Niger Delta

A’ Ibom Election Tribunals Relocate To Abuja …Movement Is Baseless, Says Ex-AG

Published

11 years ago

June 10, 2015

Akwa Ibom State Election
Petitions Tribunals sitting in Uyo have been ordered to relocate to Abuja following alleged misconduct by some parties involved in the petitions.
The two tribunals sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom capital, are those of the Governorship Election Petitions and the National and State Houses of Assembly Elections.
Though no official statement was issued from the secretariat concerning the two tribunals, a source in the secretariat, who spoke on ground of anonymity last Monday, confirmed the relocation.
Speaking with newsmen a counsel to All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates at the tribunal, Mr Fidel Albert, said that the relocation was announced during sitting.
“The court announced that they are relocating but the venue is not officially mentioned.
“When enquiry was made as to why the relocation, the chairman said that the order was from the President of Court of Appeal,” Albert said.
Albert, who is appearing for 23 APC candidates in the National and State Houses of Assembly Tribunal, said that some of his clients would be affected financially by the relocation.
He said that the cost of transporting witnesses and materials would be high and painful for those clients with little finances.
Albert, who opined that somebody must have petitioned the President of Court of Appeal on the sitting, expressed the hope that the relocation was for the cause of justice.
Source said that three-member Tribunal for Governorship Election is headed by Justice Goddy Anunihu and other two members are Justice Raphael Aguwa and Justice J. B. Olowosegun.
The Chairman of National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal is Justice Adedayo Oyebanji, and the other members are Justice J.C.Iguh and Justice Bala Shuaibu.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared winner of governorship election, the three senatorial districts seats and the 10 House of Representatives seats in Akwa Ibom.
PDP also was declared winner of the 25 seats in the State House of Assembly leaving only one out of 26 for APC.
Meanwhile, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Akwa Ibom, Mr Uwemedimo Nwoko, says that the movement of the state election petition tribunal to Abuja is unconstitutional, baseless and lacking any justification.
Nwoko said this in Uyo when interacting with newsmen, he noted that the movement of the tribunal to Abuja has a multiplier negative effect on the entire state.
He said that the PDP was not in a hurry due to the fact that whatever proceedings that ‘are conducted in Abuja, unless the tribunal comes back to Akwa Ibom, is a nullity and amounts to no issue’.
According to him, if one is to rely on the case of Ibori and Ogboru, the Court of Appeal held that an election petition tribunal created pursuant to section 285, subsections 2, must hold its sitting in the state where the election took place.
He declared that to move the election petition tribunal outside the territory of the state where the election was conducted was a violation of the constitution.
“We in the PDP, we the Akwa Ibom lawyers, and the NBA, are ready to challenge the movement of the tribunal to Abuja. It has a multiplier negative effect on the entire state.
“Why we are not in a hurry is that whatever proceedings are being conducted now until they come back to Akwa Ibom, outside the territory of Akwa Ibom, is a nullity and amount to no issue.
“You can imagine the kind of burden, financial and logistic that will be put on the party that are going to move about 15,000 witnesses to come and testify in the election petition tribunal in an election that took place in Akwa Ibom”, he added.

Niger Delta

Stakeholders In Delta Seek Stronger GBV Action, Women’s Leadership

Published

5 days ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

Stakeholders in Delta State convened in Asaba for a leadership workshop organised by Otdel Health Heritage and Environmental Initiative (OHHEI), focusing on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and women’s participation in decision-making processes.

OHHEI Project Director, Mr. Peter Olayinka, represented by a consultant, Juliet Obiajulu, urged participants to contribute meaningfully toward advancing women’s leadership and combating GBV across communities in the state.

He said the workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to influence policies, challenge harmful cultural norms, and reinforce initiatives designed to prevent and respond to GBV.

Olayinka said women often faced bias even when they occupied leadership positions, and stressed that gender diversity improved the quality of decision-making and promoted innovation and accountability in governance structures.

