Delivering his ruling in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, Daily Dates Nigeria reports that Justice Isah Dashen held that all relevant parties must be heard before any substantive decision can be made in the matter.

The court upheld the application filed by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), ruling that the party is a necessary party to the suit.

Justice Dashen noted that counsel to the PMP successfully demonstrated the party’s legal interest, which warranted its inclusion in the proceedings.

According to the judge, the earlier judgment was constitutionally defective as it was delivered without hearing from all interested parties.

He declared that such an omission rendered the entire process null and void.

Justice Dashen further ruled that the status quo be restored to what it was before the December 2025 judgment, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He also observed that certain material facts were suppressed in the earlier proceedings, which justified the decision to set aside the judgment.

Consequently, the court ordered that the substantive suit commence afresh, with INEC, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as parties to the case.

Counsel to the applicant, C.S. Ekeocha, told journalists that the Peace Movement Party approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.

According to Ekeocha, the court agreed that the applicant’s rights had been affected and consequently vacated the earlier judgment.

“The court has ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the judgment of December 10, 2025, and directed the claimants to join all necessary parties to ensure the issues in dispute are effectually and completely determined,” he said.

He explained that the implication of the ruling is that every action taken by INEC in compliance with the now-vacated judgment stands reversed.

“The recognition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” Ekeocha stated.

He, however, clarified that the substantive case remains before the court and has not been decided.

“The matter has not been concluded. The court merely set aside its previous judgment and directed that the party whose interests were affected be joined so that all sides can be heard before a fresh decision is reached.”

Ekeocha also dismissed suggestions that the court merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling specifically directed a restoration of the position that existed before the December 10, 2025 judgment.

The ruling effectively returns the dispute over the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing, with all relevant parties expected to participate before a new determination is made.

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As part of the implementation, the governor directed all sacked chairmen of the state’s 23 local government areas to immediately hand over to the Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs).

Recall that on Friday, February 28, 2025, the Supreme Court, in a ruling delivered by Justice Jamilu Tukur, declared the October 5, 2024, local government elections invalid, nullifying the emergence of 23 chairmen and 319 councillors.

The court also recognised Martins Amaewhule as the legitimate Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, alongside 26 other lawmakers as the authentic members of the legislature.

Additionally, the apex court voided the state budget and ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation to halt further fund disbursement to the Rivers State government until Governor Fubara re-presents the budget before the duly recognized House of Assembly, led by Speaker Amaewhule.

Addressing the state in a broadcast on Sunday, Governor Fubara reaffirmed his commitment to upholding the rule of law and immediately directed Heads of Local Government Administration to take charge of council affairs pending the conduct of fresh elections by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).

Fubara said: “I have had a meeting with my team of lawyers, and they have assured me that the certified true copy of the judgments may be available to them by Friday, 7th March 2025.

“I assure you that upon the receipt of certified judgments, we shall study their ramifications and implement them without reservations to move the State forward.

“I further direct the outgoing local government chairmen to formally hand over the levers of power to the Heads of Personnel Management by Monday, 3rd March 2025.”

The governor noted with regrets the trying times the state had been plunged into but urged everyone to remain calm and peacefully go about their legitimate daily activities and be sure that his administration would continue to do everything in meeting their aspirations.

Fubara said: “We are all aware of the recent Supreme Court judgments and pronouncements regarding aspects of the lingering political disputes in our dear State.

“Although we disagree with the judgments, we are bound to obey the orders made therein as a law-abiding government.

“Since inception, we have conducted the affairs of government within the framework of our Constitution, due process and the rule of law.

“While we are not above mistakes because we are humans, we believe that we have not, as a government, done anything deliberately to trample on the rule of law or the hallowed principles of constitutional governance.

“Accordingly, I have had a meeting with my team of lawyers, and they have assured me that the certified true copy of the judgments may be available to them by Friday, 7th March 2025.

“I assure you that upon the receipt of certified judgements, we shall study their ramifications and implement them without reservations to move the State forward.”

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Lead Justice, Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, 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 court also held that contrary to the decision of the tribunal that the issues contained in the petition filed by the appellants were pre-election matters, they were both pre-election and post-election matters and could not have been deemed status barred.

Citing section 177 of the Constitution, the panel noted that Mutfwang was not validly sponsored by the PDP during the election.

It held that the party violated the court order that a valid congress be conducted in the 17 local government areas of that state, by conducting congress in only five local government areas of the state, and as such is a nullity.

While dismissing the decision of Plateau State Election Petitions Tribunal, the court held that the issue of qualification is both a pre-election and a post-election matter contrary to the findings of the tribunal which held that the appellant lacked the locus to contest the validity of the respondent.

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The judge said it was “the worst case of controlling and coercive behaviour”.

Her husband, Richard Spencer said in an interview with Daily Mail correspondent Rebecca Hardy: ” felt absolutely nothing the few times I glanced across at Sheree. I didn’t feel anger. I didn’t feel scared. I didn’t have any emotion. When I think about those memories, I don’t feel associated to them. It’s like they happened to someone else. I know it was me but, in my mind, I can’t understand how I could have allowed that to happen.”

During the two decades of abuse, he was subjected to daily beatings and verbal attacks that left him cowering on the floor in the foetal position.

This is the first time Richard has relived his 20-year ordeal at the hands of his wife Sheree, a senior project manager for HM Prison and Probation Service who boasted to friends of meetings with former prime minister Boris Johnson.

