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LG chairmen, councilors to enjoy four-year tenure — Supreme Court

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LG chairmen, councilors to enjoy four-year tenure — Supreme Court
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This is contained in the Certified True Copy (CTC) of a judgement delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba and six others on May 11, 2024.

Garba said that some states have, by their various illegal actions, starved the local government councils in their states to the extent that most of them cannot exercise their constitutional powers or perform their statutory functions. 

The Justice described the situation of the LGA in the country as “one tier of government’s inhumanity to another tier of government.”

Garbage said that LGAs in Nigeria, unlike branches of incorporated bodies or entities, are constitutionally the third tier of government in the Federation.

According to him, their political and financial independence is duly guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

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The Justice said that Section 2(2) of the Constitution provides that “Nigeria shall be a Federation consisting of States and a Federal Capital Territory.”.

He further stated that 36 states in the country are specified, in alphabetical order, by Section 3(1) of the Constitution.

He said that Section 3(6) of the Constitution provides that “there shall be 768 local government areas in Nigeria,“ while Section 1(2) of the Constitution provides that “Nigeria shall not be governed, nor shall any person or group of persons take control of the Government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”.

The Justice, however, said that in respect of the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, there is template legislation by the National Assembly.

He said that by way of sections 108, 109, 110, and 113 of the Electoral Act (2022), the dissolution (tenure of area councils), the vacation of seats of members, removal of the chairman or vice chairman, recall, etc. were addressed. And elections to the area councils are promptly conducted or held by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“It is, therefore, unfortunate that some states do not even bother about conducting elections into local government councils as required by the relevant laws of their Houses of Assembly.

“Under Section 135(3) of the Constitution, the tenure of four years for the president, provided for by Section 135(2) thereof, shall be extended for periods not exceeding a period of six months at any time by a resolution of the National Assembly if it is not practicable to hold elections.

“By the same token, by a law of a State House of Assembly, the tenure of local government councils can be legally extended for any reason, such as insecurity or war, if it becomes impracticable or impossible for elections into the local government councils to be conducted.

“The mandate given to an elected local government council is the mandate of the electorate of that local government area, and if the tenure is extended, it is the people’s mandate that is extended.

“If the tenure of a local government council is truncated, as it is the norm now, it is an illegal termination of the electorate’s mandate, and it is not to be encouraged but roundly condemned.

“By the doctrine of separation of powers, it is the constitutional duty or function of the Legislature to make laws, which include amendments and repeals, and the duty of the judiciary is to interpret the laws to achieve the intended purpose of the legislation,” he said.

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2027: Atiku’s Son Pledges 10 Buses for Tinubu’s Re-election Campaign

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Abba Atiku Abubakar speaks during a visit to the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, where he pledged 10 buses for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign. Photo: Hon Yusi Buba/Facebook
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Abba Atiku Abubakar, son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has pledged 10 buses to support mobilisation for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Abba made the pledge during a visit to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretariat in Abuja on Friday, according to a statement issued by Yusi Buba, Senior Special Assistant on Youth Mobilisation to the party’s Deputy National Chairman.

He was received by the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Bukar Dalori.

Buba said Abba commended the party’s leadership and Tinubu’s administration, expressing support for the President’s continued stay in office.

“In a demonstration of his commitment to the political engagement ahead of the 2027 general elections, Hon. Abba Atiku Abubakar announced the donation of ten buses to support activities aimed at mobilising support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in 2027,” the statement said.

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The APC aide said Dalori welcomed Abba and acknowledged his pledge, describing it as support for the party’s mobilisation efforts ahead of the elections.

The development followed Abba’s announcement of a nationwide mobilisation campaign for Tinubu’s re-election and the unveiling of the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation, a political support group established to advance the President’s second-term ambition.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Abba said the organisation would commence activities in the Federal Capital Territory before expanding to other parts of the country.

He also announced plans for a two-million-man mobilisation march across the six geopolitical zones, with the exercise scheduled to begin in Abuja.

Abba defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in January, declaring his support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.

His father, Atiku Abubakar, is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general election.

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NCDC Identifies Two Suspected Ebola Cases In North-East

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Two suspected cases of Ebola disease have been identified in the North-East region of the country.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) disclosed this in a post via its official X handle on Saturday, adding that both individuals had been isolated.
It also said contact identification and listing are ongoing, and laboratory testing is underway.

According to the agency, confirmation is subject to laboratory results.
Two suspected cases of Ebola disease have been identified in Nigeria’s North-East region. Both individuals have been isolated, contact identification and listing is ongoing, and laboratory testing is being conducted,” the NCDC said.

