Former Special Adviser on Research and Strategy to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Umar Ardo, says he is unbothered about the alleged lopsided appointment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In an interview with PUNCH, Ardo, said delivery should be considered irrespective of the regions of the appointees, stressing that the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari appointed northerners in most sectors, but they failed to deliver.

Speaking on the country’s economic situation, Ardo averred that the removal of fuel subsidy is appeasement to international monetary organisations, insisting it is not helping the country.

When asked if he had pitched his tent with Tinubu, Atiku’s former aide said he does not have a close relationship with the President even though he is currently reaping from the sweat of his effort in contriving the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said, “I have no business with him aside that he’s my country’s President. Other than when I was in the Villa serving as an adviser on State and Local Government Affairs, and he was the governor of Lagos State, we used to meet and relate purely in an official capacity, I never had anything to do with him. I can say I don’t know him from Adam. But I can also say he is unknowingly presently reaping from the sweat of my efforts in contriving the APC.

“But as Nigeria’s President, I pray for him to succeed. I hope for the sake of the country that he does. But for President Tinubu to succeed, he needs to focus on probity and accountability. The previous administration did not do that. They will give responsibility and there will not be any follow-up on that. I also thought he was going to address Nigeria’s problems, corruption.

“I am not worried at all; if those he appoints will deliver, I don’t care where they are from. What we want is delivery. After all, President Buhari appointed mostly northerners in most sectors of the country, but did they deliver? What benefits was it for the North? I don’t do things based on North-South, Muslim-Christian sentiments. Our country has collapsed, and I can only hope and pray for the success of President Tinubu’s administration.

“It is unfortunate that under him, the country is having serious problems, hunger, starvation, and poverty, especially in northern Nigeria. The removal of the fuel subsidy is an appeasement to international monetary organisations as far as I am concerned. But it is not helping the country; we are not subsidising anything. If President Tinubu wants to change the country, he must change the mode of governing the country because the mode of governance is faulty.”

Massive protests broke out in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, on Sunday, in response to the triumph of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, over Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Naija News reported that the Appellant Court had, in a unanimous judgement, nullified the election of Governor Mutfwang over the PDP’s lack of structure and non-obedience of a Court order at the time of his nomination for the March 18 governorship election in the State.

Before Sunday’s verdict, security measures were heightened across key locations in the state capital, with stern-looking security personnel stationed at major street junctions.

However, following the announcement of the judgement, a sense of tension gripped the State, with people gathering in groups to discuss the unfolding developments.

In Jos South Local Government Area (LGA), supporters of the PDP assembled in large numbers at Gyel Roundabout to express their discontent with the verdict.

A similar protest unfolded at Angwan Rukuba junction in Jos North and Riyom LGAs within the state capital.

During the protests, a youth leader from Mangu LGA, Hon. Pankyes Yamsat, conveyed their decision to demonstrate against the Appeal Court’s judgement, which resulted in the removal of Governor Mutfwang.

He explained that the people of the State voted for Mutfwang, the people’s choice, but their mandate has been truncated at the Appeal Court.

“The mandate of the people of Plateau has been stolen, and we call on the Supreme Court to ensure justice is served with the view to reverse the judgement of the Appeal Court for peace to reign in the state,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the embattled Plateau State governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has described the verdict of the Appeal Court that nullified his election as a temporary setback that will not deter him from repositioning the State on the path of unity, peace and progress.

He expressed strong optimism that the mandate overwhelmingly given to him by the people of Plateau State would be restored, as he has instructed his legal team to file an appeal at the Supreme Court.

Mutfwang, in a statement signed by his director of press and public affairs, Gyang Bere, admonished citizens of the State and supporters of the PDP to remain calm even as he assured them that as long as God remains on the throne, the mandate of the people will be preserved and protected.

He reiterated his commitment to the rule of law and assured the people that there is light at the end of the tunnel, as he has unwavering faith in the judiciary and the constitution of Nigeria.

Governor Mutfwang concluded with a strong appeal to supporters and citizens of the State to maintain law and order. He affirmed that Plateau will be victorious to the glory of God and reassured of his commitment to continually serve the State with dedication and integrity.