Last week, she was sentenced to four years in prison at Hull Crown Court after pleading guilty to coercive and controlling behaviour and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Her campaign of violence and intimidation is almost too shocking to catalogue. She spat in his face. Hit him with whatever she had to hand — a bottle, a mobile phone, a TV remote control.

On one occasion, she defecated on the floor, then forced him to clear it up. On another, she beat him with a wine bottle so hard it permanently disfigured his ear.

Richard, 46, has a degree in computing at Leeds Metropolitan University and a position at BT in network design that soon saw him addressing global conferences as an expert in his field. Yet, that didn’t stop him from suffering extreme abuse.

He shared videos of abuse which were captured on a security camera in the children’s playroom.

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On Wednesday, a seven-member panel led by Justice John Okoro, halted the move of the federal government in a ruling in an exparte application brought by three northern states of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara, Daily Dates Nigeria reports.

The three states had specifically applied for an order of Interim Injunction restraining “the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the commercial banks from suspending or determining or ending on February 10, 2023, the time frame with which the now older version of the 200, 500 and 1,000 denomination of the naira may no longer be legal tender pending the hearing and determination of their motion on notice for interlocutory injunction”.

Moving the application on Wednesday, counsel to the applicants, Mr A. I. Mustapha, SAN, had urged the apex court to grant the application in the interest of justice and the well-being of Nigeria.

He stated that the policy of the government had led to an “excruciating situation that is almost leading to anarchy in the land “.

While he referred to a Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) statistics which put the number of people who don’t have bank accounts at over 60 percent, Mustapha lamented that the few Nigerians with bank accounts can’t even access their monies from the bank as a result of the policy.

The senior lawyer further argued that unless the Supreme Court intervenes the situation will lead to anarchy because most banks are already closing operations.

Delivering ruling in the motion, Justice Okoro, held that after a careful consideration of the motion exparte this application is granted as prayed, “An order of Interim Injunction restraining the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the commercial banks from suspending or determining or ending on February 10, 2023, the time frame with which the now older version of the 200, 500 and 1,000 denomination of the naira may no longer be legal tender pending the hearing and determination of their motion on notice for interlocutory injunction”.

He accordingly adjourned to February 15, 2023 for hearing of the main suit.

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The court, meanwhile, ordered that any of the commercial banks found hoarding the N200, N500, and N1,000 redesigned notes would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law of the country.

Justice Eneojo Eneche gave the order on Monday after reviewing the suit brought before the court by four applicants, asking that the date fixed by the apex bank for the currency swap be maintained.

The applicants were four political parties and they were Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and National Rescue Movement (NRM).

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The defendant was arraigned on a charge of rape for having unlawful carnal of his child at Asaba on 31st May 2018, contrary to Section 218 of the Criminal Code Law of Delta State.

The prosecution led by the Director of Sexual Offences Unit, Ministry of Justice, Mrs P.U. Akamagwuna told the court that the defendant came home on a fateful day and demanded for sex from his wife. When his wife turned him down and left the house on an errand, the defendant forced himself on his four-year-old daughter.

He was caught in the act by a neighbour and fled the scene. The police subsequently arrested him. Defendant made a confessional statement which was tendered in court.

In his trial, defendant retracted the confessional statement and denied committing the offence.

Delivering judgement on Wednesday 1st February 2023, Honourable Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge held that the evidence of the four-year-old child and the witness, who caught him in the act, together with the defendant’s confessional statement, proved beyond reasonable doubt that he committed the offence.

Justice Azinge held that the defence raised in the confessional statement of the Defendant, to the effect that he lost all sense of reasoning after a native doctor laid hands on him and directed him to have sex with any woman he saw, was untenable and an afterthought.

Justice Flora described the defendant as a paedophile, whose conduct in raping his own daughter was callous, animalistic, barbaric and against the laws of God.She stated that society needed to be protected from persons like the defendant who prey on children.

The court thereafter sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment.

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IVD and his late wife, Abimbola had been married for 16 years with the union blessed with five children.The marriage, however, was filled with disagreement and alleged domestic violence.

At the climax of their clash in 2019, the couple separated and were said to have reunited.

However, on October 12, 2022, there was a fire incident at their Lekki home as Abimbola was caught in the inferno. She was rushed to a hospital where she died on October 15, as a result of the injuries she sustained.

But, the deceased’s family, while demanding justice, accused the police of cover-up and intimidation, and attempted to force the family into an out-of-court settlement with Ogbonna and also drop charges against him.

The family also alleged that the police had changed Ogbonna’s charges from ‘manslaughter’ to ‘negligence’ to make it easily bailable.

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The court order was delivered by Justice M. O. Olajuwon.

Olajuwon issued the order on Tuesday after Patrick Okoli, a former police officer, filed a suit claiming he was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Police Force.

Justice Olajuwon noted that though the Police Service Commission, PSC, recommended Okoli’s reinstatement into the Police, a decision that was affirmed by the court, the IGP, refused to comply with the order.

The court had also ordered the payment of N10million to the Applicant, being special and general damages for the unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional denial of his rights and privileges as a Senior Officer of the Nigeria Police Force from 1993 till date.

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Lawal was standing criminal prosecution alongside Hamidu David Lawal, his younger brother; Sulaiman Abubakar; Apeh John Monday and two companies, Rholavision Engineering Ltd, and Josmon Technologies Ltd.

Babachir and others were re-arraigned on a 10-count charge bordering on diversion of funds, criminal conspiracy, and official corruption to the tune of N544 million.

In a judgment delivered on Friday, the court held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) failed woefully to establish prima facie case against the defendants.

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