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Another Judge Withdraws from Okorocha’s Certificate of Return Suit
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The second judge has withdrawn from a suit filed by the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue him a certificate of return as the senator-elect for Imo West.
The development came barely a week after the first judge, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, of the Federal High Court in Abuja, withdrew from the case.
The PUNCH gathered on Monday that after Justice Taiwo withdrew from the case on April 10, it was reassigned to Justice Okon Abang also of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Abang was said to have on April 11 fixed April 18 for hearing in the suit.
But on the date fixed for the hearing, Justice Abang announced his decision to withdraw from the suit.
His decision was anchored on Okorocha’s letter to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Adamu Abdu-Kafarati, asking for the transfer of the case to another judge.
The governor, in the letter, was said to have sought the transfer of the case to another judge because opponents in the case were jubiliating that Justice Abang would dismiss the case.
The judge, upon seeing the letter in the file, immediately informed parties of his withdrawal from the suit.
Justice Taiwo had earlier withdrawn from the suit following allegations of bias levelled against him by two parties to the suit.
INEC had refused to certificate of return to Okorocha on the basis that the Returning Officer for the February 23 election, Prof Francis Ibeawuchi, said he declared the outgoing governor winner of the senatorial election under duress.
Okorocha had subsequently filed the suit, challenging INEC’s decision to withhold the certificate of return due to him as the winner of the election.
But Justice Taiwo, who had been presiding over the matter, announced his decision to withdraw from the case and ordered that the case file be returned to Justice Abdul-Kafarati, for reassignment to another judge.
The judge said he took the decision following allegations of bias levelled against him by Okorocha’s opponents in the February 23, 2019 election, Jones Onyeriri of the Peoples Democratic Party and Senator Osita Izunaso of the All Progressive Grand Alliance.
Onyeriri sent a petition dated April 8, 2019, to the chief judge, demanding that the case file be retrieved from Justice Taiwo and re-assigned to another judge of the court.
In an affidavit deposed to on his behalf by a lawyer, Chijioke Nzekwe, Onyeriri stated that Justice Taiwo on April 5, 2019, had made a bias comment in favour of the plaintiff, Okorocha, when the judge allegedly told INEC’s lawyer, Wendy Kuku, that the commission was responsible for the problems arising from the election.
The affidavit added that the judge had pre-judged the notices of preliminary objection filed by the second and third defendants (INEC and Onyeriri) when he allegedly said he had read through the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and found nothing therein that robbed him of the jurisdiction to hear his suit.
Izunaso also filed an application dated April 8, 2019 before the same judge, asking Justice Taiwo to disqualify himself from further handling the matter and return it to the Chief Judge for re-assignment to another judge.
The Punch
The Presidential Campaign Council of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned what it described as the distribution of cash, gifts and food at campaign rallies for President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on 11th November, 2026, the Council said that at a time when Nigerians are struggling to afford food, transport, and basic necessities, the display of cash at political gatherings raises concerns.
It said: “The pattern is becoming impossible to ignore. From reports of luxury vehicles presented to APC women leaders to cash and cooked food distributed by the president’s son through the City Boy Movement and now videos circulating of an APC woman leader handing out money and fabrics, the ruling party appears to be treating political support as something that can be bought.
“The same authorities that have pursued ordinary Nigerians over alleged abuse of the Naira must explain why apparent cash distribution by political operatives at campaign events should be treated differently. The EFCC and INEC must investigate these incidents and take appropriate action wherever electoral or currency laws have been breached.”
The Council said after three and a half years of economic hardship, rising insecurity and mounting public debt, the APC has little to show Nigerians.
It added that cash, gifts and displays cannot conceal a record of failure, noting that the administration has pushed millions into poverty while Nigerians continue to demand answers about the scale, terms and use of government borrowing.
“No amount of money can compel Nigerians to endorse a government that has made life harder for them. The people’s votes are not for sale, and no crowd can substitute for their verdict at the ballot box,” it said.
The ADC PCC called on the EFCC and INEC to examine the reported distributions and publicly state what steps they will take, adding that political parties must not be permitted to use cash or gifts to induce support.
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has warned Nigerians against waiting for President Bola Tinubu to fulfil his campaign promise of providing reliable electricity.
The Council challenged the President to explain why millions of Nigerians continue to experience poor power supply despite his pledge that voters should not re-elect him if he fails to deliver electricity.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC-PCC accused Tinubu of making fresh promises during his recent campaign outings in Kaduna, Rivers and Jigawa states instead of presenting a clear account of his administration’s achievements.
Recalling the President’s campaign promise, the Council quoted him as saying: “If I don’t give you electricity, don’t vote for me for a second term.”
“Tinubu is only repeating his old electricity promise in Jigawa, while Nigerians are still waiting for answers on why reliable power supply remains out of reach,” the Council said.
The Council also questioned the whereabouts and impact of 2,000 tractors reportedly imported from Brazil under the administration’s mechanised farming programme.
It further accused Tinubu of taking credit for projects started by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, while failing to show enough achievements of his own.
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has declared that President Bola Tinubu will lose the 2027 election, insisting that intimidation, violence and manipulation of democratic institutions cannot prevent his exit from office.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the Council accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of manipulating the judiciary and deploying security agencies against opposition parties.
Ologbondiyan warned that growing attacks on opposition members across the country pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
He cited the killing of several members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Delta State, allegedly following an attack on the party’s campaign venue by suspected APC thugs.
He said the incident is part of a disturbing pattern of violence against opposition parties, particularly members of the ADC, NDC and Allied Peoples Movement (APM), in Kaduna, Kogi, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto states.
“This is not politics. This is state-sponsored terror against democracy,” he said.
The Council also raised concerns over the preparedness and neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging that its voter register database had been compromised and that APC sympathisers had been deployed to sensitive positions.
It further alleged that security agencies were being used to harass, arrest and intimidate opposition members.
Ologbondiyan expressed concern over the alleged involvement of a serving director of a security agency in the APC Presidential Campaign Council as co-Director of National Security and Intelligence, describing it as a violation of the law establishing the agency.
“One thing is now very clear to all Nigerians: Tinubu is not preparing for an election. He is preparing for a coronation,” he said.
The ADC-PCC maintained that alleged manipulation of judicial processes and electoral institutions would not guarantee President Tinubu’s re-election, warning that Nigerians would resist any attempt to impose a president through compromised judicial decisions or electoral fraud.
It called on Nigerians to remain vigilant and defend their votes and democratic rights ahead of 2027.
The Council also urged the international community, civil society organisations, religious and traditional institutions to pay closer attention to what it described as the deteriorating political and security environment, warning that silence could embolden those undermining democracy.
It appealed to security agencies to remain politically neutral, stressing that their allegiance should be to the Constitution and the Nigerian people.
“Those who allow themselves to be used as tools of oppression today will answer for their actions tomorrow,” Ologbondiyan warned.
