Today's Headlines: Appeal Court strikes out Adebutu’s appeal on vote buying, Barcelona announce former player Deco as sporting director.
Appeal Court strikes out Adebutu’s appeal on vote buying.
According to Vanguard news, A special panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday affirmed the decision of the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had earlier struck out all allegations of vote-buying and voter inducement made by the Ogun State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its guber candidate, Ladi Adebutu made against Governor Dapo Abiodun and APC.
The Court, in its lead judgment read by Justice MB Idris, also upheld another decision of the tribunal which confirmed the validity of the defence filed by Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Recall that on 22 May 2023, Adebutu and PDP had filed a reply to the defence by Governor Abiodun.
In the said reply, Adebutu and PDP alleged, for the first time, that Governor Abiodun and APC bought votes in the March 18 2023 Ogun State gubernatorial elections.
When Governor Abiodun received Adebutu’s reply, the Governor’s lawyers filed an application asking the Tribunal to strike out the reply in its entirety or in the alternative, to strike out offending paragraphs from that reply.
The Governor’s lawyers argued that the reply filed by Adebutu and PDP contravened Paragraph 16(1)(a & b) of the Schedule to the Electoral Act and the rules of court pleadings.
The Tribunal agreed with the Governor’s lawyers and struck out the entire reply filed by Adebutu and PDP.
Photo Credit: Google.
Barcelona announce former player Deco as sporting director.
According to Vanguard news, Barcelona have announced former midfielder Anderson Luis de Souza “Deco” as the club’s new sporting director.
Deco signed a three-year deal until 2026 and will start in his new role at the end of the current transfer window on September 2.
The club announced that the 45-year-old will head the club’s football section.
“Deco will be in charge of setting FC Barcelona’s sporting philosophy and putting together the squad with the coach and the coaching and becoming head of the football section.”
The former Portuguese star joined from Porto in 2004; he made 161 appearances during his four-year stay at the club.
Birthday: IBB a true nationalist – Gov Bago.
According to Vanguard news, Gov. Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger has described the former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida as a patriot and nationalist as he turns 82.
This is contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Bologi Ibrahim on Wednesday in Minna.
Bago described Babangida as a true patriot and nationalist, who has made a tremendous impact in shaping the nation’s history and sacrifices to ensure the survival and unity of Nigeria.
He said that the doggedness and resolve of the Octogenarian in nation-building were crucial to the stability, national and international unity as well as development of the country.
According to him, the policies and programmes of the elder statesman during his regime as the Military President of the country are still standing strong.
‘Nigerians take too much rubbish from politicians’ — Sanusi Lamido.
According to Vanguard news, The former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, has said Nigerians take too much rubbish from politicians, encouraging the masses not to be intimidated by political leaders.
According to Sanusi, if the politicians are not held to account, coming generations might have no country to call theirs.
Sanusi, a former Central Bank of Nigseria, CBN, governor, said that most Nigerians did not go into politics, does not make them inferior, adding that Nigerians are too afraid in their comfort zones.
Speaking in a video that has gone viral, the technocrat said: “We cannot be intimidated by somebody because you are a president or you are a governor and we cannot tell you that you are wrong.
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