Politics
Supreme Court Affirms Oyebanji’s Candidacy For Ekiti Guber Election
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.
President Bola Tinubu will attend All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rallies in 12 states ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the party’s campaign timetable released on Thursday, Tinubu is expected to flag-off the campaign in Kaduna on October 24, before attending rallies in 11 other states.
After the Kaduna rally, the president is scheduled to attend rallies in Rivers on November 7, Plateau on November 14 and Oyo on November 21.
He is also expected at rallies in Borno, Enugu and Bauchi on November 25, 28 and 29, respectively.
Tinubu is not scheduled to attend rallies in 13 other states in November. The states are Cross River (November 2), Gombe (November 3), Nasarawa (November 4), Ekiti (November 5), Ebonyi (November 9), Jigawa (November 10), Ondo (November 11), Edo (November 12), Yobe (November 16), Kebbi (November 17), Akwa Ibom (November 18), Anambra (November 19) and Benue (November 30).
Tinubu is expected to continue his campaign tour in December, with rallies scheduled for Sokoto on December 5, Delta on December 12 and Kano on December 17.
His final two appearances are scheduled for Adamawa on January 4 and Lagos on January 9, while party leaders will represent him at rallies in the remaining 12 states scheduled for December.
Overall, the president is scheduled to attend rallies in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Three of the states Tinubu is scheduled to visit — Oyo, Bauchi and Adamawa — have prominent opposition figures linked to the 2027 presidential race.
Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, is the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), which is also the ruling party in Bauchi.
Adamawa is the home state of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate.
At the inauguration of the APC presidential campaign council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, Tinubu said he would not attend every campaign rally, saying governance remained a priority.
He, however, said he would make time to address Nigerians directly as party leaders criss-cross the states and local governments to campaign for his re-election.
On Tuesday, the APC announced an expanded list of its presidential campaign council, with Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister; Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun; and Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra, among the notable additions.
A former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Arc Aminu Dabo, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with immediate effect.
Dabo, who served as the APC caucus chairman in Dambatta Local Government Area of Kano State, announced his resignation in a letter dated October 7, 2026, addressed to the party chairman of Dambatta Gabas Ward.
In the letter, Dabo said his decision followed careful consideration of personal reasons and his future endeavours.
He confirmed that he had formally submitted his resignation to the appropriate party officials in Dambatta for necessary action.
The former NPA managing director expressed appreciation to the APC leadership for the opportunity to serve, as well as the support and confidence reposed in him.
“I remain grateful for the cordial relationship I enjoyed and appreciative of the experience gained during my time of service,” he said.
He also thanked the party leadership for allowing him to contribute to its development and progress.
Dabo was a governorship aspirant in Kano State and previously served as the state’s Commissioner for Land.
He is also the proprietor and chief executive officer of Aminu Dabo College of Health Sciences and Technology and Aminu Dabo College of Nursing Sciences, both located in Kano.
Unknown thugs have reportedly attacked the secretariat of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.
The attack, which was reported on Wednesday, comes barely one week after NDC supporters were attacked in Enugu, resulting in the death of one person.
No casualties was reported in the Edo attack, but footage of the incident showed that properties at the secretariat were damaged.
Report says the incident marks the latest in a series of violent disruptions targeting opposition political infrastructure across the state.
There are growing concerns over political intolerance and targeted intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Civil society groups and political analysts have expressed alarm over the recurring attacks on party secretariats, warning that unchecked political violence threatens the credibility of the democratic process.
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