Headlines

PDP Crisis: CJ Auta Stops Further Court Orders To Parties

Published

9 years ago

July 11, 2016

As INEC Rejects Makarfi’s Nominee For Edo Elections
Sheriff Seeks To Compel INEC Via Contempt Charges
Warns PDP Govs On Consequences Of Insisting On His Ouster

Apparently embarrassed by conflicting court orders emanating from Federal High Courts, which are of coordinate jurisdiction, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Justice
The Lies And Half Truths Govt Officials Tell More Revelations On Borno Rice Scandal Buhari Angry, Shuns Gov Shettima’s Entreaties
Ibrahim Auta has ordered immediate stoppage of granting further orders by judges nationwide on the PDP leadership crisis the chief judge via a circular to all federal High Court Judges expressed fears of the possible embarrassment such orders may cause the judiciary, hence the need to review all existing orders with a view to consolidating the issues and harmonizing judicial views. He directed all judges under his purview to comply until further directives on the matter, even as the courts adjourn for the annual judicial vacation, where in only vacation judges will be on stand by for any possible urgent matters that may arise within the course of the vacation. This is even as nominations for the Governorship race in the September elections in Edi state come to a close, with strong indications that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may not have a candidate following the refusal by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to accept the nominees from the two factions of the party. nationalTRAIL gathered that throughout last week, the Ahmed Makarfi led caretaker Committee made futile attempts to convince the electoral umpire to accept their nominee, Pastor Ize Iyamu; no thanks to the plethora of conflicting court pronouncements on the leadership crisis. Checks at the INEC headquarters in Abuja reveal that, lawyers to the Caretaker Committee had gone to submit the name of Pastor Ize Iyamu as its candidate for the Edo race, only to be reminded of an enrollment order of an Abuja High Court, presided over by Justice Okon Abang, to the effect that INEC should not accept nominations for the said race from any other person but from the Ali Modu Sheriff leadership. The judge had while directing INEC to accept Sheriff’s nominees for the Edo and Ondo Governorship races, remarked that the emergence of the Caretaker committee, led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi was both strange and suspicious, and a negation of an earlier court order from Lagos to the effect that Sheriff remains the National Chairman of the PDP until otherwise pronounced by a court of higher jurisdiction. Some leaders of the party who have been pushing for the Caretaker Committee, including three amongst the PDP Governors tried in vain to cajole INEC into accepting Makarfi’s nominee, but had to give up when INEC stuck to its guns.
Our correspondent reports that, Makarfi’s foot soldiers had approached a former vice President for possible intervention with INEC, but attempts by the elder statesman did not yield results either, prompting to a press briefing later by the group, accusing INEC of bias. In the meantime, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff’s lawyers had gone to the Federal High to obtain form 48, as a prelude to enforcing the court order directing INEC to deal with Sheriff, even as they begin contempt proceedings against INEC for failing to accepts their own nominee for the same race. A source at INEC told our correspondent that PDP may loose out of the Edo race until a definite pronouncement is made by the Appeal Court in any of the numerous court rulings on the leadership tussle in the PDP. In another development, national deputy Chairman of the party, Dr Cairo Ojugbo has warned PDP Governors to stop playing with the fortunes of the party for their selfish gains, saying they may be the ultimate losers in the political debacle.
Dr Cairo told nationalTRAIL in an exclusive interview that, anything short of the recognition and acceptance of Senator sheriff as the authentic National Chairman of the PDP by the Governors and other stakeholders, could only prolong the woes of the party, and may cost her the Edo and Ondo elections. According to him, a political solution may be the best way out of the logjam, which starts with the party’s resort to the status quo ante, with sheriff as its national chairman, which will pave way for a convention at which a new set of leaders could emerge. He describes as a disservice to the PDP attempts by the governors to muzzle sheriff out an install a surrogate in form of caretaker Committee, just to facilitate the hijack of the PDP by the few; Cairo argued that, the bone of contention between Sheriff and the Governors was the formers desire to ensure internal democracy by returning the party to the grassroots owners, which the Governors are not amenable to, as they insist on having their stooges as leaders at all levels.

Headlines

BREAKING: Senate to Engage US Lawmakers Over Alleged Christian Genocide in Nigeria

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Fabian Apechihin

The Nigerian Senate is set to engage with US lawmakers following renewed debate on alleged targeted attacks against Christians in the country.

The controversy intensified after American TV host Bill Maher, on his HBO program, described the situation as a “silent genocide,” accusing Western media of downplaying mass killings by Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, and Fulani militias. He cited claims that over 100,000 Christians have been killed since 2009 and thousands of churches destroyed.

Maher’s remarks were echoed by Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who argued that the crisis had not received the international media attention it deserves.

