgement on the two appeals challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu at the disputed poll.
Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party – the two leading opposition candidates at the election – had filed separate appeals to challenge the earlier 6 September verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Court which affirmed Mr Tinubu’s victory.
Today’s verdict will be the final court decision on the disputes over the election. It will mark the end of a two-stage judicial battle, the first part of which was decided by the presidential election court in favour of Mr Tinibu, which was further challenged at the Supreme Court. The court will now give the final say on the validity or otherwise of Mr Tinubu’s election.
Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC, had declared Mr Tinubu the winner of the election on 1 March.
However, Atiku and Mr Obi, who came second and third, respectively, questioned INEC’s conduct of the polls; as they alleged widespread electoral fraud and the ineligibility of Mr Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to vie for the presidency.
A five-member panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court headed by Haruna Tsammani adjudicated the suits for three months before dismissing them on 6 September.
The court held that Atiku and Mr Obi failed to prove their separate claims against Mr Tinubu and INEC.
Dissatisfied, the pair headed to the Supreme Court, the final arbiter on presidential election dispute in Nigeria, where they urged the court to set aside the presidential election court decision on account of miscarriage of justice.
A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court headed by John Okoro heard Atiku and Mr Obi’s appeals on Monday, and set them down for judgement.
At the final hearing of the case on Monday, Atiku’s lawyer, Chris Uche tendered fresh evidence before the Supreme Court to prove his client’s case against the President. The Supreme Court will decide in its judgement today whether the fresh evidence, critical to Atiku’s case, is legally acceptable and can be reviewed as part of evidence submitted by a party.
Specifically, Atiku through his lawyer, Chris Uche, accused Mr Tinubu of forgery concerning the president’s academic records from the Chicago State University.
After a rigorous suit in the United States, Atiku obtained Mr Tinubu’s academic records which he has now filed at the Supreme Court to prove his forgery allegation which was rejected by the presidential election court, against Mr Tinubu.
On his part, Mr Obi’s lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu, urged the Supreme Court to nullify the presidential election court decision and declare Mr Obi the winner of the election.
However, the president’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, INEC’s lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, and APC’s Akin Olujinmi, asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeals and affirm Mr Tinubu’s victory.
The court subsequently fixed Thursday for judgement.
‘Shaft’ star Richard Roundtree passes on at 81
Richard Roundtree, the trailblazing actor who starred as the ultra-smooth private detective in several “Shaft” films beginning in the early 1970s, has died. He was 81.
Roundtree’s longtime manager, Patrick McMinn, said the actor had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday. He was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 and underwent a double mastectomy.
Roundtree, who was born in New Rochelle, New York, was considered as the first Black action hero and became one of the leading actors in the blaxploitation genre through his New York street smart John Shaft character in the Gordon Parks-directed film in 1971. At age 28, it was Roundtree’s first feature film appearance after starting his career as a model.
Read Also: Andy Warhol Museum Announces $45 Million Expansion Proposal
Roundtree’s “Shaft” was part of a change in how Black movies were viewed in Hollywood, which failed to consider Black actors – especially for leading roles — in projects at the time. The blaxploitation films were primarily aimed at the African American audiences.
After the film’s success, Roundtree returned in sequels “Shaft’s Big Score” in 1972 and “Shaft in Africa” in 1973. That same year, he played the savvy detective once again on the CBS television series “Shaft,” which lasted only seven episodes.
Roundtree reprised his role in the 2000 “Shaft” film, a revival that starred Samuel L. Jackson. He appeared as Jackson’s uncle in the big-budget film that was aimed at the general audience. Both appeared again in the same roles in the 2019 film starring Jessie T. Usher.
Jackson called Roundtree the “prototype” and the “best to ever do it” in a social media post.
CAF Rankings: NPFL Rated 12th Best League In Africa, Two Continental Slots Threatened
The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) has released the latest ranking for leagues on the continent.
The CAF 5-year ranking is used to determine the number of clubs each CAF member association may enter in Africa’s inter-club football competitions – the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup.
The associations ranked in the top 12 are entitled to register two teams in each of the continental competitions, while the remaining associations are limited to a single slot in each competition.