On its part, the State chapter of the APC, in their reaction to the victory of Nentawe in a statement issued in Jos by the party’s state publicity secretary, Sylvanus Namang, called on all its members to celebrate the victory with utmost modesty and decorum.

According to Namang, the anger and disaffection which prevailed in the wake of the appeal should be put behind them as Plateau State was reduced to a laughing stock, which is most regrettable.

The statement called on security agencies in the State to be on red alert and vigilant to avert any breakdown of law and order while commending the Court of Appeal Judges for their meticulous, impartial and very professional handling of the appeal.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has described as a temporary setback, the verdict of an Appeal Court which sacked him as governor of the state.

In a statement through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, the governor said the “temporary setback” won’t deter him from repositioning the state on the path of unity, peace and progress.

The governor admonished citizens of the state and supporters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to remain calm and assured them that as God remains on the throne, his mandate will be preserved and protected.

The governor said he has instructed his legal team to file an appeal at the Supreme Court.

“He expressed strong optimism that the mandate overwhelmingly given to him by the people of Plateau State would be restored, as he has instructed his legal team to file an appeal at the Supreme Court,” the statement partly read.

Meanwhile, members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state have roled our drums to celebrate the verdict of the appellate court that sacked Mutfwang.

Party faithful gathered in some areas of the Tudun Wada Ring Road of the Jos North Local Government Area of the state on Sunday to express their joy with musical instruments blasting danceable tunes.

On Sunday, an Appeal Court in Abuja sacked Mutfwang.

In her ruling on Sunday, the lead Justice, Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to the candidate of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe.

Justice Williams-Dawodu set aside the judgment of the Tribunal which affirmed the election of Governor Mutfwang, describing it as highly incompetent.

According to the court, the decision of the tribunal to dismiss the petition filed by the APC and its candidate on the ground that the duo had no business meddling in the affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on which platform Mutfwang was elected is in breach of Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and Section 134 (C) of the Electoral Act.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, will swear-in 58 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) on Monday, November 27, 2023, at the main Courtroom of the Supreme Court, as part of the programmes lined up for the 2023/2024 legal year of the Court.

In line with the age-long tradition, the CJN, will, during the special court session, deliver a state-of-the Judiciary address that would highlight the performance of the Apex Court and the Nigerian Judiciary in general in the 2022/2023 legal year.

The Director of Press and Information of the Apex Court, Dr Akande Festus made this known in a press statement he issued on Sunday in Abuja.

According to him, other leading stakeholders in the Justice Sector will present speeches bordering on the state of the justice sector of the country at the occasion.

They include the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) amongst others.

114 applications were earlier received by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) for the award of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2023.

Out of the number, 101 are advocates while 13 are academics.

The total number of qualified applicants shortlisted after the Advocates 1st and 2nd Filtration Stages, Academic Pre-qualification, Academic 2nd Filtration Exercise, the Independent Appeals Hearing and Chambers Inspection Exercises was 69 comprising 57 advocates and 12 academics.

After conducting the specified screening and filtration exercises which include a number of appearances in superior courts, recommendations by Justices of the Supreme Court and Judges of superior courts, Chamber inspections; approval on eligibility and integrity of the candidates from the Nigerian Bar Association, Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria and the general public, amongst others, the LPPC came up with 58 successful candidates.

Out of the figure, 57 are advocates while one is an academic.

The Association of Resident Doctors, Enugu chapter has given the state government a 14-day ultimatum to employ new doctors in the health institution or risk industrial action.

In a communique issued at its Emergency General Meeting (EGM) and signed by the association’s President, Dr Chukwunonso Ofonere, the body resolved that there should be urgent approval for the recruitment of medical officers, resident doctors and house officers in the hospital especially at the Accident and Emergency Department, surgery department, internal medicine department, paediatrics department, obstetrics and gynaecology departments etc.

According to Ofonere, the resident doctors in the aforementioned department have left the institution in the past four years and were never replaced.

