Nigerian Supreme Court judgement news today: Top 10 news from Supreme Court today – Today February 18, 2020 is an important date in the history of supreme court proceedings in Nigeria, this is because it is uncommon for the supreme court to review its judgements.
Today three major judgements will be reviewed which includes Zamfara state governorship verdict, Imo State governorship judgement and the more recent Bayelsa State judgement which sacked the former Governor-elect, David Lyon of the All progressive congress, APC.
If you are looking for a page where you will get all the trending news regarding today’s Supreme Court judgement then is the page you are looking for.
Below are the top 10 trending news regarding Supreme Court judgement today:
1) Supreme Court Adjourns Hearing Of Ihedioha’s Case To March 2, 2020 – The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing of former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha to March 2, 2020.
Mr Ihedioha approached the apex court with an application to reverse itself on the judgement sacking him from office as governor.
The Supreme Court had fixed today to hear the appeal filed by Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one month after it sacked him on January 14 and declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Hope Uzodinma, as the duly elected governor of Imo State.
At the hearing today, lawyer to Mr Ihedioha, Mr Kanu Agabi, filed an application stating that he needs a little time to file some processes before the Court.
Lawyers to Governor Hope Uzodinma and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not oppose the application.
The seven-man panel of the apex court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Mohammed, after listening to all the parties, adjourned the hearing to March 2, 2020.
2) Zamfara APC: Supreme Court Adjourns Application For Review Of Judgment – The Supreme Court has adjourned till March hearing in the application by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for a review of a judgment that barred the party’s candidate from participating in the governorship election in the state.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko, adjourned the matter after observing that some of the respondents in the case had not been served with the hearing notices.
Specifically, respondents 140-178 were not represented in court by counsel.
When the matter was called, Chief Robert Clarke announced appearance for the APC, while Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Taminu Inuwa (SAN) and Dr Adekunle Otituju announced appearance for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 140th and 180th respondents, respectively.
The 141st to 178 respondents were not represented in court as a result of service. Meanwhile, the court has ordered that hearing notices be issued to them before the next adjourned date.
This is the second time the application by the APC for a review will be coming before the court.
When the matter first came up on July 29, 2019, the apex court rejected the application.
A five-man panel of the court, led by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, in a ruling early on Monday, struck out the application marked: SC/377/2019 filed by the APC, seeking a review of the judgment.
3) Supreme Court Judgments Are Reversible – Chuks Iloegbunam challenges the decision of the apex court in the Imo governorship election.
Nigerians must with one voice put this critical question to the seven-member Supreme Court panel of judges that sacked Governor Ihedioha of Imo State and planted Senator Hope Uzodinma as his replacement: Distinguished as you all are, would you have dared to pronounce this same perversity if other than the All Progressives Congress (APC) is currently in control of the Federal Government of Nigeria?
The controversial Supreme Court verdict was read by Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun. Mrs. Kekere-Ekun was born in 1958. She earned her first Law degree from the University of Lagos, and the second from the London School of Economics and Political Science, not from backyard or quota colleges that routinely grant admissions to laggards confirmed incapable of passing basic School Certificate subjects like English and Mathematics. Called to the Bar in 1981, she was appointed to the Supreme Court 32 years later.
4) Group Urges United States To Monitor Review Of Imo Governorship Ruling By Supreme Court – the United States as well as the US Senate will be monitoring the review of the Supreme Court ruling sacking Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo State.
The apex court led by Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, had on January 14, 2020 through a ruling removed Ihedioha as governor of Imo State and declared Hope Uzodinma, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, winner of the governorship election in the state.
The judgment of the court had been met with stiff criticisms as analysts and experts posited that the court erred in its ruling.
Ihedioha and the Peoples Democratic Party had filed a suit for the review of the judgment.
5) Supreme Court decision on Bayelsa violates sanctity of ballot box – SAN: A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Louis Alozie has faulted the judgment of the Supreme Court, which nullified the election of the former Bayelsa Governor-elect David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Alozie contended that the Supreme Court should not have voided Lyon’s election but allow him pick another running mate.
