₦airaland Forum

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan has said there will be no fire brigade approach towards passage of the N27.5 trillion 2024 budget presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He gave the assurance while speaking with journalists on Saturday after a meeting of the committee.

The lawmaker also dismissed claims in some quarters that President Tinubu presented an empty box to the lawmakers, suggesting that the president was not ready with the necessary documents.

Olamilekan described some lawmakers making the allegation as ignorant.

On the alleged fire brigade approach, the Senator noted that there was nothing close to fire brigade approach in the handling of the budget, adding that the executive and the legislature were aware of January to December budget circle implementation, hence, they would work to ensure that the budget was passed in record time.

He said, “Saturday’s meeting was to plot a template that would ensure smooth committee hearing of the budget,” a development he said, made all the relevant committee chairmen to be present.

“There is no fire brigade here. There are processes that we have to follow. Agencies will have to appear to defend their budgets, and they will return the budget to the Appropriations Committee for us to collate their findings at the committee level.

“We have only discussed the modalities that we are going to use to ensure we have a smooth appropriation process in the Senate and I think all the chairmen of the various committees of the Senate are here and we discussed extensively so that we can still meet the 31st December – January deadline, so that the president can assent to the budget.

“We have perfected the strategy, and we are good to go. That is basically what we discussed.

“This time around, what has changed is that we will be having joint sittings of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; some committees will be operating from the Senate, while some will operate from the House of Representatives. We can still meet the deadline.”

.ng earlier reported that the 2024 annual budget has passed through second reading and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriation.

The presidency has assured that Nigerians will begin to see the effect of the 2024 budget within the shortest possible time.

Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters to President Bola Tinubu, Kunle Olanrewaju, gave this assurance in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.

He said, “Within the shortest possible time, Nigerians will begin to see the effect of the 2024 budget and will have reason to smile.

“Things are not very rosy for the average Nigerian; all of us are in the shoes, and we believe that we must change the narratives.

“And of course, that is why the President has focused this particular budget on solving the basic problems, particularly job creation, poverty reduction, and social development.

“The indices are clear that we have problems in our hands, but like a good warrior, you don’t run away from war. I can assure you that we will begin to see the effect of this budget within the shortest possible time.

“Nigeria will clearly see that at the end of the tunnel, there is light,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday said Nigeria’s national defence and internal security, local job creation, macro-economic stability, human capital development, social security, poverty reduction and investment environment optimization are some of the top priorities of the 2024 Budget of Renewed Hope.

Tinubu said this while addressing a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja during the presentation of the 2024 Federal budget proposal.

According to him, Nigeria’s internal security architecture will be overhauled to enhance law enforcement capabilities with a view to safeguarding lives, property, and investments across the nation.

Tinubu said the proposed budget prioritizes human capital development, with particular attention given to children because human capital remains the most critical resource for national development.

He said, “To improve the effectiveness of our budget performance, the government will focus on ensuring value for money, greater transparency, and accountability. In this regard, we will work more closely with development partners and the private sector.

“To address long-standing issues in the education sector, a more sustainable model of funding tertiary education will be implemented, including the Student Loan Scheme scheduled to become operational by January 2024,” Tinubu affirmed.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday evening affirmed the election of Kefas Agbu as the governor of Taraba State.

In a unanimous judgement of the three-member panel of justices of the court delivered by Justice Peter Affen, the appellate court held that the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and its governorship candidate, Prof. Yahaya Sani, who were the appellants, were not consistent in their petition against the March 28 governorship election.

Justice Affen held that while NNPP and Sani prayed for the nullification of the election on grounds of non-compliance with the electoral act, they also asked the court to pronounce them as winners of the same election on grounds of scoring a majority of lawful votes.

The court held that it is against the law for any litigant, as in the case of NNPP and its governorship candidate, to blow hot and cold at the same time.

He further held that, having prayed that the election be nullified on account of non-adherence to the electoral act, the alternative prayer that they be declared the winner of the same election has no legs to stand upon.

Besides, the Court of Appeal held that the record of proceedings transmitted to the court by the appellants was not complete, thereby rendering their appeal incompetent.

