The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal has affirmed the re-election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and dismissed the petition of the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, who challenged the return of Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Obafemi Hamzat. Justice Mikhail Abdullahi held that Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Hamzat, were qualified to contest the March 18, 2023, governorship election in the state under section 177 of the Constitution. The judge noted that they are members of political parties and educated up to school certificate level. Section 177 of the constitution stipulated that “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if (a) he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth; (b) he has attained the age of thirty-five years; (c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and (d) he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.” “We have considered the evidence before this court. He has the highest number of votes. This petition is dead on arrival.” “Given the evidence adduced before the court, the grounds on which the petitioner is seeking disqualification of 2nd and 3rd respondents lack merit. “I have found Gov Sanwo-Olu and deputy, Dr Hamzat duly elected and therefore declared them winner.” However, justice Arum Ashom and Justice Igho Braimoh aligned with the judgment Earlier, the Tribunal had struck out the application of Jandor, who was seeking a disqualification of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s candidature. Jandor had argued in his motion, alongside his formal petition in which he challenged the return of Sanwo-Olu and his running mate, Obafemi Hamzat in the March 18, 2023 governorship elections in Lagos State. The petitioner had contended that Mr Sanwo-Olu was not qualified to be elected, and therefore wrongfully nominated and sponsored by his party, the All Progressives Party. He had replied to section 134(1)(a) of the Electoral Act of 2022 which deals with grounds for instituting an electoral petition. But, Justice Abdullahi, while reading the Tribunal’s decision on the matter, held that this position didn’t form part of the grounds for disqualification for election into the office of Governor, under sections 177 and 182 of the Nigerian Constitution (as amended). The tribunal also declared that it has no powers to inquire into the primary election of the APC which produced Sanwo-Olu, saying it is a pre-election matter which doesn’t fall under its jurisdiction. “Only an aspirant or member of a political party can complain about the outcome of the party’s primary, not a busybody like the petitioner.” This ruling forms part of the judgment being delivered in Jandor’s petition. The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Arum Ashom, earlier on Monday, announced that judgment over the petition of the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour will be delivered afterwards. The third judge on the panel is Justice Igho Braimoh. The tribunal also struck out the names of the Labour Party and its candidate among the list of respondents, saying a petition is contemplated to be filed between the winner and the loser of an election and not between two persons who lost. The tribunal also expunged from its records all exhibits tendered in evidence by Rhodes-Vivour and the LP in Jandor’s petition, adding that they cannot subsequently go on to challenge any part of the judgment in Jandor’s petition or else will become a meddlesome interloper. The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress winner of the governorship election. He polled 762,134 votes to beat Mr Rhodes-Vivour, who scored 312,329 votes. Jide Adediran came a distant third, polling 62,449 votes.

  A Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt has discharged and Acquitted a lecturer with the Rivers State University, Prof. David Ogbonna, who was standing trial on alleged sexual assault on a female student of the said institution. Ogbonna, former Head of Department of Microbiology, RSU, was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old female student of his department in his (Ogbonna’s) office sometime in June 2022. The university don was subsequently arrested and arraigned for Sexual Assault, but was later granted bail to the tune of N2,000,000 and other stringent bail conditions. However, after over a year of the legal battle, the Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt, yesterday, discharged and Acquitted the accused, citing lack of substantial proofs and evidence against the accused. The Chief Magistrate, Poromon Menenen, in the judgement stressed that the prosecution team failed to prove their case against the accused. Menenen stated that the phone the female student claimed she used in recording Professor Ogbonna’s discussions with her on the day of the alleged incident was never tendered as exhibit to court during the trial. The Magistrate noted that the Compact Disc the female student claimed she transferred the recording to was not also tendered in the course of the trial. Menenen also stated that the underwear the female student claimed had stains of semen after the assault was not subjected to a forensic examination of any kind and that the prosecution team failed to call the Health Worker who conducted medical examination on the female student to testify in court. The Magistrate said the prosecution team further failed to provide one Chidinma in court to testify, who the female student claimed left her and the Professor in the lecturer’s office after both of them came to his office. Chief Magistrate Menenen maintained that there is no substantial evidence to prove the case of unlawful and assault against Prof. Ogbonna, thereby discharging and acquitting the lecturer. After the court decision, G.U. Amana, the State prosecuting counsel in the matter representing Rivers State Ministry of justice declined to speak to newsmen. But, one of the defence counsel for Prof. Ogbonna, Emma Okah, said the defence team knew the case would go the way it went because there was no evidence ab initio. Okah opined that Prof. Ogbonna has been innocent from beginning and will continue to be innocent.

  NAFDAC has shut eight bakeries and seven sachet water factories in Bauchi State for failing to meet its stipulated manufacturing and hygiene standards. Some of the factories, located in Bauchi and Katagum local government areas of the state, were not even registered with NAFDAC. NAFDAC Coordinator in Bauchi State, Mrs Josephine Dayilim, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Bauchi that the facilities were shut on Friday. She explained that while some of the shut factories did not meet the minimum requirements to operate, others were not registered by NAFDAC as required. “NAFDAC has visited Azare and Bauchi communities to sensitise residents and create awareness on issues of health concerns, ranging from dangers of drug abuse and identification of fake products. “There are dangers inherent in bread baking without NAFDAC approval. “Some bakers use banned substances such as potassium bromate which can cause kidney failure, loss of hearing and breakdown of vitamins incorporated in the flour used. “Unregistered sachet water production could also be detrimental to health because some producers use poorly-treated water capable of causing diarrhoea and cholera,’’ she said. Dayilim said NAFDAC would not cease to inspect relevant factories to ensure a healthy society and to create more awareness. She advised manufacturers to always ensure compliance with hygiene and manufacturing guidelines and to ensure they register with NAFDAC. “Those that refuse to register with NAFDAC could be producing unsafe, unwholesome and ineffective products which could be dangerous to the health of consumers. “Consumers should also always check for NAFDAC registration numbers before buying products and should check manufacturing and expiry dates on products before consumption. “They should also check products’ batch numbers and address of manufacturers before buying and consuming products,’’ Dayilim cautioned.

