Headlines
Court Adjourns Ambode’s Bus Probe Suit Against Lawmakers Till Nov 20
A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has adjourned hearing till November 20, 2019 in a suit filed by the immediate past Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to stop the state House of Assembly from probing him over the 820 mass transit buses purchased by his administration.
Justice Y.A. Akinsanya ordered Ambode and the lawmakers to maintain the “status quo” pending the hearing of the suit.
The adjournment followed a request by the lawmakers’ lawyer, Adenike Osinowo, for time to study Ambode’s suit and file appropriate response.
Osinowo said the court processes were served on her late on Tuesday.
She said, “We were served the Motion on Notice very late yesterday (Tuesday) and we shall be opposing the motion.
“We shall be asking the court for a date to regularise our processes.”
While adjourning for hearing, Justice Adesanya directed the parties to the case maintain the status quo.
The judge on Tuesday declined hearing an ex parte application by Ambode’s lawyer, Mr Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), to make orders of injunction against the lawmakers.
Rather than entertain the ex parte application, Justice Adesanya directed the ex-governor to put the defendants on notice and adjourned till Wednesday for hearing.
In the suit, Ambode urged the court to restrain the lawmakers “from compelling the claimant, in any manner whatsoever, to appear before the defendants pursuant to the resolution passed by the defendants on August 27, 2019 or any other resolution passed in respect of the subject matter of this suit”.
He urged the court to declare that “it is not lawful for the defendants to represent or continue to represent to the public that the claimant, Akinwunmi Ambode, procured 820 buses in breach of budgetary approval”.
In his statement of claim, Ambode accused the lawmakers of deliberate misrepresentation of facts, contending that contrary to their claims, “the procurement of the 820 buses was captured in the 2018 Appropriation Law which was duly approved by the House”.
He said, “In Section 1 of the bill, the 1st defendant (House of Assembly) authorised the total budget for the year 2018 to be N1,046,121,181,680, comprising the sum of N347,038,938,872.00 only and N699,082,242,808.00 only as the recurrent and capital expenditures, respectively.
“Part of the items authorised by the bill under Capital Expenditure was: ‘LAGBUS Public Transport Infrastructure; part financing of 820 buses’ which was Item 8 under Schedule 1- Part C of the bill.”
He added, “Having prescribed the manner of withdrawal of funds in Sections 3 and 4 of the 2018 Appropriation Law, it was unconstitutional for the House to attach another condition in Section 9 of the law for further approval to be sought before incurring any expenditure on the purchase of the buses.”
The Punch
FIFA on Thursday unveiled its list of match officials for the June 11-July 19 World Cup, including 52 referees, six of whom are women.
Football’s governing body will also take 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, who hail from all six confederations and 50 member associations.
“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer.
“They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments.
There are 41 more match officials than at Qatar four years ago, where 32 teams played 64 matches.
“The fact that six women match officials have been selected continues a trend that was started four years ago in Qatar as we aim to further develop women’s refereeing,” Collina said, with six women having already refereed in 2022.
AFP
Iran, on Wednesday, shut the Strait of Hormuz following fresh Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, raising fears that a fragile ceasefire with the United States could collapse less than a day after it was reached.
The closure comes amid renewed hostilities that have cast doubt over efforts to halt more than a month of fighting. While both Iran and the United States had earlier declared victory after brokering the truce, fresh missile and drone attacks were reported across Iran and parts of the Gulf, alongside intensified Israeli bombardments in Lebanon.
In Beirut, Israeli strikes hit residential and commercial areas without prior warning, leaving at least multiple people dead and many others injured in what has been described as one of the deadliest days of the conflict.
Iranian state media confirmed the closure, with IRNA reporting that the move was taken “in the wake of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.” The development has heightened concerns over the stability of the ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States.
Authorities in Iran also imposed strict controls on maritime movement in the strategic waterway. Ships near the strait were instructed to seek permission from Sepah, a special operations unit under the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, before passage. A radio message cited by The Wall Street Journal warned that any vessel attempting to cross without approval “will be destroyed.”
Earlier in the day, Iran had indicated a willingness to reopen the strait during the proposed two-week ceasefire, noting this would be done with “coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” U.S. officials, meanwhile, said American forces could assist in managing ship traffic, although details remain unclear.
U.S. President Donald Trump also told ABC News he was open to a “joint venture” arrangement with Iran that would involve charging tolls for vessels passing through the strait.
However, reports of ceasefire breaches soon emerged. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who played a role in negotiating the agreement, said on X that violations had already been recorded, further deepening uncertainty over whether the truce will hold.
The Presidency has come up with reasons behind President Bola Tinubu’s absent at the commissioning of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s projects in Lagos, on Wednesday.
Tinubu was noticeably absent at the scheduled project commissioning in Lagos, sparking public curiosity.
However, Sunday Dare, his Special Adviser on Public Communications and Orientation, has clarified the reason behind the last-minute development.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Dare revealed that the President had to prioritise urgent national security matters over the event.
According to him, although Tinubu is currently in Lagos, he has been deeply engaged in high-level State duties, particularly ongoing security briefings tied to recent developments across the country.
“The president has been busy taking constant briefs and has to prioritise when it comes to state matters, especially security,” Dare stated.
He referenced rising security concerns, including recent unrest linked to incidents in Jos, noting that the President has been closely monitoring the situation and working directly with intelligence agencies.
Dare emphasised that Tinubu remains fully engaged behind the scenes, actively coordinating with security operatives and receiving continuous updates to address emerging threats.
The absence, he stressed, should not be seen as neglect of official duties but rather a reflection of the President’s focus on safeguarding national stability at a critical time.
Tinubu skipped the Lagos commissioning not out of disregard, but to handle pressing security issues demanding immediate presidential attention.