Justice Affen consequently dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and upheld the judgement of a tribunal that had earlier dismissed the petition.

.ng recalls that a three-man panel of justices led by Justice Ayo Sunmonu of the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had, on September 30, dismissed the petition filed by NNPP and its governorship candidate for lacking merit.

The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, on Friday, said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Labour Party, would be on the verge of collapsing if they do not make moves to rescue themselves.

Primate Ayodele described the current state of the opposition as a coma while stating that they will cease to exist within the next three years if they do not merge.

He said the only way the parties can be saved from an impending death is a merger, or else both parties will continue to lose relevance in the political atmosphere of the country.

In a statement signed by his spokesman, Oluwatosin Osho, Ayodele said: ‘’PDP and Labour Party are already in ‘Coma’, they will be ‘buried ’in three years if they don’t merge. There are forces troubling them but they have not seen it. They need to fight it spiritually before fighting it politically.

‘’The only thing that can save the major oppositions; the Labour Party and PDP is a merger; if not, they will go into oblivion before the next election. If they don’t put their selfish intentions behind them, 10 million Atikus will not be able to do it and Obasanjo will just be ranting till he is called home.’’

On PDP particularly, Primate Ayodele noted that it will become a forgotten party because active members will defect to the ruling party and the party’s presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku will be betrayed. He stated that the party has three factions of politicians fighting for their selfish needs.

‘’PDP will become a forgotten party if they are not careful. This government will render the party powerless if care isn’t taken. The majority of those in the party now are looking for survival. Atiku will face more betrayal than ever in this dispensation, they will still fight him. PDP has become three factions already fighting for their selfish needs, the governors will be misled. Some of these PDP members will still decamp.’’

Ayodele’s remark comes at a time PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar had called on the opposition to merge against the All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of 2027.

Atiku said the APC was sliding Nigeria into anarchy and a one-party state, hence the need for the opposition to merge.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to the welfare of the Armed Forces, including the families of dead heroes.

Shettima stated this in Abuja on Wednesday, according to a statement Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice-President.

The vice president spoke shortly after being presented with the 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblem by retired Maj.-Gen. Abdulmalik Jibrin, National Chairman of the Nigerian Legion.

Shettima recalled the valor of Nigerian soldiers in crisis zones across Africa and the world.

He said, ” We really need to identify with the families of our fallen heroes, those who made the supreme sacrifice in the enthronement of peace in our country and our world in general, from Congo to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and beyond.

“My heart goes out to the families of those who paid the supreme price. We have the moral burden to support them.”

A man, simply identified as John, from Amachara, Umuahia South LGA of Abia State, has been nabbed by the Abia State Police Command for faking his own kidnap and demanding three million naira from his relatives as ransom.

John, according to the police, lodged at Wisdom Guest House from where he was negotiating his ransom payment with his relatives, before he was apprehended by the Police Surveillance and Intelligence strategy.

A statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of Abia State Police Command, ASP Maureen Chinaka for the Commissioner of Police, said that the fake kidnap victim had reduced the three million naira ransom money he demanded, to two million naira, before he was arrested.

“On the 13th of November 2023, reports got to the police by family members that One John Male of Amachara Umuahiah was allegedly kidnapped by unknown assailants as he went to withdraw money along Bank Road in Umuahia.

“Responding swiftly to the report, the Abia State Police took immediate action. Utilizing surveillance intelligence, the police traced the purported kidnapping to Umuahiah.

“Reaching the specified location, the police discovered Mr John at Wisdom Guest House. Examination revealed no evidence of external involvement in the alleged kidnapping.

“Mr. John confessed to orchestrating his kidnap and demanded a ransom of 3 million naira, which after negotiation reduced to 2 million naira from his family, as a desperate measure to raise funds to clear substantial debts. The matter is under discreet investigation,” she said.

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) said on Saturday it has concluded plans to appeal the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which overturned the victory of Governor Kabir Yusuf of Kano State.

.ng recalls that the Appeal Court nullified the election of the governor on Friday, saying he was not qualified to contest the March 18 poll.

According to the court, Governor Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP when the election was conducted.