“Being classified as suspected cases does not mean they are confirmed Ebola cases; confirmation is subject to laboratory results.

“The public is advised to maintain good hand hygiene, practise enhanced sanitation and follow guidance from public health authorities. Further updates will be provided as verified information becomes available.”

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The latest update by the NCDC came days after it said it identified another contact, an e-hailing driver, linked to the confirmed case of the recent Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, increasing the number of primary contacts to 54.

The NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, told Channels Television on October 26 that efforts were ongoing to identify the secondary contacts.

“So we are not out of the woods yet until we are sure that we have all the contacts, and they have been followed up. So we are still not out of the woods; because the index case is out doesn’t mean that we don’t have that,” he said.

The Federal Government had announced Nigeria’s first confirmed case of the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja on October 20, 2026, identifying the patient as a woman with a recent travel history to Uganda, who returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7, but the Ugandan authorities denied reports of an Ebola outbreak in the East African country.

The index patient was later flown to Switzerland along with her husband.

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Troops kill 71 terrorists in Borno, Yobe offensive

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Soldiers kill 964 terrorists in February- DHQ
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Nigerian troops have neutralised no fewer than 71 terrorists in coordinated ground and air operations across Borno and Yobe, while recovering weapons and ammunition and disrupting terrorist logistics networks.

The operations include a five-hour counter-offensive at Buni Yadi, Yobe, which reportedly accounted for 48 ISWAP fighters, as well as separate air and maritime strikes that neutralised 23 terrorists.

An operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, said the Buni Yadi operation followed an attack on troops at the North-East Theatre Training School in Gujba Local Government Area.

The report said the troops repelled the assault and neutralised 48 terrorists during the ensuing counter-offensives, recovering 42 AK-47 rifles, five PKT machine guns, four general-purpose machine guns and one 60mm mortar.

It added that other recovered items include 105 AK-47 magazines, two video cameras and thousands of rounds of ammunition of different calibres.

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The report said one soldier was killed during the engagements, while two others sustained minor injuries.

According to the report, the maritime component, supported by an armed unmanned aerial vehicle, had in another operation on Oct. 28, struck terrorist targets across Lake Chad.

“Preliminary battle damage assessment indicates that eight terrorists were neutralised, while 10 others sustained injuries.

“Similarly, an air operation near Ngirmishi settlement, north of Kerenoa, reportedly neutralised about 15 terrorists.

“The operation followed the sighting of suspected terrorists around a structure believed to be a logistics base, which was subsequently struck in a precision attack.”

The report said that in Borno, army troops of 5 Brigade arrested seven suspected terrorist collaborators, informants and logistics suppliers at Damasak, Mobbar Local Government Area, on Oct. 28.

Items recovered, according to the report include mobile phones, food supplies, drinks, blankets, cooking oil and other household materials, alongside N483,550.

It added that troops of 112 Task Force Battalion, working with Hybrid Forces, also ambushed suspected terrorists attempting to cross the Mafa-Ajiri road at Kassasewa, Mafa Local Government Area, on Oct. 27.

The report revealed that the suspected terrorists fled, abandoning five rocket-propelled grenade bombs and 175 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.

The report added that in another development, troops of 202 Battalion apprehended a suspected terrorist informant and logistics supplier attempting to infiltrate Bama town.

“The troops also intercepted a suspected member of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) who reportedly escaped from a terrorist enclave in Bama and was on his way to surrender.

“Meanwhile, troops of 403 Amphibious Brigade, working with the Multinational Joint Task Force and Civilian Joint Task Force, discovered an improvised explosive device along the Baga-Cross road in Kukawa Local Government Area on Oct. 29,” it said.

In Plateau, the report said troops of Operation Enduring Peace foiled a kidnapping attempt at the ECWA Staff Quarters in Jos North Local Government Area in the early hours of Friday.

It said that the troops responded to a distress call and forced the suspected kidnappers to abandon their operation and flee.

According to the report, troops also arrested a suspected kidnapper at Akwaba, Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area of Nasarawa, during a joint operation with the Department of State Services.

“The suspect and N200,000 recovered during the operation were handed over to the DSS for further investigation.

“In Ondo, troops of 322 Artillery Regiment, working with the Nigeria Police, raided a suspected criminal and ritualists’ hideout at Kajola Camp.

“Three suspects were arrested, while counterfeit United States dollars and other foreign currencies were recovered.

“The suspects and recovered items were handed over to the police in Ore for further action,” it also said. (NAN)

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