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Today's Headlines: Court orders Aiyedatiwa, others to file defence, Bandits kill cleric

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Ondo poll: Court orders Aiyedatiwa, others to file defence

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A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress, and the Independent National Electoral Commission to file their defence in a suit seeking to nullify Aiyedatiwa’s candidacy in the upcoming gubernatorial election in the state, slated for November.

The Senator representing Ondo South, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, had approached the court to void Aiyedatiwa’s win from the April 20 APC governorship primary election held in Ondo state.

He asked the court to declare that Aiyedatiwa was not a valid candidate for the party because the party did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.

Ibrahim, who participated and was a governorship aspirant in the said primary election, prayed to the Court to delist APC and Aiyedatiwa from the political parties and candidates that would participate in the gubernatorial poll.

He insisted that the party did not comply with its regulations and guidelines in the conduct of the poll.

The plaintiff’s counsel, Chris Uche, (SAN), told the court that he received a memorandum of conditional appearance from APC and INEC’s lawyer but was yet to receive any application from Aiyedatiwa.

He further told the court that the defendants were yet to file their defence.

Bandits kill cleric, three church members, kidnap many in Niger community

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Bandits have reportedly killed a clergy man and three other church members in Niger Community.

Scores were also said to have been kidnapped by the suspects.

The incident happened in Majure village via Sarkinpawa in Munya local government area of the state on Monday night.

They were said to have been killed in a farm close to the Church of Evangelical Church of West Africa, (ECWA).

How DSS invaded Ogun court, arrested defendants against judge’s warning – Lawyer

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A lawyer, Kehinde Bamiwola of K H Bamiwola and Co, Beulah Chambers, Alagbon, Owode Yewa, has narrated how about eight operatives of the Department of State Services reportedly stormed Ogun State High Court sitting in Ilaro on Monday and whisked away the duo of Alhaji Fatai Isiaka and one Samuel Oyero.

Bamiwola said that the DSS officers’ actions were flagrant disobedience to Justice A A Shobayo’s earlier order that the DSS should not arrest anybody within the court’s premises.

The legal practitioner, in a statement on Tuesday, said that Isiaka and Oyero, who were whisked away by the DSS, are defendants in an ongoing case of arson with suit number HCP/IC/2023, The State vs. Awode Oladosu and 13 others.

He explained that the suit was a result of arson allegations reported by Chief Akeem Adigun, popularly called Socopao.

Bamiwola explained that while the court was sitting over this matter, as one of the counsels to the defendants, he stood up to draw the attention of the court to the presence of the DSS officers and that he feared that they were around to arrest some of the defendants in the ongoing trial.

He revealed further that “upon this observation, His Lordship ordered the state counsel, one Timilehin Oredehin, to invite the men of the DSS to the open court.

“Their leader or team leader was warned and ordered to leave the court premises and that, if at all anyone is to be arrested, it should not be within the court premises as they (DSS) know the houses of their targets or suspects to be arrested.

Tinubu, Shettima present as FEC meeting enters second day

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The Federal Executive Council, chaired by President Bola Tinubu, has begun the second leg of its meeting, which began on Monday, March 13.

The President, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, are among council members seated for Tuesday’s session which began at minutes past 12:00 noon at the Council Chamber of the State House.

The PUNCH gathered that the council considered at least 32 memoranda on Monday. However, the meeting was adjourned till Tuesday to allow for other “far-reaching” decisions to be disclosed later today.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced the adjournment, saying, “Today’s council meeting is not yet concluded. The council meeting will continue tomorrow.

“Therefore, there’ll be no press briefing today. A lot of far-reaching decisions are being taken and the conclusions will be made available to you tomorrow.”

Part of the decisions reached on Monday, the Presidency announced, was a mandated to all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, to, going forward, procure only vehicles and generators powered by Compressed Natural Gas.

The Federal Government also expects it’s MDAs to begin converting all petrol or diesel-powered vehicles or generators to CNG.

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