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Supreme Court Affirms Ortom, Fintiri’s Election
The Supreme Court, yesterday, upheld the elections of Samuel Ortom of Benue State and his counterpart in Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
Both governors, who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had their return as winners of the last governorship elections in their states challenged up to the Supreme Court by the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the states.
In two separate judgments, yesterday, a seven-man panel, led by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, dismissed the two appeals filed by Emmanuel Jime, APC candidate in Benue and his counterpart in Adamawa State.
Members of the panel were unanimous that the appellants failed to provide cogent reasons to warrant them to tamper with the concurrent findings of the two lower courts (the election tribunal and Court of Appeal).
While summarising his decision, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, who read the lead judgment in the Benue appeal, said a thorough analysis of the evidence presented by the appellants showed they failed to discharge the burden of proof place on them by the law.
Justice Ngwuta said: “In conclusion, I find that the concurrent judgments of the two lower courts are not to be tampered with. The appeal is hereby dismissed”.
Justice Dattijo Mohammed gave similar decision in the lead judgement he read in the Adamawa appeal.
Justice Mohammed was of the view that the appellants failed to establish their claim of over-voting as required by law.
He held that the two courts below were not wrong in disagreeing with the appellants, that they could rely on card reader reports and not call poling unit agents as witnesses in proving over-voting.
Justice Mohammed said it is the law that card reader reports cannot supplant voters’ register in proving over-voting.
“Resultantly, the two courts below are right to hold that the appellants failed to prove their case. This appeal is hereby dismissed.
“The second respondent’s return and declaration as the winner of the governorship election held in Adamawa State is further affirmed,” the judge said.
Other members of the panel agreed with both lead judgments.
Reacting, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended the Supreme Court for upholding the elections of Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Samuel Ortom of Benue and Ahmed Fintiri of Adamawa State.
The party maintained that its governors won the elections in their respective states and any disposition to the contrary would have further diminished the hard earned image of the highest court of the land as Nigerians know that the PDP won in those states.
In a statement, yesterday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party insisted that the judgment on the four states would not in any way sway it to abandon or even diminish the nationwide agitation for a judicial review and reversal of the “miscarriage of justice” by the Court in its January 14, 2020, judgment on Imo State governorship election.
It noted that by upholding the Sokoto, Bauchi, Benue and Adamawa elections, the apex court has shown that it can still be trusted to assert its independence and can further redeem its image by immediately reversing its “defective and widely condemned” judgment on Imo state.
The party pointed out that Nigerians would still be agitated and the image, as well as public confidence on the Supreme Court, will still not be fully redeemed until the court summons the expected courage to review and reverse itself on the Imo judgment, in line with the consensus already expressed by citizens across board.
The statement said: “This is because the miscarriage of justice in the Imo judgment is glaring, given the established fact that the Supreme Court conjured strange figures as votes and donated same to the APC and its candidate, Senator Hope Uzodimma, and used the unfounded figure as basis to declare a party that came forth as winner of the election.
“What is most embarrassing is that in allocating the conjured figures to the APC, the Supreme Court became caught in a web, as total number of votes suddenly jumped to 950,952, over and above INEC’s 823, 743 official number of accredited voters for the election.
“The PDP insists that only a judicial review will guarantee justice in this matter as the PDP, the people of Imo state and Nigerians at large are not ready to allow the Supreme Court to impose a governor other than the person elected by the people at the poll.
“In congratulating Governors Tambuwal, Ortom, Fintiri and Bala Mohammed, the party urged them to continue in the path of good governance for which they were elected, in line with the manifesto and vision of the PDP”.
The party also called on all its elected and appointed officials as well as members, teeming supporters and Nigerians across board to continue the demand for a judicial review on Imo, adding that the PDP will continue to toe that path until justice is seen to have been done.
President Bola Tinubu has expressed confidence that the country would win the fight against insecurity.
The President gave the assurance at the Argungu International Fishing Festival in Argungu town, Kebbi State, on Saturday.
He noted that the relative peace currently being enjoyed in Kebbi and neighbouring states was the result of sustained investments in security intelligence, coordination among security agencies, and community engagement.