Speaking on the Appeal Court ruling, Alhaji Abba Ali, the acting national chairman of NNPP, told journalists at a news conference on Saturday in Abuja that the ruling that Yusuf was not a member of the party was a mischief.

Ali said that the judgement was a miscarriage of justice, saying that Yusuf was given a popular mandate by the people of Kano State.

He said the party had already briefed its lawyers on the issue.

“Believing in the credibility of the judiciary and its ability to correct any error of judgement by the lower court, our party approached the Court of Appeal and prayed the appellate court to set aside the unjust ruling of the lower court.

“To our greatest shock and consternation, the Court of Appeal on Friday, Nov. 17, delivered a convoluted judgement that was anchored around their erroneous belief that Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP,” he said.

He wondered how Yusuf could have been successfully nominated on the INEC portal if his name was not submitted with the NNPP membership card

The Anambra State Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, has ruled out the possibility of any strong political force removing Prof Chukwuma Soludo from the governorship seat in 2025.

The chairman who spoke with journalists in his office in Awka, the Anambra State capital, said APGA was not afraid of the impact of the Obidient movement, insisting that it would fizzle out before long.

The obidient movement is a political support group of the former governor of the state and Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.

Obi-Okoye said, twice APGA has beaten candidates sponsored by Obi and would most likely beat anyone he sponsors by 2025.

He said, “By Labour candidate you mean Valentine Ozigbo, is it not? Unfortunately, that name has become synonymous with losing elections. If he contests, he will be contesting against his homeboy from Aguata (Soludo).

“So, I can say the ObIdient man (Obi), APGA has beaten him twice. We beat him when he brought a man from Ogbaru, Oseloka Obaze, and we beat him again when he brought Val Ozigbo.

“What happened in the last Obidient Movement is a lesson to Igbo and should not repeat itself. It was like what happened in 1967 when we went to war with Nigeria without preparation. It is not likely to happen to Ndigbo again.

“There will be no Obidient movement in the Anambra governorship election because that movement was tied around an emotion to become president of Nigeria. It had nothing to do with Peter Obi as a person.”

Obi-Okoye added that APGA has admonished Soludo to concentrate on his good governance and deliver quality infrastructures, which he said will make his victory seamless.

He said the governor has several projects lined up and that before the end of next year, all the projects would crystalize, and speak for him.

The Zamfara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has assured that the party would still secure a landslide victory in the event of a rerun election in the state, as directed by the Court of Appeal.

Buhari Maijega, the State’s PDP spokesman, expressed this optimism during a telephone interview with newsmen in Gusau, the state capital. He confidently stated that Governor Dauda Lawal would emerge victorious in the rerun election.

Maijega highlighted that Lawal was leading by over 65,000 votes against his opponent from the APC, former Governor Bello Mattawalle, in the previous governorship election. He emphasized that the total votes to be contested in the three affected local government areas, where the rerun election would be conducted, were not even up to 100,000.

“It would be very impossible for the APC to secure all the votes in the forthcoming rerun election,” he asserted. He cited security challenges that might discourage many voters from turning out massively, especially in rural areas where polling units had been affected by banditry.

Maijega said, “Governor Lawal has a good chance of winning the election over former Governor Bello Mattawalle for many reasons. He had already scored 65,000 votes ahead of the immediate past Governor Mattawalle.” He also hinted that, depending on the decision, Lawal might challenge the judgment of the Appeal Court at the Supreme Court, suggesting that Mattawalle might be facing a difficult battle.

He appealed to APC members and supporters to come out in large numbers to secure the position of Governor Dauda Lawal, as the rerun election would be conducted in a few polling units in Maradun, Bukkuyum, and Birnin Magaji local government areas.

Maijega added, “Even if the PDP did not actively campaign, I am very optimistic that Dr. Dauda Lawal will still garner additional votes in those three local governments and retain his governorship position. I am appealing to our supporters to remain calm. We will, by the grace of God, sail through.”

Despite an existing court order from a High Court sitting in Otu-Jeremi in Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, on Thursday presented staff of office to the newly installed king of Ewu Kingdom, HRM Clement Oghenerukevwe Ikolo, Urhukpe I, amidst tight security.

There were protests and crises in Ewu Kingdom immediately after the emergence of Ikolo as King.

