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APC’s protest cannot override court order on inspection of election materials – SDP tells INEC
The Social Democratic Party SDP and its governorship candidate in the November 11, 2023 election in Kogi State, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka have asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ignore the call by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Kogi State government to stop the inspection of materials used for the conduct of the poll.
SDP while dismissing the request by APC and Kogi for cancellation of the inspection said that such a request cannot override the order of the Court for the inspection exercise.
The party in a statement issued in Abuja by its Governorship Campaign Council Spokesperson, Faruk Adejoh-Audu maintained that the request by APC and Kogi State government for inspection cancellation was not only strange and panicky but baseless in view of the subsisting order of the Court for the inspection of the election materials.
APC through the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Mr Kingsley Fanwo had called on INEC to stop the legal team of SDP and its governorship candidate from being further allowed to inspect the materials used for the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
Fanwo had among others, claimed that the inspection exercise ordered by Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal would give undue advantage to the opposition party in the raging legal battle on the election.
However, SDP in the statement said the call by the APC and Kogi State government was nothing but a mere desperate ploy to truncate its petition from being heard within the statutory 180 days life span of the petition.
The party alleged that the Kogi State government had in November last year, dressed some political thugs in SDP’s T-shirts and mobilized them to the INEC office to make a similar call for the cancellation of the court’s ordered inspection exercise.
SDP claimed that for the first time in Nigeria’s history, materials used for state elections had to be spirited away to Abuja to prevent sponsored thugs from destroying them and foisting a fait accompli on the judicial review process.
The SDP statement read in part “Once more, Nigerians have been inundated with the crude and relentless crusade of government in Kogi State to ignite a phantom controversy aimed at discrediting the judicial review of the electoral heist in Kogi on November 11, 2023 with the hope of further delaying the process.
“One Kingsley Fanwo, the commissioner of information who has been acting as a purveyor of falsehood and rumour for the Kogi State government on Tuesday called on INEC to override the order of the Kogi State Elections Petition Tribunal directing that the legal team of our candidate be allowed to inspect the materials used for the elections.
“The Kogi Government outburst on Tuesday is the latest in several desperate acts to discredit, undermine or all together truncate the Tribunal’s process to allow the puppet and cousin of Mr Yahaya Bello, one Ahmed Usman Ododo to escape with the peoples mandate as a booty of the brazen electoral heist of the November 11 Governorship Elections.
“In the course of this judicial review, Mr. Bello and his security collaborators in Kogi State on November 29, 2023 went to the bizarre extent of costuming over 500 thugs in SDP T-shirts and deploying them to INEC to prevent the Inspection of the materials as ordered by the tribunal.
“So desperate and brazen were these attacks which everyone knew was being orchestrated by Mr Bello that for the first time in Nigeria’s history, materials used for state elections had to be spirited away to Abuja to prevent state government from destroying them and foisting a fait accompli on the judicial review process.
“The Tribunal was forced to adjourn indefinitely on November 30 until its order to allow the SDP Candidate to inspect the materials was complied with.
‘The outbursts of Tuesday through purveyor of falsehood calling for a halt of the inspection of the said materials must therefore be understood by Nigerians as a sustenance of their crusade to not only discredit the process but also waste the statutory time of 180 days provided for the tribunal of first instance to adjudicate on an election petition.
“But they have failed. The SDP petition will be prosecuted within the statutory time despite their desperation to avoid judicial accountability by engaging in all kinds of criminality to truncate the process.
“We challenge the Kogi State agents to submit themselves to judicial review to see if the brazen electoral heist of November 11, 2023, can survive the least minimum scrutiny.
“Attempting the deployment of thugs to delay the process or falsehoods to obfuscate the issues will not save any attempt at self-help”, the statement said.
News
Alleged Coup Plot: Politicians, Military Officers from Southern, Northern Nigeria under investigation
Nigeria’s political and military circles are on edge following emerging reports of an alleged coup plot targeting the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
There are reports that investigations are underway involving both military officers and prominent politicians from the country’s southern and northern regions.
The Defence Headquarters recently disclosed the arrest of 16 military officers for what it termed “unprofessional conduct.” However, multiple sources suggest the detentions may be tied to a broader inquiry into a suspected plan to destabilise the country during its Independence Day celebrations this month.
Among those detained are senior officers positioned in key strategic formations. The Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) is reportedly leading the investigation, with operational support from all three branches of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The scope of the probe is said to extend beyond the military, encompassing civilian actors suspected of complicity.