Tinubu assured farmers and fishermen of sustained federal support to guarantee food security and safety across the country.
“The peace we are witnessing today is not accidental. It is the outcome of deliberate and sustained efforts. I assure you that the fight against banditry, insurgency, and insecurity will be won.
“Our farmers, fishermen, traders, and families will go about their lawful activities without fear,” he assured.
The President commended the organisers of the festival for sustaining the cultural event for decades, noting that it had endured for 83 years despite social and security challenges.
Describing the Argungu festival as a powerful symbol of unity, resilience, and peaceful coexistence, Tinubu stated that it reflects the richness of the country’s culture and the opportunities to harness its natural and human resources for national growth.
He said, “Today, this festival stands as a powerful symbol of unity, resilience, and peaceful coexistence among our people.
“It reflects the richness of our culture, the strength of our traditions, and the opportunities inherent in harnessing our natural and human resources for national development.”
The President was received by a large crowd of residents, traditional rulers, fishermen, tourists, and government officials from across the country.
The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to youth and women empowerment, irrigation development, rural electrification, and agricultural productivity.
Earlier, the Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, said his administration was determined to elevate the Argungu Fishing Festival to full international standards while pursuing aggressive development across critical sectors of the state.
The United States Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos will be closed today, in observance of Presidents’ Day.
The mission made this known in a notice shared on its official X page, yesterday.
“The U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos will be closed on Monday, February 16, 2026, in observance of Presidents’ Day,” the post read.
According to the embassy, Presidents’ Day was originally established to honour the birthday of the former US President, George Washington, but has evolved into a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents and their leadership in shaping the country’s history.
The embassy noted that the holiday also recognises the influence of U.S. presidents on global affairs.
In a related message, the mission highlighted that Washington created the first “Badge of Military Merit,” which later became the Purple Heart. The medal still bears Washington’s image today.
Presidents’ Day is observed on the third Monday of February annually in the United States as a federal holiday.
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Guterres Backs Nigeria’s Bid For UN Security Council Seat …Hails Tinubu’s Reforms, Regional Security Role
United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has charged Nigeria with spearheading Africa’s quest for a restructured global order, describing the country as uniquely positioned to lead the continent toward superpower status.
Guterres, who backed Nigeria’s bid for the world body’s security council seat, also praised the economic reforms of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration as well as Nigeria’s leadership in stabilising the Sahel and ECOWAS regions, despite facing its own security challenges.
The UN scribe made the remarks last Friday night during a high-level bilateral meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima on the sidelines of the 39th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Speaking during the meeting, Guterres said Nigeria’s large population, sustained democratic governance, vast natural and human resources, and longstanding commitment to multilateralism placed it in a unique position to lead Africa in the evolving global order.
“Given Nigeria’s demographic strength, democratic continuity and deep resource base, the country stands a real chance of leading Africa to becoming the next superpower in the evolving global architecture,” he said.
The UN Secretary-General and the vice president discussed key developments in Nigeria and the country’s expanding leadership role in promoting regional stability across West Africa and the Sahel.
Guterres commended the remarkable and outstanding reforms of the administration of President Tinubu, noting that Nigeria’s bold economic restructuring and security commitments have strengthened its continental standing.
The meeting focused on strengthening Nigeria–UN collaboration to advance global economic growth, peace and security, sustainable development, and a coordinated humanitarian response across Africa.
In his remarks, Shettima thanked the UN Secretary-General for his leadership in advancing global peace, noting that Africa has benefited immensely from his tenure, even as the United Nations undergoes internal restructuring.
“We remain committed to multilateralism and to deepening our partnerships with the United Nations and other global institutions,” the vice president said.
Shettima also reiterated Nigeria’s longstanding call for comprehensive reform of the United Nations system to reflect evolving global realities.
He emphasised that Africa must have stronger representation in global decision-making structures and declared that Nigeria deserves a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Both leaders pledged to deepen cooperation, with Guterres reaffirming the UN’s support for Nigeria’s reform agenda and its growing leadership role in advancing peace, security, and development across Africa.