The Supreme Court has affirmed the June 18 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, upholding the nomination of Governor Abiodun Oyebanji as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State.

A five-member panel of the apex court held, in a unanimous judgment on Friday, that the appeal filed by an aggrieved governorship aspirant of the APC, Mrs. Abimbola Olawumi, was unmeritorious and proceeded to dismiss it.

In its judgment,the Supreme Court, among others, faulted the competence of the appeal filed by Mrs. Olawumi and concluded that the reliefs she sought could not be granted.

Mrs. Olawumi had, among others, queried the process leading to Oyebanji’s nomination and prayed the court to void the outcome of the APC’s governorship primary on the grounds that she was allegedly prevented from participating as an aspirant.

Justice Mohammed Idris, who prepared and read the lead judgment of the Supreme Court upheld the objections raised against the competence of some applications filed by the appellant on July 16 and 23 to regularise her notice of appeal and the appellant’s brief of arguments.

Justice Idris found that the written address accompanying the application of July 16 was not signed and that its pagination also exceeded the number allowed under Order 4 Rule 1 of the Supreme Court’s Rules.

The judge proceeded to strike out both applications and the accompanying written addresses.

He also found that grounds one, two and three of the appeal are incompetent having not emanate from the decision of the lower court.

Justice Idris held that since the three grounds were incompetent, the issues distilled from them were also incompetent and are liable to be struck out.

In determining the surviving grounds four, five and six and issues three and four distilled from them, Justice Idris held that the lower court was not in error when it held that Mrs. Olawumi’s brief was incompetent despite a pending application to regularise it.

He also upheld the lower court’s decision in refusing to invoke its power under Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act to hearing Mrs. Olawumi’s originating summons as a court of first instance as sought by the appellant.

The judge said the lower court could not have invoked its powers under Section 15 of its Act to hear the hear the substantive originating summons having affirmed the finding of the Federal High Court that the suit was statute barred.

Justice Idris further held that the Supreme Court could not also invoke its power under Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act to hear the substantive originating summons as sought by the appellant because the 180 days provided in the Constitution for the determination of pre-election cases has lapsed.

Jurgen Klopp has been officially named the new head coach of the German national team, taking the helm after a disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign.

The 56-year-old former Liverpool manager has signed a four-year contract, positioning him to lead Germany through the 2028 European Championship and the 2030 World Cup.

Klopp acknowledged the significant challenge ahead, as the national side has not won a World Cup knockout match since lifting the trophy in 2014.

However, the celebrated coach immediately set firm boundaries during his unveiling, issuing a stern warning to the media and public regarding his family’s privacy.

His comments come in the wake of Germany’s shock exit from the 2026 World Cup, where Paraguay eliminated them on penalties in the Round of 32.

Eager to prevent a similar situation, Klopp made his position clear. “I’m not doing this job for myself. I’m doing it for you,” he stated.

“I’m taking this job even though I’ve seen how you’ve treated Julian Nagelsmann… The day you don’t want me anymore, you say so and I’m gone, without severance pay.”

He continued with a direct ultimatum: “If you behave badly and don’t leave my family in peace, I’m gone. Criticise me if something doesn’t work.

“I’m happy to work on it. It’s all about the job. Jurgen Klopp doesn’t have a career after the national team. Ideally, this is the highlight of my career.”

Klopp was the frontrunner for the position as soon as Nagelsmann stepped down, and he confirmed that discussions with the German FA (DFB) progressed rapidly.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has declared that the electoral umpire cannot be truly independent without financial autonomy, warning that continued dependence on the normal budgetary process weakens its operational independence and could undermine efforts to deliver free, fair and credible elections in 2027.

His remarks shifted attention from the familiar debate over electoral reforms to a more fundamental question: whether an election management body expected to inspire public confidence can effectively do so while relying on other institutions for its funding and operations

Delivering the keynote address at the public presentation of ‘Shadows: Protest Essays on Africa’s Most Consequential Country (1999–2023)’, authored by THISDAY Managing Director, Mr Eniola Bello, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, Amupitan argued that while INEC remains central to the electoral process, the responsibility for credible elections extends to political parties, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations and Nigerians themselves.

“Can INEC truly be independent without financial autonomy? If we are serious about strengthening our institutions and conducting free, fair and credible elections, then financial autonomy is essential,” Amupitan declared.

He maintained that although the Constitution places INEC’s funding on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, practical experience has shown that the arrangement falls short of guaranteeing genuine independence because the Commission still passes through the normal appropriation process.

“The Constitution places INEC’s funding on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, and many believe that is sufficient. However, experience has shown that as long as INEC remains subject to the normal appropriation process and depends on budgetary approvals by other institutions, genuine financial independence remains difficult,” he said.

The INEC chairman noted that the commission’s responsibilities go far beyond organising elections, pointing out that it conducts federal and state elections; supports local government polls in some respects; registers voters and political parties; monitors political parties; and maintains the national voter register used across the federation.

“For these reasons, there is a strong case for giving INEC greater operational and financial autonomy to improve efficiency and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process,” he added.

Amupitan also stressed that strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process requires collective responsibility rather than focusing solely on the electoral commission.