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Kano Emirate tussle: Federal, Industrial courts lack jurisdiction on chieftaincy matters – Falana

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Human Rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, on Tuesday, said the Federal High Court and the National Industrial Court have no jurisdiction to determine chieftaincy matters.

Falana, in a statement he personally signed, which was obtained by our correspondent in Abuja, accused both courts of separately conferring, “jurisdiction on themselves to determine chieftaincy matters.”

Falana described both decisions as, “highly erroneous” as they cannot be justified under sections 251 and 254(C) of the Constitution. Adding that both courts conveniently overruled the judgments of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal on the subject matter.

He said, “The intervention of the Federal High Court in the dispute arising from the deposition of Emir Ado Bayero & Co. as well as the restoration of Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is a brazen repudiation of the decision of the Supreme Court in the celebrated case of Tukur v Government of Gongola State (1987) 4 NWLR (117) 517 where it was held that “The question raised in this claim is not a fundamental right question.

“As in the first prayer, the right to be Emir is not guaranteed by the Fundamental Rights provisions of the Constitution and the Federal High Court has no jurisdiction whatever in the matter. The Court of Appeal was, therefore, not in error of law to hold that the Federal High Court has no jurisdiction to grant the two reliefs.

“Since the apex court has said that the right to be an Emir is not a fundamental right under chapter four of the Constitution, the Federal High Court sitting in Kano ought to have declined jurisdiction to continue to entertain the dispute over the chieftaincy matter in Kano. In any case, the allegation of infringement of the fundamental rights of the Applicants is an ancillary claim to the substantive reliefs emanating from the deposition and reinstatement of the embattled emirs.”

In FCMB Plc v Nyama (2014) LPELR-23973 AT 19-20, the Court of Appeal held that: “Now it is settled that where an application is made under the fundamental Right (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, a condition precedent to the exercise of the court’s jurisdiction is that the enforcement of fundamental rights of the securing of enforcement thereof should be the main claim and not the accessory claim. Where the main or principal claim is not the enforcement of fundament right, the jurisdiction of the court cannot be properly exercised under Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules.”

A Federal High Court in Kano last week ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear the human rights violation case filed by the dethroned Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, and senior councillor, Aminu Dan’agundi, following the reinstatement of Emir Muhammad Sanusi II.

The court issued an ex-parte order preventing Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano from reinstating Sanusi until a substantive suit against the reinstatement is resolved.

The order also opposed the abolishment of four emirates—Bichi, Gaya, Karaye, and Rano—under a bill previously passed by the state House of Assembly.

Ending his submission, Falana said, “I submit, with profound respect, that section 254(C)(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended has not conferred jurisdiction on the National Industrial Court to hear and determine chieftaincy matters.

“However, a traditional ruler who was deposed by a state governor without fair hearing is not without a legal redress.”

 

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Kenneth Okonkwo Declares ADC Ready to Take Over in 2027

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Onyenobi Chinwendu Samuel
September 22, 2027

Lagos 🇳🇬 – Nollywood veteran and political figure, Kenneth Okonkwo, has expressed strong confidence that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will emerge victorious in Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

Okonkwo, who is a prominent member of the party, said the ADC has steadily built a nationwide presence, with functional structures in all 36 states of the federation. According to him, this growing grassroots network positions the ADC as a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Speaking during a political engagement, Okonkwo boldly declared that the ADC would “send President Bola Ahmed Tinubu back to Bourdillon,” a reference to the Lagos residence of the President. He noted that Nigerians were already yearning for a new direction in governance, and the ADC was prepared to provide the leadership that citizens deserve.

He argued that the dominance of APC and PDP in Nigeria’s political landscape has failed to yield the desired results for the people, stressing that both parties have been unable to tackle the nation’s pressing challenges. The ADC, he maintained, is offering a fresh alternative built on accountability, inclusivity, and people-focused governance.

“The ADC has become the only true national party that represents the will of Nigerians. By 2027, the people will rally around us to reclaim the country from decades of misrule,” Okonkwo stated.

Political observers note that Okonkwo’s declaration comes at a time when Nigerians are increasingly disillusioned with the two dominant political parties. The ADC, though relatively smaller in past elections, has been making efforts to strengthen its visibility and mobilization across the country ahead of 2027.

The party leadership has also assured supporters that it is working to resolve internal disagreements and consolidate its structures, in preparation for what it describes as “a historic political breakthrough.”

With Okonkwo’s declaration, the ADC appears set to intensify its campaigns nationwide, positioning itself as a third force capable of reshaping Nigeria’s political destiny.

 

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Tinubu in closed-door meeting with Fubara in Aso Villa

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By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, ABUJA

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is currently meeting behind closed doors with Rivers State governor, Sir Sim Fubara at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Fubara arrived the seat of power about 6:20p.m., clad in a white caftan and black cap.

This is the governor’s first meeting with the President after his six months suspension and the lifting of state of emergency in the state on September 18, 2025.

President Tinubu, in a broadcast on March 18, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspended democratic structure and appointed a sole administrator to oversee the affairs of the state.

At the time of filing this report, the agenda of the meeting was not made public.

Governor Fubara arriving for the meeting with President Tinubu

 

… earlier

The Rivers State governor came shortly after the President met separately with the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum and governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq; Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma; Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass; Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Zacch Adedeji; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, among others.

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Wike: Tinubu told to publicize agreements made with Rivers Gov, Fubara

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Niger Delta rights activist, Ann-Kio Briggs has urged President Bola Tinubu to make public alleged agreements entered with the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, while reconciling the governor and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Ekwutosblog recalls that Tinubu in June, brokered peace between Fubara and Wike, ending the protracted political crisis that rocked Rivers nearly two years.

Reports indicated that during the peace deal, some agreements were made, paving the way for the reinstatement of the governor, who was earlier suspended in March this year.

 

It was speculated that the governor, amongst other things, was asked to kill his second term ambition.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Briggs declared that it is unacceptable “when politicians make these agreements over our heads; it’s like shaving the head of someone behind their back”.

She stressed that Rivers people are the one people to pay “the greatest price in all of these things”, stressing that it is unacceptable that they are not aware of “decision which will affect us”.

“We can’t gauge the extent to which these decisions will affect us, it becomes very difficult to flow with the politicians.

“It’s just an impossible situation where we have found ourselves. We don’t know what the President has insisted on, we don’t know what was agreed upon, and where that leads the people of Rivers State. So, we need to know what was agreed on,” Briggs added.

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