The unanimous judgment of a three-member panel of Justices of the appellate court delivered on March 27, 2026, is on appeal marked, CA/ABJ/CV/126/2026 filed by an aggrieved party member, Fayemi Tosin Babatunde.

According to the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the judgement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, the appellants approached the court to contest the validity of the Ekiti State governorship primary election, arguing that the leadership responsible for organising the process was not authentic and lacked the legal authority to appoint an electoral committee.

The appellant’s grievances centered on the National Working Committee, NWC, led by Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe and Dr. Olu Agunleye, alleging that the leadership was “illegally constituted” and had failed to follow the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act in conducting primaries.

The appellant had sought court orders prohibiting the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognising any candidates produced by the disputed leadership.

The legal battle first saw a victory for the party leadership at the Federal High Court in Abuja on January 19, 2026, where Justice Emeka Nwite dismissed the appellant’s case, ruling that Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe was indeed the authentic national chairman and that his appointment fully complied with the SDP’s internal rules and regulations.

Dissatisfied with the judgement of the trial court, the challenger moved to the Court of Appeal, where a three-member panel of justices – comprising Abba Bello Mohammed, Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, and Oyejoju Oyebiola Oyewumi, set aside all the orders made referring to the leadership tussle within the SPD by the trial court for having been made without jurisdiction.

The Appeal Court held that a court without jurisdiction lacked the vires to make further pronouncement.

In the unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, the court held that, “The appeal succeeds in part. In respect of the issue of the leadership tussle and the venue of the primaries; I find and hold that the decision of the Federal High Court delivered on January 19, 2026 by Justice Emeka Nwite is affirmed only to the extent that, the appellant is not an aspirant to the primary election”.

The Appeal Court held that, decision on Dr. Sadiq Abubakar Gombe being the authentic leader of the SDP, “having been made without jurisdiction and been perverse is set aside.

“The decision that, the second respondent (SDP) primary election of November 8, 2025 is valid and in compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 is also set aside”, the court held and then made an order declaring that the SDP has  valid candidate for the gubernatorial election in Ekiti State as all parties to be affected by the order are not before the court.

The court ruled that the primary conducted by INEC is valid.

The appellate court held that, evidence from INEC’s monitoring report (Exhibit INEC 3) confirmed that the primary was conducted with legitimate delegates and a clear winner, Engr. Bankole David Oludele.

The appellate court did not make any order as to cost.

By dismissing these appeals, the Court has placed a final judicial stamp of approval on the Shehu Gabam-led leadership (represented in these proceedings by the authentic chairmanship of Dr. Gombe), ensuring the party can move forward without the shadow of leadership uncertainty.

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The PDP-GF under the chairmanship of Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State made the call in a statement by its Director-General, Dr Emmanuel Agbo, in Abuja on Sunday.

“We urge our members, supporters, and indeed all Nigerians to remain calm and disciplined in their reactions to the ruling.

“Our collective response must reflect maturity and a deep respect for the rule of law.

“We call on all party members and leaders to show maximum restraint, calm and be law-abiding before, during and after the judgment,” he said.

Agbo said that the party leadership would meet immediately to review the judgment and chart the necessary post- judgment line of action.

He said that whatever the decision might be, the PDP reaffirmed its respect for the judicial process and its commitment to peace.

He expressed the party’s belief in the judiciary which he described as the custodian of justice, which carries the weight of ensuring fairness, impartiality, and the preservation of national stability.

“Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, the PDP remains resolute in its mission to provide Nigerians with a strong, credible, and people-centered alternative.

“No ruling can erase the will of Nigerians for a fair and competitive political system.

“We are prepared to participate fully in the democratic process, ensuring that the voices of the people are heard and respected.

“The judiciary has always remained the only impartial and people-oriented arm of government whose tireless defense of the constitution has ensured the stability of our democratic governance,” he said.

Agbo noted that the PDP had always been a cornerstone of Nigeria’s democratic journey.

He noted that the party had governed, opposed, and contributed to the strengthening of institutions that protected the rights of citizens.

