The 36 state governors have been ordered to file their respective defense to a suit instituted against them by the Federal Government seeking for full autonomy for the 774 local government in the country.

The order was given by the Supreme Court on Thursday.

The apex court also ordered the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice to, upon receipt of the governors defense, file his reply within two days.

Justice Garba Lawal issued the order on Thursday while ruling in an application for abridgement of time argued by the AGF, Prince Lateef Fagebemi, SAN.

The AGF had prayed the court to compel the governors to file their responses within five days in view of the urgency and importance of the suit to local government autonomy.

Although the governors did not object to time abridgement, they however requested for 15 days to file defense.

Justice Lawal who led a seven-man panel of justices of the apex court, said that the decision of the court to reduce time was predicated on the national importance and urgency of the suit and the non-objection from the states of the federation.

The Supreme Court held that filing of all processes and exchanging of same must be completed withing the time and subsequently fixed June 13 for hearing of the suit.

Justice Lawal ordered that the eight states that were not in attendance at Thursday’s proceedings must be served with fresh hearing notice.

The eight state are Borno, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo and Sokoto, whose Attorneys General were absent in court despite being served with hearing notice.

Nollywood actor Segun Arinze has disclosed the reasons behind his twelve-year hiatus from marriage following the end of his first marriage.

The 58-year-old first tied the knot with Anne Njemanze, the actress, in 1996. Their marriage, however, hit the rocks in 1997.

The film star then married Julie in 2008 and they have three children.

Speaking on the WithChude podcast, Arinze said “I was confused about getting the right person” after he and Njemanze divorced.

The filmmaker said he was involved in many relationships until “I cried to God” in 2007 to give me a wife.

Arinze said he initially refused to speak about his failed marriage “because people do not share everything”. 

“I stayed out of marriage after the first one crashed. I stayed out of marriage for like 12 years before I remarried. I remarried in 2008. Not that I gave up on marriage, I was just really confused about getting the right person,” he said.

“I got into so many crazy relationships. Both the ones were good, crazy, and bad I have seen all. That year, 2007. I cried to God and said ‘Father Lord I have had enough can you just give me a wife’. I said just find me a wife. I remember I cried.

“And then I went to a wedding and I saw this beautiful woman. I asked my PA to get her number but he came back because he was scared. Julius Agwu and I were the MCs at the event. It was Don Chi’s wedding. And Julius Agwu said ‘My brother dey look for wife o’. When I sat I went to meet her, collected her contact and then invited her to a dinner. That is how it started. The rest is history.

“We are sixteen years in marriage now with three lovely kids. She is a lawyer. She is also my legal adviser.

“When that happened to me in 1997 I kept quiet. I did not say anything. I just let it go. Till date I said nothing and I do not want to say anything. I do not want to discuss anything about it. It happened. The shit will always happen. Everybody has a closet.”

American actor and professional wrestler, Dwayne Johnson popularly known as The Rock has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the most followed actor on TikTok with 74.4 million followers.

The Rock knocked off fellow actor Will Smith, who has held the record since 2022, in the battle of A-listers of the American celebrity stars.

GWR said Johnson will have to “work hard to hold on to the title though, as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star isn’t too far behind him.”

MAY DAY: Labour gives FG May 31 deadline on Minimum Wage0:00 / 0:00
The Rock, who recently revived his wrestling career with a return to WWE, regularly takes his fans behind the scenes of his fame on his TikTok channel.

As well as documenting his WWE return of late, The Rock also posts videos of himself working out in the gym, surprising shoppers by hand-delivering his Papatui skincare products, and his work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Will, who describes himself as the “Same kid from West Philly”, also shares a glimpse into his fun showbiz life.

“Lately, he’s been posting videos of himself and Bad Boys co-star Martin Lawrence as they return for a fourth installment in the franchise, Ride or Die,” GWR said.

Ahmed Musa has called on his Super Eagles teammates to give their all in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin.

Musa reckoned it is important for the team to win the two games after a slow start in the qualifiers.

”Everyone knows the importance of both games, the players understand what’s at stake and I will want them to go all out and win both games,” the former Leicester told SCORENigeria

“I am upbeat they will do this.”

The Super Eagles will welcome Bafana Bafana of South Africa to Uyo on Friday June 7, before they fly out three days later for another World Cup qualifier against Benin in Abidjan.

The Super Eagles are third in Group C with two points from as many matches.

Comedian, Otaghware Otas Onodjayeke, says as the Federal government has reverted to the old National Anthem, it should also help revert to the old petrol price, old dollar price, old taxation as well as old security standards. The comedian stated this on his Instastories. 

Recall that President Tinubu on Wednesday, May 29, signed into law a bill reverting to the old National anthem.

Read his post below 

President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau, has reacted to the conflicting interim injunctions that has been granted on the Kano Emirate tussle.

In a statement released on Wednesday, May 29, Maikyau called for an urgent review of the professional conduct of both the counsel and judges involved in these matters.

Maikyau also called for the respective heads of the courts to investigate the conduct of the judges and report their findings to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for necessary action.