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) was rated as the 12th best league in Africa with 25 points, according to the ranking released.
The Moroccan league was ranked as the best league in Africa with 180 points, followed by the Egyptian league in second position with 172.5 points. Algeria, South Africa and Tunisia respectively make up the top five best leagues on the continent.
The Ivorian league, ranked 13th in Africa is just 4 points behind the Nigeria Premier Football League.
Nigeria’s only representative in this year’s CAF competition, Rivers United FC, will be expected to have a good run in the CAF Confederation Cup to garner more points for the country and boost their chances of climbing up the rankings.
CAF League Rankings
Countries. 5-year Cumulative Points
- Morocco 180
- Egypt 172.5
- Algeria 134
- South Africa 114
- Tunisia 101
- Tanzania 58.5
- DR Congo 54
- Angola 41.5
- Sudan 39
- Guinea 29
- Libya 28
- Nigeria 25
- Cote d’Ivoire 21
- Cameroon 16
- Zambia 15
Belgium, Netherlands And Germany To Bid For 2027 Women’s World Cup
The football federations of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany on Wednesday confirmed their bid to jointly host the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
They are up against rival bids from the United States and Mexico, from South Africa and from Brazil, with a decision to be made by FIFA in May, 2024.
The three European federations said in a statement that the objectives set for the organisation of this World Cup “align with the duty that the hosts have to support FIFA in its responsibilities to develop football on a global scale.”
Germany already staged the Women’s World Cup in 2011.
Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the 2023 tournament won by Spain
Kano Pillars Fined 1million Naira For Supporters Encroachment, Heartland Warned
Kano Pillars FC was on Monday fined ₦1million for their Supporters encroachment onto the field of play during the NPFL week 4 clash vs Rivers United.
Also, Heartland FC of Owerri were issued a stern warning to curb restive acts of their Supporters and advised to organise reorientation for the Supporters to inculcate in them the spirit of fair play.
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) reached the respective decisions conveyed in separate Summary Jurisdiction notices announced on Monday.
Kano Pillars Supporters were found to have jumped the barriers onto the field of play to celebrate their 93rd minute goal in the encounter at the Sani Abacha Stadium.
With the encounter deadlocked and heading towards a stalemate, legendary skipper, Rabiu Ali scored to hand Kano Pillars FC all three points, to spark wild jubilation which spilled onto the pitch at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Sunday, October 22.
After reviewing reports from the match officials, the NPFL charged the club with a breach of Rule B13.18. The club was consequently ordered to pay the fine within 14 days and warned that failure to comply within the stipulated time would be considered a continuous breach of the NPFL Framework and Rules.
For Heartland, the NPFL in the memo with the heading: MatchDay 4 Disturbances, expressed reservations over the behaviour of the fans in holding back the players and Officials at the stadium after the match.
“It has come to our attention that some irate Supporters of your club held players and Officials hostage after the match, making it difficult for them to exit the stadium premises until a detachment of security operatives arrived as reinforcement.
“Such behaviour is unacceptable and tarnishes the reputation of both Heartland and the NPFL”, read the memo signed by Davidson Owumi, the Chief Operating Officer.
The Owerri-based club was admonished to curb such behaviour by organising orientation workshop for the Supporters on the Spirit of Fair Play best practices.
Paris 2024 Qualifiers: Super Falcons Hold Ethiopia To 1-1 Draw In Addis Ababa
Super Falcons of Nigeria held Ethiopia to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, second round of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers in Addis Ababa on Wednesday.
Ethiopia took a shock lead in the 6th minute thanks to Birkie Amare, who slotted home from a goal mouth scramble.
In the 52nd minute the Falcons equalised through captain Rasheedat Ajibade, who volleyed home a long long range shot from out the box.
The Falcons thought they had grabbed the winner in the 92nd minute as substitute Ifeoma Onumonu headed home but it was ruled out for offside.
England-born Rinsola Babajide made her debut for the Falcons after coming on in the 71st minute.
The second leg will come up on Tuesday, October 31 in Abuja.