They are asking the hospital management to ensure the implementation of safety policies to protect their workers against physical attacks and kidnap within one week as promised by the Chief Medical Director and finally, immediate implementation of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) as their colleagues in other states.

“First, the management should declare a state of emergency on the employment of doctors in the hospital. There should be an urgent approval for the recruitment of medical officers, resident doctors and house officers in the hospital,” the statement read.

“This recruitment should be focused especially at the Accident and Emergency Department, Surgery Department, Internal Medicine Department, Paediatrics Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Departments.

“Secondly, management should ensure the implementation of safety policies to protect her workers against physical attacks and kidnap within one week as promised by the chief medical director (CMD).

“Thirdly, the immediate implementation of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) as our counterpart in other states; even as attached to this communique is the list of the eligible doctors and the financial implications.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, says the judgements of the appellate court sacking Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State and Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State should be reviewed because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed in its duty to conduct proper elections in the country.

Falana, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, said the votes of Nigerians should not be nullified by the courts because of the supposed negligence of the electoral umpire that shouldn’t have cleared candidates put forward by parties without primaries conducted.

He also said thousands of votes should not be invalidated by the court because INEC officials failed to stamp ballot sheets.

According to the senior lawyer, election matters should be concluded before the inauguration of any administrations.

In the last one week, the appellate court sacked three governors that INEC declared as winners in the March 2023 poll. All the three governors sacked by the appellate court are in opposition parties.

The court sacked Yusuf of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and declared his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Nasir Gawuna, as the winner of the poll.

In Zamfara, the appellate court sacked Governor Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when it declared the poll inconclusive about eight months after. The court ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election in three local government areas of the state. PDP’s Lawal and APC’s Bello Matawalle are the major contenders in the race.

On Sunday, the appellate court sacked PDP’s Mutfwang and ordered INEC to issue a Certificate of Return to APC’s Nentawe Goshwe. The court held that the party violated the court order that a valid congress be conducted in the 17 local government areas of that state.

However, the appellate court affirmed the election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC in Lagos State.

Speaking on the judgements of the appellate court, Falana said INEC failed to perform due diligence before and during the elections.

He said all those dissatisfied with the appeal court verdicts can go to the Supreme Court.

“If you look at what happened in Lagos is different from what happened in Plateau. You are being told in Plateau that there was a judgement of the high court to the effect that primaries have to be conducted. The judgement, as usual, was dishonoured and disobeyed and the election went on,” the senior lawyer said.

He said the political class must learn to comply with the decision of the court.

“It is different from Kano where you are being told that voters can be punished. It is a very dangerous judicial policy to sanction voters for the mistake of electoral officers. We are being told that 165,000 votes are wasted, they are invalid because some electoral officers committed an error by not stamping them. How does that affect the validity of election?

“I do hope that this time around the Supreme Court will resolve these needless controversies surrounding the non-stamping of ballot papers by INEC officials who have not been recommended for any sanction.

“This is why these judgements will have to be reviewed.”

Novak Djokovic won a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title on Sunday after beating local hero Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3 in Turin.

World number one Djokovic moves clear of retired great Roger Federer in victories at the season-ending tournament after denying Italian Sinner a triumph on home soil.

Djokovic came into the Finals at the end of a year which has brought three Grand Slams, taking his total to an all-time best of 24, and a 40th Masters 1000 title.

And he has crowned an incredible season — in which he also reached the Wimbledon final — with yet another record, comfortably seeing off two of the game’s best young players in the process.

Sinner was bidding to become the first ever Italian to claim a Finals crown and looked like the right man to do it after his impressive group stage win over Djokovic.

But the 22-year-old, like Carlos Alcaraz in Saturday’s semi-final, simply could not handle Djokovic, a man on a mission who hit his best form at exactly the right time in the tournament.

It is a testament however to how far Sinner has come in the past year that he had Djokovic’s tournament fate in his hands at the end of the group stage, when defeat by Holger Rune would have sent the Serb home early.

Sinner saved Djokovic’s skin and in the end paid for it in the final, but the quality of his performances at the Pala Alpitour has been a cause for much optimism in Italy and suggests that he should be a Grand Slam contender next season.

