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JUDICIARY

Benue Tribunal Reaffirms Ortom’s Governorship Victory

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From Chris Gaga, Makurd

The governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal  sitting in Makurdi, the Benue state capital has upheld the victory of the governor, Samuel Ortom as winner of the March 23 governorship elections.

In a substantive judgement delivered in a petition filed by Emmanuel Jime, candidate of the All Progressives (APC) on Monday,  Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Henry Olusiyi dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.

Jime of the APC had challenged INEC for returning Samuel Ortom(2nd respondent) of PDP as winner of the 2019 governorship election on grounds that he was not duly elected by number of lawful votes.

The petitioner Prayed the Tribunal to void the return of Ortom and declare him as winner.

All the respondents (INEC, Ortom, PDP) had denied the allegations. But Ortom, who called a lone witness, INEC and PDP rested their defence on the petitioners.

On their part, the petitioners called 59 witnesses, with the first petitioner, Emmanuel Jime, testifying as Petitioners’ Witness (PW) 15.

Justice Olusiyi said the petitioner failed to prove that he was the winner of the elections having called only 59 witnesses out of hundreds of witnesses.

He also ruled that most of the witnesses of the petitioner were based on hearsay and not concrete evidence.

The trial Judge ruled that Card Reader was not an authentic means of determining election victory hence it was not recognized by the electoral Law. He, therefore, affirmed the victory of Ortom as the winner of the March 23 governorship elections.

The tribunal had earlier before delivering the substantive motion, ruled on seven applications that were reserved for ruling on judgement day with Ortom winning four of the motions while Jime of APC won three.

Honourable Justice AA Ajeigbe (member I), and Hon Justice GF Ette (member II) read the seven motions.

Reacting to the judgement, the Benue State Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu described the ruling of the Tribunal as a confirmation of the will of Benue people.

“I think it is a very thorough judgement and it is a judgement that is well deserved. This victory came to us and  was given to us freely by Benue People. We won with approximately 90 thousand vote difference and today the tribunal has vindicated us that victory was given to us by Benue people and by God,” he told DAILY ASSET.

The deputy governorship candidate of the APC, Sam Ode said they expected victory but since they couldn’t get it, they will appeal the judgement.

“We approached this tribunal believing that we will get justice, but thank God the Judge has told us that there are other layers and we are going to test the efficacy of this judgment at the appeal court.

“We employ all our supporters, the teeming people of Benue who voted massively for us to remain peaceful and to remain law abiding,” Ode said.

Meanwhile, Counsel to governor Samuel Ortom, Sabastine Hon, SAN applauded the judgement and said they will cross appeal if the petitioners dared to appeal.

“We believe it is a very sound judgement. The tribunal analyzed everything. The petitioner complained in hundreds of polling units but they called only 31 polling agents. The law is settled that each polling unit you must call an agent to testify. And of the 31 polling agents, some of them denied their statement, some could not sign their witness statement on oath and a host of other inhibitions.

You heard the rulings about the card reader. They so much dwell on card reader which is not in electoral Law and jurisprudence in Nigeria. The tribunal judgement is sound.

“If they dare appeal, we have what is called cross appeal or respondents notice because some of our points were dismissed, we somehow feel aggrieved, so if they dare Appeal, we will file respondent notice or cross appeal,” Hon stated.

JUDICIARY

Court Remands Landlord for Alleged Defilement of Tenant’s Daughter

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A family court sitting at Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Tuesday ordered the remand of one Musibau Lamidi, 50, for alleged defilement of his tenant’s six-year-old daughter.

The Magistrate, Mrs S. A . Adesina, ordered that the landlord should be kept at the Agodi custodial facility pending advice from Oyo State  Director of Public Prosecutions.

Adesina did not take the landlord’s plea.

She adjourned the case until April 25 for mention.

Reports says that Musibau, a resident of Olode, Ibadan, was charged on one-count of defilement.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp Gbemisola Adedeji, told the court that the defendant, on March 13, between 8. 00 a.

m. and 4.00 p.m.  defiled his tenant’s daughter.

Adedeji said that Musibau had an issue with the child’s mother and asked her to pack out.

The prosecutor said that when the woman went to look for a house to rent, the defendant defiled  her daughter.

She said that the offence contravened Section 34 of the Oyo State Child Right’s
Law of 2006. (NAN)

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JUDICIARY

4 Friends Docked for Allegedly Threatening Cleric’s Life

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Court Sentences Applicant to 6 Months in Prison for Stealing Cell Phone
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Four friends were on Monday docked in a Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in  Ibadan for allegedly threatening the life of  pastor Charles Gold.

The police charged Olatunji Musibau, 44;Abiodun Folarin, 50; Kazeem Oluremi, 60 and Yusuf Sodiq, 23, with conspiracy and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Philip Amusan, told the court that the defendants allegedly committed the offence on March 8, at about 2 p.

m., at New Bodija Area in Ibadan.

Amusan alleged that the defendants and others at large, threatened violence against pastor Gold, of Echo Evangelical Ministry Ibadan.

He said the offence contravened the probisions of sections 516 and 383 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

The defendants however pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Court President, Mrs Moji Aworemi, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N150, 000 each and one surety each in like sum.

Aworemi held that the surety must be a blood relation to the defendants.

She adjourned the case until April 29, for mention. (NAN)

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JUDICIARY

2 Teenagers in Court for Allegedly Stealing Sewing Machine

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Two teenagers, Simor Aaron, 19, and Francis David, 18, were arraigned on Wednesday before a Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing a sewing machine and other items worth N325,000.

The defendants, both residents of High-Cost Narayi, Kaduna, are standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing, to which they pleaded not guilty.

The Prosecutor, Insp Chidi Leo, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on March 11, at Barnawa Kaduna.

According to Leo, the duo burgled a tailoring shop of one Gladys Peter and stole her sewing machine, six wrappers, and four clothing materials all valued at N325,000.

The prosecutor stated that the defendants were caught and handed over to the police by members of the vigilante group on patrol in the area.

Leo said that the offences contravened Sections 281 and 217 of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017, which stipulates a three-year jail term for stealing and two years imprisonment for conspiracy.

The Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N100,000 each with two sureties each in like sum, who must be gainfully employed.

Emmanuel adjourned the case until April 22, for hearing. (NAN)

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