  The Operation Safe Haven, a multi-security taskforce maintaining peace in Plateau and some parts of Bauchi and Southern Kaduna, has said the corpse of a slain Fulani leader, Adamu Idris, has not been found. Idris, who was killed Saturday evening, was Ardo (the leader of Fulani) in Panyam District of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau state. According to the leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in the state, late Adamu was killed while returning from a visit to the District Head of Panyam, and the whereabouts of his corpse remained unknown. The spokesperson of the operation, Captain Oya James, on Monday said a search team had been deployed to the area to look for the corpse, adding that the command would do everything possible to find it. Captain James also said the perpetrators of the act would surely be arrested and brought to book, calling on people of the area to remain calm. We are in search of the perpetrators of the incident. It was very unfortunate incident. Since Saturday morning, the troops are on the search of the perpetrators and must be brought to book,” he said.

  The office of the attorney general of Libya has ordered the arrest of 16 officials, including Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi, mayor of Derna, a city worst hit by the devastating floods two weeks ago. Major parts of Derna, home to approximately 100,000 people, were swept away after Storm Daniel, an extremely deadly Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone, collapsed two dams and four bridges. The flood submerged several buildings in eastern Libya while drowning some residents. Al-Ghaithi had estimated that the number of deaths in the city could reach between 18,000 to 20,000 based on the number of districts destroyed by the flood. Angry residents have blamed the authorities for the collapse of the dams, which had been built to hold back the flow into the seasonal riverbed running through the city. However, a contract to repair the dams was never completed. In a statement on Monday, a committee from the attorney general’s office said it had concluded its investigation. The committee said officials of the water resources management breached a contract to repair the dams in 2014. “Their mistakes contributed to the disaster of flood victims… and caused economic losses to the country,” the statement from the committee reads. The committee added that it would continue to investigate those who abused the reconstruction projects or benefited illegally from the abuse until justice is done.

  The Cement Producers Association of Nigeria, has warned that the plan of the federal government to introduce concrete roads will increase the price of cement to N9, 000. The association issued this warning in a statement jointly signed by the National Chairman, Prince David Iweta and National Secretary Chief Reagan Ufomba, on Sunday. The price of cement per bag currently sells at the rate of N5, 000.   The association also called on the current administration to permanently address the perennial cement price hike problem by facilitating larger participation in the cement industry, noting that Nigerians have no business buying cement for more than N5, 600 per bag. Ufomba commended the works Minister’s position on cement-made roads but warned of dire consequences, if the supply end is not addressed properly. The cement producers urged the government to lay more emphasis on road design that allows both cement technology and asphalt pavement to run concurrently and provide ample time for a smooth transition that allows contractors to invest in commensurate and requisite equipment and retooling. The statement reads, “Our findings from various parts of the country show that cement sells for as high as N6000 per bag in the rainy season. Our prediction is that it will sell for over N9,000 per bag in the dry season, especially with the pronouncement of the Honourable Minister of Works on cement technology and the marching order on housing by Mr President if the government does not take proactive steps. “While we commend the Honourable Minister’s position on cement-made roads, we warn of the dire consequences if the supply end is not properly addressed. In fact, it would amount to dereliction of duty not to intervene. “And the time is now. To do otherwise is to continue in a worsening pipe dream that prices would suddenly drop on this essential input that will continue to drain the purse of Nigerians, render them homeless, encourage chaos between demand and supply, and worsen the infrastructure deficit it sets out to cure, and lead to an unprecedented price hike. “We also call on the Honourable Minister of Works to lay more emphasis on the design criteria of roads that allow both cement technology and Asphalt pavement to run concurrently, in turn, will provide ample time for a smooth transition that allows contractors to invest in commensurate and requisite equipment and retooling. “We must also as a nation regulate static and dynamic load traffic by introducing weighbridges at access points on our highways. Working in sync with contractors, and allied Ministries of Trade and Investment, Transport, Environment and Finance on realistic policy on cement is most desirable at this critical time.” The association further requested the government to conclude the backward integration policy of the late Yar’adua administration that was already bringing availability and affordability of cement in the country. It added, “There has been so much comment on cement and cement pricing of late. What our nation needs is cement that is available and affordable. And this cannot be achieved by mere wishes, faulty policies and programmes, without breaking the chain of monopoly and favouritisms. Nigerians are tired of waiting for a downturn in the price of cement and for decent and affordable housing. “We call on the Tinubu government to permanently solve this perennial cement price hike problem by expanding participation in the sector with companies who have verifiable evidence of local investment, including greenfield licenses and quarrying. As a matter of fact, we call on the government to more specifically conclude the backward integration policy of the late Yar’adua administration which was already bearing availability and affordability fruits. “As patriots, it is our view that the government reintroduces backward integration policy and the conclusion of old ones. Consequently, the government cannot be seen to approbate and reprobate by deregulating issues of petroleum products and foreign exchange on one hand and regulating on pricing of cement, essential goods and services on another. There is a need for policy harmonisation and convergence between fiscal and monetary policies. “Finally, we call on the government to urgently intervene in the foreign exchange market, intervene in restructuring bad loans of manufacturers, and review palliative modules. The cry for elusive FDI will be drastically reduced if all manufacturing concerns are revived. The government must be decisive in the kind of economic policies it intends to foist on the people,” the statement added.