Government Rejects Genocide Narrative
In response, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, dismissed the claims as misleading and divisive. He emphasized that terrorist groups do not target Christians alone, insisting that Nigerians of all faiths—including Muslims and non-religious citizens—have suffered at the hands of violent extremists.

“Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a religious war is a gross misrepresentation of reality,” Idris said.

Headlines

Nigeria @ 65: The Worst Is Over, We’ve Turned a New Corner — Tinubu

Published

1 week ago

October 1, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Fabian Apechihin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his Independence Day broadcast marking Nigeria’s 65th anniversary, assured citizens that the country has overcome its toughest challenges and is on the path to recovery.

Honouring the Founding Fathers

Tinubu paid tribute to the sacrifices of Nigeria’s independence leaders, including Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Margaret Ekpo, Anthony Enahoro, Michael Okpara, Aminu Kano, and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti.
“They believed it was Nigeria’s manifest destiny to lead the black race as the largest black nation on earth,” he said.

Journey So Far

Reflecting on six decades of nationhood, the President noted that Nigeria had endured a civil war, military dictatorships, and political crises but survived with “courage and grit.”
“At Independence, Nigeria had only 120 secondary schools and two tertiary institutions. Today, we have over 23,000 secondary schools, 274 universities, 183 polytechnics, and 236 colleges of education,” he said, adding that the country had made “remarkable progress” in healthcare, telecommunications, aviation, and infrastructure.

Tough Reforms, Signs of Recovery

Tinubu said he inherited a fragile economy distorted by decades of poor policies but chose reform over inaction.
“Our administration ended the corrupt fuel subsidy regime and abolished multiple foreign exchange rates that enriched a few while impoverishing the majority,” he stated.
According to him, the measures are yielding results:

GDP grew by 4.23% in Q2 2025, the fastest in four years.
Inflation fell to 20.12% in August, the lowest in three years.
₦20 trillion was realised from non-oil revenue by August.
Debt service-to-revenue ratio dropped from 97% to below 50%.
Foreign reserves climbed to $42.03 billion, the highest since 2019.
Oil output rebounded to 1.68 million barrels per day, while Nigeria refined petrol domestically for the first time in four decades.
The stock market surged from 55,000 points in May 2023 to 142,000 points by September 2025.

“The worst is over. Yesterday’s pains are giving way to today’s relief,” the President declared.

Tackling Insecurity

Tinubu said security agencies were making gains against insurgency, separatism, and banditry.
“Hundreds of communities have been liberated, with thousands of displaced persons returning home. We salute the gallantry of our armed forces,” he said.

Investing in Youth

Describing young people as Nigeria’s “greatest asset,” Tinubu highlighted ongoing programmes:

NELFUND Student Loans: ₦99.5bn disbursed to 510,000 students.
Credicorp Loans: ₦30bn given to 153,000 Nigerians for solar, housing, transport, and digital devices.
YouthCred: Credit support extended to NYSC members.
iDICE Programme: Partnership with AfDB, AFD, and IsDB to boost innovation in digital and creative sectors.

Call for Collective Effort

Acknowledging that reforms have caused temporary hardship, Tinubu urged Nigerians to remain steadfast.
“Our progress must not be measured by statistics alone, but by food on our tables, quality of education, electricity in our homes, and safety in our communities,” he said.

He called on citizens to embrace productivity, pay taxes, support local industries, and contribute to nation-building.
“The dawn of a new Nigeria is here — self-reliant, prosperous, and united. With God on our side, we will overcome. Let all hands be on deck,” he concluded.

Would you like me to compress this further into a shorter news report (around 6–7 tight paragraphs) for quick-read media, or keep it as a detailed feature-style recap like this one?

Headlines

Bandit Kingpin Releases 28 Captives in Katsina Following Peace Deal

Published

3 weeks ago

September 17, 2025

Our Reporter

A total of 28 persons abducted by suspected bandits in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State have been released without ransom following a peace arrangement with bandit kingpin.

The bandits, led by their commander identified as Isya Akwashi Garwa, handed over the captives to officials of the council on Wednesday.

Zagazola reports that those released were largely residents of Mairua, Kanen-haki and Yar Dabaru communities.

Local authorities confirmed that the release was the outcome of a reconciliation effort initiated in the area to restore peace and reduce violent attacks.

Community leaders in Faskari described the development as a positive signal and urged both sides to sustain the peace process. They also urged the bandit to force other bandits still attacking in the area to stop.

A council official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The captives were released this afternoon without any ransom being paid. The bandit leader fulfilled his promise under the peace talks,”he said.

Meanwhile, residents expressed relief at the safe return of the abductees, with some calling for stronger security guarantees to consolidate the gesture.