Headlines
Alleged U.S. Conviction: Court Rules in Favour of Gbajabiamila
A Federal Capital Territory High Court has faulted the decision of a political party to challenge the emergence of Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The court in a ruling said the applicants acted recklessly by approaching an area court to determine their application, as the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
The court also ruled that the documents before it were sufficient to agree with the submissions of Mr Gbajabiamila that he was never convicted as suggested by the applicants.
Explaining the proceedings that resulted in the ruling on Wednesday, Mr Gbajabiamila’s lawyer, Olowole Adaja, said they reacted to the application at the area court by approaching the FCT High Court with a request that it judicially reviews the decision of the area court to entertain the application.
He said that the applicants relied on what they believed to be a decision of the Supreme Court in Georgia, which had punished Mr Gbajabiamila after a disciplinary panel heard a case of professional misconduct against him.
Mr Adaja further explained that, according to the applicants, the decision of the supreme court of Georgia amounted to a conviction, hence Mr Gbajabiamila ought not to have denied being convicted when he responded to form CF001, ahead of the general elections.
“We, therefore, set the record straight by stating that what had happened in Georgia, United States was not a trial. There was neither an arraignment nor a conviction. And the basis upon which they brought their application is that he had been convicted.
“The court ruled that based on the facts before it, there were no sufficient reasons to submit that Hon. Gbajabiamila had been convicted by any court of law.”
Mr Adaja added that the court ruled in favour of their submissions that based on provisions of the Electoral Act, only a High Court, like the instant one, could entertain the nature of application brought by the applicants.
The judgement was delivered by Justice A. O Musa
A similar application is also pending at the Abuja division of the Federal High Court.
Premium Times
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