Speaking, the Chairperson of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Mr Eris Jewo-Ibi, identified cultural norms, domestic responsibilities, political resistance, and grassroots barriers as constraints to women’s participation.

Delta State GBV Desk Officer, Mrs. Rosemary Okpuno, emphasised that effective decision-making required women’s perspectives, adding that inclusion remained critical to addressing persistent gender-based challenges.

Voke Angbagh of the Delta State Ministry of Justice outlined penalties for rape and called for the establishment of special courts to handle sexual offences cases.

Angbagh said frequent adjournments delayed justice for survivors, stressing that dedicated sexual offences courts would ensure timely trials and stronger protection for victims in Delta State.

The Tide’s source reports that facilitators identified cultural acceptance of violence, unequal power relations, discrimination, poverty, limited education, and low self-esteem as major drivers of GBV.

They emphasised that violence and exclusion resulted in social, physical and emotional harm, imposed economic costs, reinforced harmful stereotypes, and widened existing gender inequalities.

The source also reports that OHHEI, a local non-profit organisation, focuses on education, health, environment, and social justice, promoting sustainable development initiatives with gender equality at the centre of its interventions.

Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

Published

5 days ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Cross River State Government has suspended all taskforce activities connected to commercial transportation and ticketing across the state.

The State Governor, Bassey Otu, announced the suspension at an emergency stakeholders meeting on Friday in Calabar.

It would be recalled that commercial drivers in Calabar metropolis took to streets on Thursday to protest alleged multiple taxation and extortion by government agencies.

During the protest, the drivers alleged that taskforce groups claiming to represent the state government openly harassed and extorted them.

Represented at the meeting by Ekpenyong Akiba, his Special Adviser on General Duties, Otu said the suspension would subsist pending further review of the situation.

The Governor stated that the state government did not commission anyone to extort drivers in the name of task force.

He urged commercial drivers and other road users to remain law-abiding while government worked out a lasting solution.

On his part, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Calabar Metropolis, Mr. Sunday Dennis, expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield positive results.

He said the meeting had provided an opportunity for the aggrieved commercial drivers to present their concerns directly to the state government.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Unified Drivers Association, Mr. Nta Henshaw, described the harassment on drivers as worrisome, and urged the state government to be decisive in resolving the matter.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

Published

5 days ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has called for more private sector investments in agriculture.

The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Moses Essien, made the call when the committee visited Aviclaire Farms, a private establishment in Usung Idem, Uruk Usoh in Abak Local Government Area.

Essien, who represents Ibiono Ibom in the Assembly, commended the Management of the farm for partnering an NGO, ECEWS, to promote private investment in agriculture.

He commended the partners for adopting climate-smart agriculture initiatives in their operations, adding that such move would promote food security.

“Your interest in using transformative intervention to promote food security is a veritable way of complementing the efforts of the state government,” he said.

The lawmaker continued that adopting practical climate-smart agriculture model would help to generate employment, improve nutrition outcomes, and strengthen food sufficiency.

He further said he was impressed with the strides recorded by the partners, saying, “your investment has created jobs for no fewer than 2,000 youths.

”You are an example of an environment-friendly investor. I urge Akwa Ibom residents to embrace environment-friendly and technology-driven agriculture models,” he said.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, ECEWS, Dr. Andy Eyo, who conducted the committee round the farm, said the collaboration was conceived to demonstrate the viability of climate-smart farming in ensuring food sufficiency.

Eyo said the farm, which commenced operations with four greenhouses, had expanded to 14 within two years, and currently supplying high-quality produce to major markets in Uyo and neighbouring communities.

He said ECEWS was exploring cooperative frameworks to enable rural farmers and women’s groups to adopt greenhouse technology for sustainable livelihoods.

In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Aviclaire Farms, Mrs. Victoria Eyo, said the controlled-environment ensured precision cultivation and consistent yields.

She further said the farm served as a capacity-building centre for students, interns, and agri-business trainees.