Tag: Court of Appeal

A’Court sacks Abure, confirms Usman as LP leader

Aminu Imam
A'Court sacks Abure

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has affirmed Senator Nenadi Usman as the legitimate leader of the Labour Party (LP), bringing an end to the leadership tussle that has lingered for months. In a unanimous judgment delivered by a 3-member panel, the appellate court dismissed the appeal filed by Barr. Julius Abure, describing it as lacking merit. The court upheld the earlier decision of the Federal High Court which recognised Nenadi Usman as the party’s leader. The ruling followed Abure’s challenge against the January 2026 judgment of the…

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Appeal Court upholds ban on NBC’s power to fine broadcast stations

Aminu Imam
A'Court on NBC

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed the appeal filed by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) against the judgement barring it from imposing fines on broadcast stations. Oyejoju Oyewumi, who led the three-member panel, yesterday ruled that the NBC’s appeal lacked merit. Other justices on the panel are Abba Bello Mohammed and Donatus Uwaezuoke Okorowo. In a unanimous verdict, Oyewumi held that the NBC cannot challenge the judgement at the court of appeal, having failed to contest the suit at the federal high court. Recall that on March 1,…

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₦400bn probe: El-Rufa’i gets fresh trial in rights suit

Aminu Imam
El Rufa’i gets fresh trial

The Court of Appeal in Kaduna has nullified the Federal High Court judgment in a fundamental rights suit filed by former state governor Nasir el-Rufa’i, ordering a fresh hearing before another judge. In a unanimous ruling on March 17, the three-member panel held that the lower court violated el-Rufa’i’s right to fair hearing, citing lack of proper service of hearing notice. The court ruled that the entire proceedings were a nullity. The case stemmed from a Kaduna State House of Assembly probe that indicted el-Rufa’i over an alleged ₦400 billion…

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Tinubu seeks Senate approval to expand Federal High Court, reform A’Court operations

Aminu Imam
Tinubu seeks to expand

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has written to the Senate seeking legislative approval to amend the Federal High Court Act and the Court of Appeal Act, proposing a significant expansion in the number of judges and wide-ranging reforms aimed at improving efficiency, reducing delays and modernising judicial processes. In separate letters read on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President requested an increase in the number of judges of the Federal High Court from 70 to 90, and an expansion of justices of the…

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Alleged N7.6bn Fraud: Appeal Court strikes out FGs suit seeking ex-Abia Gov. Kalus retrial

Aminu Imam

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out bid by the Federal Government to begin fresh prosecution of a former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, in the N7.6 billion fraud and money laundering case brought against him. The appellate court threw away the Governments move in a judgment delivered in Abuja by Justice Joseph Oyewole yesterday. Oyewole held that the record of appeal brought by the Federal Government was incompetent and unreliable for any court to use to grant its request. Among others, Justice Oyewole said that the…

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Rivers: Appeal Court upholds Gov. Fubaras victory, dismisses Cole, others suit

Aminu Imam

An Appeal Court, sitting in Lagos State, has rejected an appeal filed by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Arc. Patrick Tonye-Cole. The petition was against the victory of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC). Tonye-Cole sought the court to instruct INEC to declare him the winner of the March governorship election in Rivers. However, the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had previously dismissed his petition, stating that the APC had withdrawn their…

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2023 Elections: INEC danced naked in the market Appeal Court slams electoral body

Aminu Imam

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja berated the Independent National Electoral Commissioner, INEC, while accusing it of being partisan. The appellate court, on Friday, slammed the Commission for appearing before it to act in favour of a party in an election dispute, by disowning documents that it not only issued, but also duly certified. The court lamented that the electoral body has continued to dance naked in the market, even though it was meant to assume a neutral stand in election litigations. The INEC, as an institution, should be…

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Nasarawa: Court of Appeal delivers judgment on Gov. election today

Aminu Imam

The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, will today, Thursday, deliver judgment in the appeal arising from the Nasarawa State governorship election. This is contained in a notice issued by the court yesterday. The State election petition tribunal had earlier sacked the State governor, Abdullahi Sule, who was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC). According to INEC, Sule polled a total of 347,209 votes to defeat his closest opponent, who secured 283,016 votes. Recall that the tribunal, in a split decision on October 2,…

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Judgments: Call Appeal Court judges to order, Group urges Tinubu

Aminu Imam

A group, the Arewa Christians and Indigenous Pastors Association (ACIPA), has called on President Bola Tinubu to call the Judges of the Court of Appeal to order over what it described as controversial judgments recently delivered on some elections across the nation. Chairman of the group, Rev. Luke Shehu, who made the call in a statement yesterday in Jos, Plateau State, said that the judgments were becoming a national disgrace. Shehu stated that recent appeal court judgments that sacked some members of the National Assembly from Plateau State were a…

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Appeal Court sacks Zamfara governor, orders re-run

Aminu Imam

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has sacked Zamfara State governor, Lawal Dauda, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following an appeal entered by the former State governor, Bello Matawalle. Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), had after the March 18 governorship poll, declared Dauda Lawal as the governor-elect, saying he garnered 377,726 votes. The incumbent governor at the time, Bello Matawalle, of the All-Progressives Congress (APC), was said to have gotten 311,976 votes. He approached the Zamfara State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Sokoto, with a…

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