The quartet of Bernard Awarieta, Olorogun Anthony M. Okagbare, Olorogun Owhofaria, and Evang. Solomon Omotitiri had approached the court challenging the emergence of the Arhedjo ruling house and the selection by the Ekade and Ahavwa families, respectively.

Governor Oborevwori, his deputy, Monday Onyeme, Delta State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Delta State Traditional Rulers Council of Chiefs and the Directorate of Chieftaincy Affairs were joined in the case with Suit No. HCG/55/2023.

But the court presided over by Justice T.O. Uloho, had ordered that: “In view of the fact that the application filed by the parties cannot be heard today by the court, the parties hereto are hereby ordered to maintain the status quo pending the hearing of the application for interlocutory injunction and notice of preliminary objection filed by the 1st defendant and the 2nd to 6th defendants.

“Accordingly, the case is adjourned to November 23 at 2:30 pm for hearing of the application.”

However, Gov Oborevwori, represented by his deputy, Monday Onyeme, presented the staff of office to the monarch amidst tight security.

During the presentation, the governor said: “Your Royal Majesty, I appeal to you to improve on the sanctity of your exalted office by leading your people to greater prosperity in an environment marked by peace, love, understanding, and mutual respect between the throne and the people.

“I urge you to be open and accessible while upholding, at all times, the virtues of justice, fair play, and equity in all your dealings with your subjects. In everything you do and in every decision you take, I implore you to place the interests of the majority of your people and the fear of God above other considerations.

“Let me reiterate that government will continue to rely on the leadership institution as a veritable medium of reaching the people.

“The traditional institution is priceless in any African society; no viable alternative has been found. Government will therefore continue to treat the traditional institution as a trustworthy partner in the social, economic, and cultural spheres.

“Please ensure that you encourage the free flow of communication, dialogue, and consultation with all segments of your kingdom; it is obvious that you are truly accepted by your people; endeavour to reciprocate their love.”

.ng recalls the eruption of crisis following the selection, crowning, and installation of the new king in the community. There had been a series of protests by the opposition against the emergence of the new monarch.

The opposition had accused the governor of alleged imposition of the new monarch on them.

The Delta State Chairman of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, A. P. Edariese, commended the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori-led Delta State Government for presenting the staff of office to the monarch.

The septuagenarian also urged the king to work to satisfy God Almighty so that He (God) can give him the capacity to take the kingdom to the limelight as well as silence the voices of dissents.

“Let Ewu people feel the impact of a good king being on the throne so that, at the end of the day, they will say this is what God gave us. It’s good and we are happy,” he advised.

Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is slated to be the Chief Guest of Honour in this year’s Zik Annual Lecture.

The event is billed to hold this Friday at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Abuja.

This was disclosed by the Director-General (DG) of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe Annual Lecture, Chief Chineme Onyeke during a chat with journalists on Tuesday.

Also to grace the occasion is the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Mohammad Sa’ad Abubakar III who is billed to be the Chairman of the occasion, while Zik’s wife, Professor Emeritus, Dame, Uche Azikiwe, CFR, will be the Mother of the Day according to the Director General.

Onyeke stated that the FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, who is the chief host, will declare the event open, while a former governor of Niger State, Alhaji Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (The Chief Servant) will be the Keynote Speaker.

According to him, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Sen. George Akume is also expected to be in attendance, along with a host of other prominent personalities both within and outside the country.

He noted that the Zik’s Annual Lecture remains a rallying point for Nigerians to x-ray the various issues bedeviling the nation and find ways of fostering unity and common understanding among Nigerians as espoused by Zik when he was alive.

“Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, whose canvas undoubtedly traversed the entire length and breadth of the African continent, was the first among equals within the colony of our country’s founding fathers.

“Zik stood for the unity of Nigeria even against his personal interest;,believing till his last breath in Nigeria as one united country, perpetual and eternal where though tribes and tongues may differ, brotherhood remains its solid foundation.

“This is what we need most in the country now; men and women who will rise above self and tribal sentiment; it is a virtue this generation of leaders must imbibe for the country to move forward,” he stressed.

