Politics
Rivers: Court adjourns suit challenging appointment of LG administrators
The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned to May 22, 2025, the hearing of a suit seeking to bar Rivers State Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, from appointing local government administrators across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
The claimant, Oyingi Imiete, at the resumed hearing, told the court that the matter was scheduled for hearing of a motion for interlocutory injunction.
Imiete, however, revealed that the respondent had already appointed sole administrators for all 23 LGAs on April 9, 2025, allegedly after receiving the court’s order and originating processes in the suit.
He explained that service was effected by the court bailiff on the same day as the appointments.
“The matter came up for motion. The applicant’s motion and they said the motion was withdrawn by the applicant.
“The applicants had equally put in the motion for mandatory restorative order and it equally has been fixed for hearing because the actions of the respondent have greatly affected the subject matter before the court,” the claimant said.
Responding, counsel for the defendant argued that the originating processes were not served until two days after the appointments and supported the claimant’s decision to withdraw the motion, calling the appointments a completed act.
He added that his client had not yet been served the new motion and reserved the right to respond when properly served.
Both parties agreed to proceed with a substantive hearing of the originating summons.
The court stressed that despite perceived frivolity, all applications must be heard and stated that the facts and issues remain within the purview of the parties.
The case was subsequently adjourned to May 22, 2025, for further hearing.
The suit, filed by the PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative and its coordinator Courage Nsirimovu, seeks to stop the administrator from making such appointments, which the plaintiffs argue are unconstitutional and violate the principles of democratic governance.
Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed, on April 7, granted an interim injunction barring Ibas from proceeding with the appointments and summoned him to appear before the court to explain why the injunction should not be made permanent.
However, the Sole Administrator went ahead to make the appointments, which drew criticisms from civil society organizations.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the constitution of the Nigerian side of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group as part of steps to deepen collaboration in tackling security challenges in the country.
The composition of the Joint Working Group was part of the agreement reached during the recent trip to Washington, DC, by a high-level Nigerian delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Ribadu is to lead the Nigerian side of the Joint Working Group, supported by a multi-stakeholder team comprising senior officials from relevant government establishments.
Members of the Joint Working Group include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Bernard M. Doro, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Mohammed Mohammed and the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force, Mr Kayode Egbetokun.
Ms Idayat Hassan of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and Mr Paul Alabi of the Embassy of Nigeria in the US will serve as the secretariat.
President Tinubu has urged members of the Joint Working Group to work assiduously with their US counterparts to ensure smooth operationalisation of all agreements across sectors.
Politics
AU, ECOWAS, and WAEF Condemn Guinea-Bissau Military Takeover, Demand Restoration of Democratic Order
Election-observation missions from the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) have jointly condemned the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau, calling it a direct assault on the country’s democratic process.
In a strongly worded statement, the observer groups denounced the suspension of the presidential and legislative elections, which had been conducted peacefully on 23 November. They praised the citizens of Guinea-Bissau for their orderly participation and commended electoral officials and security personnel for maintaining professionalism throughout the vote.
The missions described the military intervention as a “blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process,” noting that the takeover occurred while the nation awaited the official announcement of election results. With both leading presidential candidates having pledged to respect the final outcome, observers said the coup threatened to erode confidence in the country’s democratic institutions.
The joint statement also expressed deep concern over the detention of government and electoral officials by the military, urging their immediate release and the swift restoration of constitutional rule. The observers warned that halting the electoral process could reverse years of regional efforts to strengthen political stability and democratic norms in Guinea-Bissau.
Regional and international bodies are now intensifying calls for the reinstatement of civilian authority and the continuation of the electoral process, emphasising the need to safeguard the will of the people at a critical moment in the country’s political trajectory.
Politics
Nnamdi Kanu is in the prison, we should not get angry and it is not issue to use knives, gun or fighting ourselves in order to solve it- Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, has urged the South-East people to use dialogue and peaceful means to address the recent imprisonment of Nnamdi Kanu
She added that the people of the South-East should emulate other zones and learn to solve their challenges “through dialogue and peaceful ways.”
Bianca Ojukwu made the remarks at the 14th edition of the Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Memorial Day Celebration held at the Ojukwu Memorial Library, Owerri, Imo State, on Wednesday
She noted that although the court of first instance had sentenced Kanu to imprisonment, “all hope are not lost,” adding that through dialogue and peaceful methods, Nnamdi Kanu could be released from the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
The Ojukwu’s annual memorial day was instituted by Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, the founder of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASOB
The event is usually attended by Igbo people from the five South-East states and beyond.
During her address, Mrs. Ojukwu called for a minute of silence for the late BBC journalist, Mr. Frederick Forsyth, “who resigned her job to cover all things that happened during the 1967 to 1970 Biafra and Nigeria civil war.”
She said, “Nnamdi Kanu is in the prison, we should not get angry and it is not issue to use knives, gun or fighting ourselves in order to solve it”
“This coming Christmas, all of us should endeavour to meet with our National Assembly members and our governors, ask them the way forward to ensure that Kanu is freed from the prison”
“Also, all of us should come together, plan ourselves on how to use peaceful means to settle this matter, we should plan how to meet with President Bola Tinubu and amicably resolve this matter.”
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