He said; 

“I must say, without any equivocation, that the conducts of counsel and the Courts in the handling of the proceedings which culminated in the orders issued by the Federal High Court, the Kano State High Court and again the Federal High Court, in circus, have brought utter disgrace and shame to the profession have exposed the entire legal profession in Nigeria to public ridicule and opprobrium.

“The damage is one that would take the legal profession a long time to recover from. It is unfortunate and was totally uncalled for. For a country whose legal resources and expertise have for several decades been exported and positively impacted not only the African continent but the world at large, it is completely unacceptable that the processes of our courts would be deployed in the manner we have witnessed in the last couple of days, on a subject matter that is as clear as chieftaincy dispute.

“This is a subject that has been sufficiently dealt with by legislation and case law, leaving no one confused about the jurisprudence on the subject-both procedural and substantive.

“Without prejudice to the subsisting actions before both the Federal High Court and the Kano State High Court, it is my considered view that there is an urgent need to scrutinize the professional conduct of both Counsel and the Judges involved in these matters. This is to enable the relevant bodies or institutions to determine their culpability or otherwise, from an ethical and professional standpoint.

“I therefore call on the respective heads of the Courts of the Judges concerned, to take immediate steps to look into their conduct with the view to finding any possible abuse of their judicial offices and file a report with the National Judicial Council for necessary action. The NBA on the other hand will investigate the conduct of the counsel involved in these cases and shall not hesitate to commence disciplinary action against them before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, should there be any finding of alleged professional misconduct against them. The Chairman of the NBA Ethics and Disciplinary Committee has accordingly been directed to invite these counsel for preliminary investigations.

“While the NBA shall continue to stand for and protect the integrity, welfare, and independence of the Bar and the Judiciary, we shall not hesitate to call out any Judge or counsel, who engages in any conduct that is capable of bringing the legal profession to disrepute.”

CJN summons FHC CJ, Kano CJ over conflicting court orders 

NBA seeks disciplinary measures against culprits 

Groups say their resistance not political

Alex Enumah in Abuja and Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has proposed an emergency meeting for next week, where the the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho and his counterpart in Kano State, Justice Dije Aboki, would be invited and subjected to serious investigations.

This came as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has summoned both judges over the recent conflicting orders emanating from the courts under them.

At the same time, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for disciplinary actions against lawyers and judges involved in the issuance of conflicting court orders in the Kano Emirate legal tussle.

Also, prominent groups in two of the four dissolved Emirates Councils, have again kicked against abolition of the emirates, saying their resistance had no political bias as being peddled in some quarters.

According to a statement by the Director of Information, National Judicial Council (NJC), Mr Soji Oye, the two head of courts, were to meet with the CJN today, May 30, 2024.

The statement read: “Sequel to the conflicting judgements emanating from the Federal High Court, and Kano State High Court of Justice on the chieftaincy matter in Kano State, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, National Judicial Council, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON, has summoned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, and Chief Judge of Kano State High Court, Justice Dije Aboki for an emergency meeting in his chambers tomorrow Thursday May 30, 2024.

“The meeting which is a prelude to whole scale investigation by the National Judicial Council is to enable the CJN have a proper briefing on this very disturbing development by the two respective Chief Judges.”

The statement added that there was a strong indication that the “NJC will conduct an emergency meeting next week, where the subject judges are likely to be invited and subjected to serious investigations.”

Since last week that the Kano State Government repealed the law creating four additional emirates for Kano metropolis, both the federal and Kano State high courts had been issuing orders that were at variance to the government as well as security agencies.

Justice A. M. Liman had in an exparte ordered the security agencies not to implement the new law passed by the state assembly dissolving the emirates, with the intention of halting the reinstatement of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II.

However, the government had already gone ahead with the installment, claiming that the restraining order came after the installment of Sanusi, adding also that the judge who issued the order was not physically present in Kano.

They argued further that as at 5pm Friday, when the governor signed the bill dissolving the former emirates, it was not possible for the applicant to have filed the suit, made payment and also obtained an enrolled order.

But following application from the government, the Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu, issued an injunction restraining the five deposed emirs from parading themselves as emirs and also asked that they vacate their respective palaces.

This order, however, ran contrary to the earlier one issued to the security agencies by Justice Liman.

Shortly after, another Federal High Court in Kano, presided over by Justice S. A. Amobeda, issued an order for the eviction of Sanusi from the Kofar Kudu Palace, reinforcing the authority of the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero.

Immediately, too, Justice Amina issued a counter order to even up with the other camp, a development which raised concerns about the state of the Kano Emirate and the escalation of its rulership tussle.

But the NBA, which called for disciplinary actions against erring members, said the actions of the ministers in the Temple of Justice, had brought disgrace and shame to the profession and exposed the entire legal profession to public ridicule and opprobrium.

The NBA President, Mr Yakubu Maikyau, in a statement, yesterday, vowed to drag any lawyer found culpable in the matter before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for necessary sanctions.

He called on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and his counterpart in the High Court of Kano State to identify the judicial officers involved and drag them before the NJC for disciplinary action.