He said that by voiding Lyon’s election, the Apex Court has taken away the right of the people of Bayelsa State to choose their leader.
“For me, the decision violates the sanctity of ballot box. It is the inviolable right of the people to choose their leaders.
“The supreme court seems to have taken away that right. A deputy Governor or vice president has always been known to be a spare tyre.
6) Imo Governorship: Why Supreme Court must not review its decision – Uzodinma: The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, has asked the Supreme Court to strike out an application seeking to review its judgment on Imo governorship election that declared him the winner of March 9 election.
Emeka Ihedioha, who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had claimed that Mr Uzodinma obtained the judgment fraudulently.
Mr Ihedioha’s claims are contained in an application which he filed on February 5, at the Supreme Court.
The apex court had on January 14, nullified the governorship position held by Mr Ihedioha. He was earlier declared the winner by the electoral umpire, INEC, as the governor of Imo State.
The apex court, however, declared Mr Uzodinma as the winner of the March 9 governorship election in the state.
7) Fr. Mbaka denies alleged Bayelsa governorship prophecy – THE founder and director of Adoration Ministry, Emene, Enugu, AMEN, Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka has refuted a purported prophecy report in social media alleging that he predicted the new Bayelsa governor will stay only 2 months in office.
The Enugu fiery priest denied the rumour during his Sunday sermon at the Adoration ground, Emene, Enugu.
Mbaka maintained that he has never at any time, place or circumstance made any prophecy about Bayelsa or who becomes the Governor of the state or his duration in office.
Describing the report as malicious, handwork of mischief makers and wicked individuals who are on demonic and satanic assignment to damage his reputation, Mbaka, warned them to deceased else they would attract the wrath of God upon themselves.
8) PDP insists on probing Bayelsa governorship poll – The Peoples Democratic Party has insisted on going ahead with its planned probe of the immediate and remote causes of the fate it suffered during the November 16 governorship election in Bayelsa State.
This, the party said, was without prejudice to the swearing-in of its candidate, Mr Douye Diri, and running mate, Lawyerence Ewhrudjakpo, as governor and deputy governor, respectively.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents, in Abuja, on Monday.
Ologbondiyan said, “Those (probe and reconciliation) are two issues. Reconciliation is ongoing among our members in Bayelsa. It does not stop the work of the committee that is being put together to look into the reasons why we lost in the 2019 election.
9) Supreme Court To Review Imo, Zamfara Judgments On Tuesday – he Supreme Court will on Tuesday review the judgment on election petitions in Imo and Zamfara states.
In Imo State, candidate of the Peoples Democractic Party, Emeka Ihedioha, is asking for the reversal of the judgment that sacked him as the elected governor of Imo State.
A Supreme Court panel led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, had in its January 14, 2020 judgment removed Ihedioha as governor of Imo State and declared Hope Uzodinma, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, as winner of the governorship election in the state.
Also, the Supreme Court would on the same day sit on the review of the judgment that nullified the victory of all the party’s candidates at the 2019 general elections held in Zamfara State.
The Supreme Court had on August 22, 2019 struck out the APC’s application but it was refiled in November 2019 by the party’s lawyer, Chief Robert Clarke (SAN).
10) Imo: Ignoring S’Court Principle, PDP Asks CJN, Six Others to Step Aside – Ahead of today’s hearing of the application by the sacked governor of Imo State, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, for the Supreme Court to review its judgment on the 2019 governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Ibrahim Muhammad, demanding his recusal along with six other justices of the court from the case.
In a letter signed by the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus and National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Ibrahim Tsauri, the main opposition party demanded that a new panel be set up to hear Ihedioha’s application.
Should the CJN agree to the request, the Supreme Court, which presently has only 13 justices, will be short of personnel to hear the case.
Going by the principle of the Supreme Court, reconstituting the panel will require seven justices of the apex court to hear the case; one justice short of the six that would be left after seven of their colleagues might have recused themselves from the case as being demanded by the PDP.
This post was last modified on February 18, 2020 1:24 PM