“This forthcoming event promises to be a commemoration of the 119th posthumous birthday anniversary of the visionary leader’s enduring legacy,” he said.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has approved a draft property tax regulation for the city.

The development means that property owners in Abuja would start paying property taxes.

The FCT-Internal Revenue Service is said to have commenced the implementation of Capital Gains Tax in the FCT, as stipulated in the Capital Gains Tax Act 2004.

The Capital Gains Tax mandates the payment of ten per cent tax on the total amount of chargeable gains accruing to any person on the disposal of chargeable assets in a year of assessment.

Haruna Abdullahi, the Executive Chairman, FCT-IRS, made this disclosure when he spoke to journalists in Abuja on Sunday.

Abdullahi said the minister had approved some key initiatives to drive revenue for the FCT.

He said, “In the last three weeks, the minister has approved some initiatives that are huge and will certainly change the dynamics in terms of the bottom line. Just the other day, we submitted a draft proposal to the minister for the FCT property tax regulation.

“The FCT-IRS Act empowers the minister to come up with a property tax regulation for the FCT. So we had a long conversation and we suggested it to the minister, and he asked us to come up with a draft regulation, which we did, and he has approved the initiative.

“So we have an inter-agency collaboration whereby we review it because the draft was just done by the FCT-IRS, but that’s not enough, you need other stakeholders. So he approved the initiative to go ahead and review the draft and then come back.

“Subsequently at the end of the day, he will sign the regulation and is gazetted and implemented. So that alone should tell you that there is a huge positive impact on the bottom line of the IGR in the city.”

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) has deployed its operatives to monitor the gubernatorial elections taking place in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states on Saturday.

In a statement on Thursday in Abuja, the Commission’s Spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, confirmed this deployment.

According to the commission, the operatives have been positioned across the 56 local government areas and 649 wards in these three states where the elections are scheduled to occur.

Ogugua noted that their primary tasks include monitoring and preventing activities such as vote-buying and other electoral malpractices at the various polling units during the election.

She said, “The monitoring exercise is a response to the invitation by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for ICPC to participate in ensuring that the electoral processes in these three states are free and fair.”

The ICPC Head of Special Duties Division (SDD), Mr. Alex Chukwura, urged the operatives to collaborate with other agencies during this exercise.

Before deployment, Chukwura emphasized the need for cooperation with the military, police, Department of State Security, other security agencies, and INEC to ensure the elections’ fairness.

He added that officers should always act with discipline and imbibe the spirit of integrity while on the field, and also stay close to each other and work as a team to achieve the desired goal.

“Voters in the three states aforesaid are charged to go out on election day and perform their civic responsibilities while avoiding any act that could lead to electoral and other related offences,” he said.

Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun has disclosed that construction work has commenced on the Sagamu-Papalanto-Ilaro Road under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement between Ogun State, the Federal Government and Dangote Group.

Governor Abiodun, who disclosed this at the commissioning of the Abeokuta branch of Providus Bank at Oke-Ilewo, said the dual carriage way which would be made of concrete, represent a successful story of how PPP could be used for the good of the people.

The road, the governor said, when completed, would ease traffic on the Abeokta -Siun- Sagamu road, which is currently providing a link from the Ota axis to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

He also said the influx of industries and other forms of investments to the state is a clear indication that the PPP vision of his administration is yielding positive results.

The governor noted that the various policies and programmes put in place by his administration through the ISEYA pillars and the buy-in by the private sector show that public private partnership could work if properly harnessed.

He said: “Ogun is blessed with mineral resources in abundance; two-thirds of our land is sitting on limestone. The gas pipelines that crisscross our state and the conducive environment have brought a lot of industries and businesses to our state.

“Ogun State is the largest producer of cassava in the world, number one producer of poultry and eggs in Nigeria. We are the industrial, religious, and educational capital of Nigeria.

“We have more universities than 3-4 states combined, which means that we are constantly incubating more students than any other state,” the governor said.

He said the state would soon commence the construction of a Dry Port at Kajola to enable manufacturers import their raw materials and route them directly to the state, saying this would increase the State’s ranking on the ease of doing business index.

“This administration has been very deliberate by turning the push factor to pull factor. We will continue to provide the enabling environment for people to come live, work, and play in our State,” he added.