PRNigeria gathers that a prominent southern politician is under scrutiny for allegedly financing the purported coup attempt. Some of the individuals being investigated are believed to have affiliations with royal families and influential political dynasties, raising concerns about the scale and depth of the suspected conspiracy.
Although no formal charges have been filed, sources confirm that surveillance and interrogations are ongoing to determine the extent of each suspect’s involvement. The identities of the detained officers remain undisclosed, but insiders reveal that they span across various military services.
Security agencies are maintaining heightened alert levels amid the fluid situation, with efforts focused on preempting any threats to national stability.
Meanwhile, PRNigeria notes a departure from precedent: unlike previous high-profile security incidents often broken by international media, no credible foreign news outlet has independently verified the alleged arrests or coup plot. This absence of external confirmation has fueled skepticism around the narrative.
Security insiders suggest that some of the detained officers may have been questioned over internal disciplinary issues such as promotion stagnation and welfare grievances. Attempts to link these administrative matters to a coup plot remain speculative and unsupported by concrete evidence.
As of now, the alleged coup attempt has not been officially confirmed. Until the Nigerian military or government issues a formal statement, the claims should be regarded as unverified and treated with caution.
This unfolding development continues to raise critical questions about cohesion within Nigeria’s political and military institutions, and its potential implications for the country’s democratic stability. (PRNigeria)
Nigerian activist, Omoyele Sowore has warned that the peaceful #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest may soon get out of hand.
Addressing newsmen during the protest in Abuja, the former presidential candidate warned that the situation might escalate if the Nigerian government refuses to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
He recounted how security agents tear gassed him and other protesters at different locations, lamenting that despite the situation the protesters stood their ground.
Sowore, however, stated that they were not threatening violence, but simply demanding the right for Nigerians to be treated as citizens.WAEC Job Vacancies
He said, “Nobody can stop this spirit that has been awakened, and that is to ensure that we bring our brother home.
“When we went to Transcorp, they tear gassed us; we relocated to Utako, they tear gassed us and we relocated to Apo.
“Apo has a biggest turnout so far and that is to show to you that very soon this will get out of hand if they don’t do something about releasing Nnamdi Kanu.
“We are not threatening violence, we are just saying that in this country we all deserve the right to be citizens. If you want us to be citizens in this country, if you don’t want Nigerians to be citizens in their country, let those people who want to go, go.”WAEC Job Vacancies
The IPOB leader is being detained on charges of terrorism, treason, and incitement, among others.
The Federal Government alleges he advocated for Biafra’s independence through controversial means, including inflammatory rhetoric on social media and Radio Biafra.
Terrorists have killed the Commanding Officer of the 202 Tank Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Saidu Paiko, along with several soldiers in Borno State.
The officer paid the supreme price following a fierce confrontation with Boko Haram insurgents in the Kashimri area of Bama Local Government Area, Borno State.
The development has been confirmed by the Nigerian Army.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Major Appolonia Anele, troops of Operation Hadin Kai successfully repelled a planned terrorist attack but suffered heavy casualties in the process.
“Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation HADIN KAI, under the 21 Special Armoured Brigade, on October 17, 2025, thwarted an attempted assault by Boko Haram terrorists around the Kashimri general area.
“Unfortunately, the encounter came at a cost, as the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Saidu Paiko, and a few other gallant soldiers paid the supreme price,” the statement read.
Major Anele explained that the troops engaged the insurgents in intense combat, neutralising several fighters and destroying multiple terrorist hideouts in the region.
The operation, she said, prevented what could have been a devastating attack on civilians and critical infrastructure.
“The troops’ bravery frustrated the terrorists’ plans to disrupt peace and socio-economic activities in Bama and surrounding communities.
Some of the fleeing terrorists sustained gunshot wounds as our forces maintained operational dominance,” she added.
The Army spokesperson described the fallen officers as heroes who sacrificed their lives to protect the sovereignty and stability of Nigeria, assuring that their legacies would never be forgotten.
“The Nigerian Army deeply mourns these courageous men. Their sacrifices embody the spirit of service and patriotism.
“We will continue to honour their memory as we intensify efforts to eradicate terrorism from our nation,” Major Anele stated.
She further noted that the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased, describing them as “fathers, brothers, and sons who showed exceptional courage in the face of danger.”
Oluyede reaffirmed the military’s unwavering resolve to sustain the offensive against all terrorist elements until lasting peace is achieved in the North-East and across the country.
The Army also urged the public and media outlets to refrain from circulating images of the fallen soldiers until their next of kin have been properly informed, in order to preserve their dignity and respect their families’ privacy.
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