– Djokovic in control –

Djokovic took control early in the match, breaking Sinner at the first opportunity in game four and then comfortably serving out the opening set.

Such was his dominance that Djokovic silenced a partisan crowd which has been rambunctious for all of Sinner’s matches, and he immediately broke serve again at the start of the second set.

He reeled off 14 straight points from the start of the final game of the first set into the third game of the second, which was eventually won by Sinner to just hold his serve.

Sinner looked like he was going to be walked over but he showed huge heart and brought the crowd to its feet when he held his serve in game seven, a 15-minute mini-epic in which Djokovic had two break points, to stay at 4-3.

However in the end he couldn’t stay with Djokovic and in the end surrendered the match in disappointing fashion with a double fault.

Earlier, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury retained their ATP Finals doubles title on Sunday as they cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

The US Open champions kept hold of their crown with a near-perfect campaign in Turin, going unbeaten in their five matches.

American Ram and Briton Salisbury took their winning streak at the season-ending tournament to 10 matches after also sweeping to last year’s title undefeated.

Granollers and Zeballos missed out on the year-end top spot in the world rankings following the straight-sets defeat, with their eliminated Green Group opponents Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek remaining in first

For the past couple of weeks, the call for the resignation of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has been growing louder as the governor continues to govern Ondo State from far away Ibadan in Oyo State.

DAILY POST reports that the governor has been in Ibadan since he returned from a medical trip in Germany and many in the state believe that governance in the Sunshine State has been on auto-pilot.

Akeredolu left Nigeria on June 13, 2023, for medical treatment in Germany and spent about three months before he returned to Nigeria on September 9. He had earlier notified the Ondo State House of Assembly that he would be taking a 21-day leave and transmitted power to his deputy to govern in an acting capacity.

Upon his return, the governor is yet to set foot in Akure, the state capital, instead, he is staying at his personal residence in Ibadan.

The First Lady, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has been accused of pulling the strings to allow the husband to continue the stay in power despite the reported ill health.

Ondo State has been in political turmoil since the governor returned from his medical trip as his loyalists are making frantic efforts to remove the deputy governor of the state for actions taken during the absence of Mr Akeredolu.

Move to impeach Deputy Governor

Lucky Aiyedatiwa is currently fighting to survive the ongoing political battle as loyalists of Mr Akeredolu are making moves to remove him.

The travails of the deputy governor commenced when Mr Akeredolu returned to the country, and all media aides in the office of the deputy governor were sacked.

The loyalists of the governor in the State Assembly listed 14 offences committed by Mr Aiyedatiwa, including “gross misconduct, abuse of office with actions likely to bring down Ondo State Government, financial recklessness, publication in print media by your media aides maligning the credibility of the Governor, etc”.

The impeachment move has sidelined the deputy governor, who has been fighting in the courts.

The intervention by the National Working Committee of the APC appears to have slowed down the move but the deputy governor seems to have been relegated completely.

However, in the past couple of weeks, the attention has shifted away from the deputy governor to Mr Akeredolu. Ironically, the governor, who was the President of the Nigerian Bar Association during the sickness of Umar Musa Yar’Adua, was very vocal in the call for the resignation of the then-president over his health.

“No matter how much you love your country, it should not be at the detriment of your health. It is not your party or your wife that will decide whether you are capable of handling state matters; it is only your doctors that can decide that. The bar is not asking the president not to come back and take his seat, but the right thing must be done,” Akeredolu had said in 2010.

Steps to declare Akeredolu incapacitated

Kennedy Peretei, the National Publicity Secretary of the Ondo State PDP, had called for the impeachment of the governor for violating the constitution.

“The time has come for the Ondo State House of Assembly to immediately begin the impeachment process of Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, for violation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

“It is no longer news that Ondo State has been on auto-pilot for nearly six months, grounding all activities of the government due to the ill health of the Governor,” he said in a statement.

However, the Assembly has consistently defended Mr Akeredolu and ignored any call for action.

According to legal experts, in the case of health challenges, the first move to remove the governor must start from the commissioners, who have the power to declare that the governor is incapacitated.

