innosreport

(Nigeria) Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday expressed surprise at the decision of prosecution counsel to bring additional charges against immediate past National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) on a day set aside for definite hearing on the one count charge preferred against him. On September 1 this year, prosecution counsel, Mohammed Diri, had told the court that Dasuki was charged with the unlawful possession of firearms without a licence which Dasuki pleaded not guilty. Justice Ademola then granted Mr. Dasuki bail on self-recognition but ordered that his passport and other travel documents be deposited with the deputy court registrar while the case was adjourned to October 26 and 27 for the hearing. When the court sat today (October 26, 2015) however, M.S. Labaran, appearing for the prosecution announced instead that the one count charge was now being expanded to include additional charges bothering illegal possession of

(Nigeria)The Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Mr Ovwigho Igbuya on Monday congratulated Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa for his victory at the tribunal. He also praised the judiciary for remaining the protector of the oppressed. In a statement in Asaba by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Henry Ebireri, the speaker described the April 11 governorship election as the fairest and freest in the history of the state. “Your victory at the Tribunal shows that the people of Delta State clearly authorized your candidature. “It also shows that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man’’ he said. He commended Okowa for running a transparent and accountable government and also placing the state on the world map for good, growth and development. Igbuya who also praised the governor for the pragmatic steps taken to address the problems in the various sectors, the development of democratic culture and stable polity, the creation of jobs for the people and the elevation of politics beyond the munda

(Nigeria) The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, said on Saturday that Nyesom Wike remained the governor of Rivers in spite of the nullification of his election by the election petition tribunal. The Chairman of the party in the state, Chief Felix Obuah, said in a statement in Port Harcourt said that the Electoral Act 2010 guaranteed an elected governor stay in office after giving notice of appeal against a judgement 21 days from the date of the judgement. The statement assured the people that notwithstanding the tribunal`s ruling, Wike was still the governor of the state. The statement urged the people of Rivers not to panic over the judgment because the party was still in control of the state. It said the party would get to any legal height to fight the ``injustice by the tribunal’’. The statement also said that there was no reason for the tribunal to have hurriedly delivered the judgement less than 24 hours after adopting the written addresses in a matter that lasted more than fou

(Nigeria) The All Progressives Congress, APC, has described Saturday's judgment of the Rivers Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that overturned the election of Governor Nyesom Wike as a deadly blow to impunity. APC in a statement in Abuja on Saturday by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the National Publicity Secretary, said that the only way for elections to have legitimacy was for them to be free, fair and credible. “What has come across from this judgment is that there is no shortcut to free, fair and credible elections. “Elections are about the expression of the will of the people, and they must always be free to express themselves irrespective of what some desperate politicians may feel,'' it said. The statement said that politicians, especially those seeking or occupying elective offices, must realise that they could only derive their legitimacy from the people. “And unless they respect the wishes of the people, they will not go far,’’ it added. The statement hailed th

(Nigeria) Senator Magnus Abe, former member of the National Assembly, said on Saturday that the nullification of the governorship election in the state by the tribunal was a vindication of the judiciary. Abe, (APC—Rivers South West), said in Port Harcourt that the APC had insisted that the elections of March 28 and April 11 in the state were not free and fair. `` The APC has always insisted that what took place on March 28 and April 11 cannot be described as elections in which anybody can be validly elected into office under our constitution. `` And today, our stand has been vindicated,`` he said. Abe said that those who hijacked power by bullet, today, power has been taken away from them by a stroke of the pen. He urged APC members in the state to remain steadfast because a day would come when the ballot would be used to determine their leaders. `` I want to thank Rivers people and we say to all that there will definitely be an hour when the ballot and not the bullet, will decid

(Nigeria) The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that Saturday’s judgment of the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja shows clear bias against Gov. Nyesom Wike and the party. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said ``We, therefore, reassured that PDP will do all within the ambit of the law to resist attempt by the APC to thwart the will of the people,’’ he said. Metuh said that the tribunal’s verdict would not stand as it was `` completely bizarre, unacceptable and part of the script by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to manipulate the will of the people.’’ He said that PDP had earlier revealed APC’s plot to use the judiciary and various security agencies to reverse PDP’s victory in Rivers, Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Taraba and Abia. Metuh said that those plots culminated in the tribunal’s ruling on Rivers election as well as `the ridiculous Wednesday’s verdict’ of the Akwa-Ibom Governorship Election Trib

(Nigeria) The Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria, MWUN, on Saturday said that it had suspended its three -day-old strike which had paralysed activities at the nation’s ports. This is contained in a communique in Lagos  by Mr Olumide Oduntan, Executive Director, Finance, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the President-General of the MWUN, Mr Anthony Nted. The communiqué said that the agreement was reached after a meeting between the representatives of NPA and MWUN on Saturday on Victoria Island, Lagos. According to the communiqué, all outstanding payments to tally clerks and on board security men are now top priorities that will be paid as soon as the Treasury Single Account (TSA) issues have been resolved. It further said, ``All statutory payments to NPA and charges due to stevedoring contractors on MV Hawk that berthed midstream at Bonny must be paid before the vessel is allowed to sail.’’ The MWUN, which commenced a nationwide strike on Thursday, was not happy with the non-paym