The governor commended the Bank for its giant strides in just seven years of its existence, especially its programmes on the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise which he said is the engine room of the economy, attributing its success to the tenacity and indepth of the management in the banking sector.

The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Aremu Gbadebo, while commending the management of the bank for siting its branch in the State capital, emphasized the need for the bank to make loans available to its customers, as no bank could survive without granting loans, calling on all and sundry to patronize the bank for economic uplightment.

The Managing Director of Bank, Mr. Walter Akpani noted that the bank in the last three years, had organized Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises programmes that attracted about 4,000 people, saying the bank is poised to impart positively on the economic wellbeing of the State.

Akpani described the people of the State as commercial oriented, noting that Abeokuta has been a melting point for good things for long.

He added that his bank, which is one of the best financial institutions in the country, with several awards, is digitally inclined to make a positive impact in the lives of the people of the state.

Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno has urged the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos to dismiss the appeal brought before it by Senator Bassey Akpan of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

He prayed to the court to uphold the decision of the lower court, which declared him the winner of the governorship election of March 18, 2023.

YPP and Senator Akpan, in appeal number CA//C/EP/GOV/AKW/24/2023, are challenging the judgement of the Governorship Petitions Tribunal in Uyo, which confirmed Eno as the validly elected Governor of Akwa Ibom State.

According to a statement issued by his Senior Special Adviser on Research and Documentation, Dr Essien Ndueso, shortly after the hearing on Monday, the governor, through his lead counsel, Paul Usoro, SAN, faulted the arguments by the appellants that the judgement of the Supreme Court in the matter of certificate forgery by Mr Akan Okon was different from the certificate forgery case brought before the elections tribunal by Senator Akpan.

He had argued: “When the court gave the judgement, it clearly decided that the said documents were not forged but belonged to the second respondent. It implies that the judgement is applicable to PDP, INEC, the court, or any establishment for that matter.”

He argued further that: “It was legally imperative that there should be an end to litigation, and as such, the appellants had no reason to keep belabouring the court over a matter that had been sufficiently resolved at the highest court of the land.”

The appellants, jointly represented by Tunde Falola, held that they were dissatisfied by the ruling and judgement of the tribunal upholding the preliminary objections of the respondents and dismissing the petition, hence the appeal.

The appellants argued that they had presented 18 witnesses before the tribunal and had sufficiently shown that the second respondent was, at the time of the election, not qualified to contest the election because he presented a forged certificate to INEC and that he was not elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the election.

Counsel to INEC, Kolapo Kolade, SAN, said the petitioners never produced a true owner of the certificate, which they claimed did not truly belong to Umo Eno, and that they never produced any document to buttress their claims of forgery.

On his part, counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, among other things, argued that even the first appellant, Bassey Albert, presented before the lower court three documents that bear the arrangement of his name in three different ways: Akpan Albert, Bassey Albert Akpan, and Albert Bassey Akpan, yet still claimed ownership of the three documents.

Also, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, Emem Coffie, approached the Appeal Court, seeking that the judgement of the lower trial tribunal be upturned in his favour.

The governorship candidate and his party, represented by their counsel, Chidi Nwachukwu, argued that he deserved to be declared the governor as other candidates in the election were not qualified to contest the election.

All matters were adjourned to a later date for judgement.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has expressed optimism of the party bouncing back.

George vowed to ensure that the PDP regains its glory days, hence he urged members to be steadfast.

Cracks emanated from the PDP after its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, named former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.

Atiku’s decision led to the immediate past Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, leading the G-5 governors and other party chieftains to demand the resignation of the former party’s national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

Their call for Ayu’s removal was to achieve a “regional balance” since he and Atiku were both from the north.

However, George said efforts would be put in place to move PDP forward.

Addressing PDP general assembly in Lagos, George assured that despite what happened during the last general elections, PDP members should remain steadfast as they would not be allowed to go into extinction.

He said: “I urge you all, who have been faithful, to remain steadfast; we would ensure that the party regains its lost glory.”

He assured that, in due course, the national leadership of the party must conduct a “thorough post-mortem to resolve all issues that affected the party.”