Rasheed Bakare, a legal practitioner in Abuja, explained to DAILY POST that Section 189 of the 1999 constitution provides the steps to be taken before a governor or deputy governor can be declared incapacitated to continue in that office.

According to section 189 of the Nigerian Constitution, only the commissioners of Ondo State can trigger the process of declaring Mr Akeredolu incapacitated.

The first step is that 2/3 of the state executive council must resolve that the Governor is incapacitated to continue in office.

“189. (1) The Governor or Deputy Governor of a State shall cease to hold office if, by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of all members of the executive council of the State, it is declared that the Governor or Deputy Governor is incapable of discharging the functions of his office,” the constitution reads in part.

After the resolution by the body of commissioners, the constitution provides that the speaker must set up a panel to examine the health status of the governor.

The medical panel must comprise five medical practitioners, including the physician of the governor. The panel must determine that the “Governor or Deputy Governor is suffering from such infirmity of body or mind as renders him permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office, a notice thereof signed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly shall be published in the Official.”

Once the report has been submitted to the speaker, it must be published and the governor is officially removed.

Mr Bakare told DAILY POST that as the law stands, it is going to be difficult to remove Mr Akeredolu or any other governor in Nigeria on the basis of section 189.

According to the legal practitioner, since the Governor appointed the commissioners, it will be hard for them to recommend the removal of their boss.

“The challenge with section 189 is that it is hard to see a commissioner that will say ‘My boss, the governor is sick and unable to perform, so let us pass a vote to that effect’. It is hardly done. In fact, that provision needs amendment.

“Who appoints the commissioners? The governor. For them to pass a vote against the governor, owing to the infirmity of the mind or body— they won’t. It hardly occurs,” he said during a phone interview.

Last week, 33 out of the 35 State Executive Council members passed a vote of confidence on the ailing governor and declared their loyalty to him.

Only the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Razak Obe, and the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, and Cooperative Services, Akin Sowore did not sign the document.

There are indications that politicians in the state prefer to wait for the next election which is in November 2024. The primary election is scheduled for April next year.

Zimbabwe head coach, Baltemar Brito has said his side deserved more from Sunday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying tie against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The Warriors were held to a 1-1 draw by their more illustrious opponent at the Huye Stadium, Butare.

The Southern Africans took the lead on 26 minutes through Walter Musona.

Leicester City forward, Kelechi Iheanacho, however, salvaged a point for Nigeria in the second half.

The Warriors and Super Eagles are yet to record a win in the qualifier having drawn their opening two games.

Brito believes they should have secured maximum points from the game.

“We started the game to win, we expected to win this game, unfortunately we drew,” Brito said in his post-match press conference.

“We had the ambition of winning this game, the players fought hard and this good performance is about them. They deserve all the credit for this good performance.

“We had the chance and in football it is about the team that creates chances and scores. We scored a beautiful goal, Nigeria maybe had one, two chances also they didn’t create many chances in our box.”

Zimbabwe’s next game in the qualifiers is against Benin Republic in June 2024.

Former Nigerian international Joseph Dosu has told Nigerians to hold Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro responsible if Nigeria fails to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Dosu stated this as Nigeria drew 1-1 against Zimbabwe in a World Cup qualifier at the Huye Stadium, Butare, on Sunday.

Goals from Walter Musona and Kelechi Iheanacho ensured both Nigeria and Zimbabwe shared a point each.

Nigeria now has two points from two games after the Zimbabwe encounter.

“I really don’t know what to say again because, from the beginning, Nigerians came out to say a lot of things with the way the Super Eagles have been playing and Jose Peseiro said we are putting pressure on the team and that we should not put pressure so that the team will play very well,” Dosu told Complete Sports.

“So we have decided not to put pressure and we are still seeing the same thing. So whatever the federation [NFF] and the coaches want to do with our national teams, they should keep on doing it. If we qualify [for 2026 World Cup], fine, and if we don’t qualify, there is nothing anybody can do. We can’t hold anybody responsible except the head and the coach, Peseiro.”