News
INEC Takes Decision On Erring Candidates Over Supreme Court judgment
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said political parties that field candidates whose names were not in the registers submitted to the commission will not be allowed to participate in the 2027 elections.
The Supreme Court had, in a September 24, 2026 judgment, affirmed the constitutionality of sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections.
INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, spoke on the implications of the judgment while speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics programme on Wednesday evening.
Haruna said the affected parties would also not be allowed to substitute such candidates, arguing that parties should not benefit from violations of the law.
He said the commission was expected to make a definite pronouncement on the implications of the Supreme Court judgment by Tuesday next week.
“It’s like you committed an offence. And then, you come and benefit from it. You remember cases that we had of some in Zamfara, you remember Plateau? The same thing.
“The parties, because they did the wrong thing, they thought they could now steal through the candidates.
“And the law was very clear. Once you do that kind of thing, you cannot benefit from it. You are benefiting from it, if you are able to substitute a candidate,” he said.
According to him, depending on when the commission concludes its review, some political parties may be unable to field candidates for some elective positions.
“All the candidates, all the way to the Houses of Assembly, we interviewed them. If their names are not on the party register, they were not members of the party at the time that they contested for those tickets,” Haruna said.
He explained that the delay in INEC’s final position was due to the need to obtain legal advice after receiving the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment.
Haruna said the commission had to exercise caution because forged copies of court judgments had been presented in the past.
“You can’t be too careful with these things because even when you see copies and they tell you it’s a CTC, it may be forged. We’ve seen instances where people have even gone, have the audacity to forge a Supreme Court judgment.
“So, we have to be very careful to make sure that when you took us, we did put a lot of pressure and we were able to get it yesterday (Tuesday),” he said.
The Special Adviser to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on Publicity, Ahmad Aruwa, has appointed his son, Aliyu Ahmed, as Chief of Staff.
His son is among the five persons whose appointments were announced on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
Other appointees are Habibu Liman as Private Secretary; Adamu Mai Salati as Protocol Officer; Isa Ahmed Don as Director-General, Media and Communication; and Musa Muhammad Daurawa as Personal Assistant.
In his remarks after receiving the appointment letter, Aruwa pledged to justify the confidence reposed in him by the governor through dedication, loyalty and commitment to duty.
“Let me categorically make it clear that my leader is Abba, my political boss is Abba, and my political party is Abba.”
He added that he would work tirelessly for the governor and support his success at all levels.
Aruwa also commended his media team for their support and commitment, expressing confidence that they would continue to work together to promote the policies, programmes and achievements of the Kano State Government.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a N10 billion suit filed by Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike against Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the Independent National Electoral Commission over the publication of his voter registration details on social media.
Ike had approached the court, alleging that the publication of his voter information on X violated his right to privacy and data protection.
He sought N10 billion in damages, alongside an order compelling the defendants to remove the information and issue an apology.
However, Justice Salim Ibrahim dismissed the suit, ruling that Ike failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his claims.
The judge also dismissed the preliminary objections raised by the defendants, who had challenged the competence of the suit and argued that it was improperly constituted.
In his response to the suit, Olayinka had maintained that the information shared online consisted only of Ike’s name and passport photograph, which he described as publicly available details.
“I did not unlawfully access the actor’s personal information, and the publication did not breach any legal duty owed to him,” Olayinka said.
Olayinka also cited Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, arguing that the law provides for the publication of voter information ahead of general elections.
INEC, in its response, said there was no evidence that its Continuous Voter Registration database had been hacked or accessed by an unauthorised external party.
“The information was neither classified nor confidential and could be made public in accordance with the law,” INEC said.
Ike had relied on Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 to support his claim that his privacy rights had been violated.
The actor had also sought the removal and retraction of the published information.
The case arose amid Ike’s political ambition to contest for a seat in the House of Representatives representing the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Bwari Federal Constituency in the 2027 general elections.
He had sought the Nigeria Democratic Congress ticket but lost the party’s primary election.
Four people have been killed and 16 others injured after a container truck overturned onto an interstate Toyota Hiace bus on Berger Bridge, inward Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki Expressway in Lagos State.
A statement by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, said the fatal accident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, October 28, 2026, when an articulated truck carrying a 20-foot container collided with the bus, with registration number GME-589 ZU.
According to the agency, preliminary findings showed that the truck was travelling up the bridge at excessive speed when it collided with the bus.
The truck driver reportedly lost control while attempting to avoid the collision, causing the truck to overturn onto the bus.
“The impact was severe and tragically resulted in the loss of four (4) adult males who were confirmed dead at the scene, while sixteen (16) other adult males sustained varying degrees of injuries,” the statement said.
LASEMA said its Beta Whales Team from Epe Base was immediately deployed after the agency received a distress call about the crash.
The response team, working with the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and the Nigeria Police Force, secured the scene, administered first aid to the injured victims and took them to Epe General Hospital for further medical attention.
The agency said a private crane had been secured to recover the overturned truck and container and allow responders to safely remove the bodies of the deceased.
It added that the recovery operation was ongoing, while traffic management measures had been put in place to ensure safety along the affected road.
The Lagos State Government commiserated with the families of the deceased and wished the injured victims a speedy recovery.
Four people have been killed and 16 others injured after a container truck overturned onto an interstate Toyota Hiace bus on Berger Bridge, inward Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki Expressway in Lagos State.
A statement by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, said the fatal accident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, October 28, 2026, when an articulated truck carrying a 20-foot container collided with the bus, with registration number GME-589 ZU.
According to the agency, preliminary findings showed that the truck was travelling up the bridge at excessive speed when it collided with the bus.
The truck driver reportedly lost control while attempting to avoid the collision, causing the truck to overturn onto the bus.
“The impact was severe and tragically resulted in the loss of four (4) adult males who were confirmed dead at the scene, while sixteen (16) other adult males sustained varying degrees of injuries,” the statement said.
LASEMA said its Beta Whales Team from Epe Base was immediately deployed after the agency received a distress call about the crash.
The response team, working with the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and the Nigeria Police Force, secured the scene, administered first aid to the injured victims and took them to Epe General Hospital for further medical attention.
The agency said a private crane had been secured to recover the overturned truck and container and allow responders to safely remove the bodies of the deceased.
It added that the recovery operation was ongoing, while traffic management measures had been put in place to ensure safety along the affected road.
The Lagos State Government commiserated with the families of the deceased and wished the injured victims a speedy recovery.
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