“I have keenly followed the developments on the recent events concerning the stool of the Emir of Kano.

“I must say, without any equivocation, that the conducts of counsel and the courts in the handling of the proceedings which culminated in the orders issued by the Federal High Court, the Kano State High Court and again the Federal High Court, in circus, have brought utter disgrace and shame to the profession – have exposed the entire legal profession in Nigeria to public ridicule and opprobrium.

“The damage is one that would take the legal profession a long time to recover from. It is unfortunate and was totally uncalled for.

“For a country, whose legal resources and expertise have for several decades been exported and positively impacted not only the African continent but the world at large, it is completely unacceptable that the processes of our courts would be deployed in the manner we have witnessed in the last couple of days, on a subject matter that is as clear as chieftaincy dispute.

“This is a subject that has been sufficiently dealt with by legislations and case law, leaving no one confused about the jurisprudence on the subject – both procedural and substantive.

“Without prejudice to the subsisting actions before both the Federal High Court and the Kano State High Court, it is my considered view that there is urgent need to scrutinise the professional conducts of both counsel and the judges involved in these matters.

“This is to enable the relevant bodies or institutions determine their culpability or otherwise, from an ethical and professional standpoint.

“I therefore call on the respective heads of the courts of the judges concerned, to take immediate steps to look into their conducts with the view to finding any possible abuse of their judicial offices and file a report with the National Judicial Council for necessary action.

“The NBA on the other hand will investigate the conducts of the counsel involved in these cases and shall not hesitate to commence disciplinary action against them before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, should there be any finding of alleged professional misconduct against them,” The NBA boss said.

On their part, one of the two stakeholder groups, Inuwar Jama’ar Masarautar Bichi (Bichi Emirate Development Association), warned that, they would not accept any arrangement other than the reversal of the law to restore their emirate.

Leader of the group, Bello Gambo Bichi, said the formation of the five emirates by the former administration of Abdullahi Ganduje had brought numerous development to their respective areas.

According to him, the Bichi Emirate had witnessed development in the areas of healthcare, education, economy, agriculture and road infrastructure.

The second group of prominent elders of Rano Emirate Council, in the Kano south, under the leadership of Alhaji Musa Salihu Doguwa, told journalists during a press conference at the press center, that the way and manner the amendments law was done remained controversial. 

He added that the members of the state assembly hastily amended the law on how the governor assented to it was also a significant setback to the progress and development of the emirates.

His listed some of the development projects brought as a result of the upgrade of the new emirates in southern Kano brought about under the leadership of the former Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje.

Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has said the state’s governorship election petition tribunal, which sat in Abuja, exposed the electoral fraud perpetrated by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11, 2023 poll in the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, the party’s chairman and a serving Commissioner of Police.

Recall that the tribunal had on Monday dismissed the APC and Sylva’s petition challenging the declaration of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the election for lacking in merit The Bayelsa governor spoke on Tuesday night at the King of Glory Chapel in Government House, Yenagoa, where he stopped for thanksgiving upon his arrival from Abuja.

A crowd of jubilant party members and supporters thronged the state airport and the Government House to welcome the governor. A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as saying that during cross-examination at the tribunal, the APC witnesses shot themselves in the foot with frivolous claims and inconsistent exhibits.

The governor narrated how a former Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Tolani Alausa, who was procured as a star witness in the case, tainted his image by tendering false evidence before the court and was humiliated for parading fake INEC documents.

He noted that although Mr Alausa was no longer the CP in the state, the senior police officer presented himself at the tribunal to defend the fraud perpetrated by the APC candidate. Diri also said the tribunal equally excoriated the party’s chairman in the state, Chief Dennis Otiotio, for his “unprofessional conduct” being a legal practitioner. He said: “During one of the sittings, I physically went to the tribunal and I saw what transpired.

“Our party’s secretary, in the witness box, stated that most of the election materials the APC presented as INEC’s documents before the court were manufactured by the APC state chairman, Dennis Otiotio.”

President Bola Tinubu says no amount of foreign aid will help Nigeria unless citizens unite to build the country.

While addressing a joint session of the national assembly in Abuja on Wednesday, Tinubu said no institution or personality would help the country grow except the citizens.

The president noted that without the national assembly, he would not have found a path to the presidency.

“You sang out the latest national anthem, ‘Nigeria we hail thee’. This is our diversity, representing all people, and how we pledge together to be brothers and sisters,” Tinubu said.

“Without this house, I probably would not have found a path to the presidency; I started it all from here. That is why I have given that respect to you this morning and will continue to collaborate with you to build our country together.

“We have no other choice. No other institution or personality will help us, except we do it ourselves.

“No amount of aid from foreign countries can help us. Let us work together to build our nation, charting a new path.”

Tinubu thanked the lawmakers for “building up this institution to this level.”

“Our friends, old and new, to every Nigerian, I say congratulations on 25 years of unbroken democracy,” he said.

“You are the foremost leaders who speak for our people and have been at the forefront of this struggle.”

The president added that the country’s democracy must be nurtured “so that our children and great-grandchildren will be assured of prosperity, progress, and development”.