He added that democracy thrived on diversity of voices, competition of ideas, and the ability of citizens to choose from credible alternatives.

“The PDP will continue to embody these values; we therefore call on all members with political aspirations to contest the 2027 general elections to have faith in the party’s ability to provide the party’s platform that will ensure their electoral victories.

“Notwithstanding the fact that INEC has already published the timetable for the general elections, the party will ensure the protection and realisation of their political ambitions,” he said.

The appellate court had on February 13, reserved judgment in nine appeals filed by rival factions of the PDP regarding the controversial national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025.

The appeals stemmed mainly from separate decisions handed down by two Federal High Court judges in Abuja – James Omotosho and Peter Lifu.

There were also counter-decisions from the Oyo State High Court and recently the Federal High Court, both in Ibadan, regarding the disputed convention.

In spite the rulings stopping the convention ahead of the scheduled date, the organisers proceeded with it in Ibadan, Oyo State, between November 15 and November 16 2025, producing Tanimu Turaki, as national chairperson of the PDP, alongside other national officers.

There was another related case before Joyce Abdulmalik, also of the Federal High Court, Abuja, filed on November 21, 2025 by a rival faction aligned with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, to restrain the Turaki-led group from representing the party and to bar the Department of State Services, DSS, from granting them access to the PDP secretariat in Abuja.

On January 23, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until February 20 in deference to the Court of Appeal over the appeals regarding the same subject matter of the Ibadan convention pending before it.

Justice Abdumalik rescheduled the case for February 20 to take report from the Court of Appeal regarding the appeals.

During the hearing of the appeals, lawyers to the appellants – the Turaki led group – urged the court to allow the appeals and set aside the judgements invalidating its convention.

But lawyers to the respondents including the acting chair, Mohammed Abdulrahman, whose group aligns Wike, asked the court to dismiss the appeals and uphold the decisions of the Federal High Court.

Adopting his written brief of arguments the appellants’ lawyer, Chris Uche, SAN, said the appeal challenged the October 31 , 2025 judgment delivered by Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

He argued that the judgment was delivered without jurisdiction and asked the court to dismiss a preliminary objection against the appeal.

He also urged the court to set aside Judge Omotosho’s judgment and orders.

However, lawyers to the first to third respondents, Joseph Daudu, a SAN, while also adopting his clients’ preliminary objections and briefs of argument filed in opposition to the appeal, urged the court to uphold the objections and dismiss the appeal.

Other respondents’ lawyers similarly asked the court to dismiss the appeal.

Source: NAN

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The court dismissed the appeal of the convicts for lack of merit.

The appellate panel, comprising Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, Justice Gabriel Kolawole and Justice Abdul Dogo, upheld the judgment of Justice Haleemah Saleeman of the Kwara High Court which sentenced the appellants to death by hanging.

The convicts are Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun and Adeola Abraham.

In its ruling, the court rejected all the grounds of appeal filed by the appellants and ordered their immediate return to prison custody.

The convictions arose from the coordinated bank robbery carried out in April 2018 in Offa, headquarters of Offa local government area of Kwara, during which five commercial banks were attacked.

No fewer than 32 persons, including nine police officers, were killed during the attacks.

The convicts were found guilty of armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms and culpable homicide.

A sixth suspect, who was a retired police officer, Michael Adikwu, died in custody before the commencement of the trial.

Justice Saleeman had earlier sentenced the five convicts to death by hanging after a trial that lasted about six years and attracted nationwide attention.

The lead prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), described the appellate court’s decision as thorough and well considered, inspite of the prolonged delays that characterised the trial.

Mr Abdullah Jimba, counsel to one of the convicts, said preparations were underway to pursue a final appeal at the Supreme Court.

Source: NAN

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A three-member panel of justices of the appellate court held that the appeal filed by the DRTS was unmeritorious.

The panel, therefore, resolved the three issues identified for determination, against the appellant (DRTS).

Justice Evylen Maha of the Federal High Court in Abuja had, on October 2, 2024, barred the V.I.O. from further stopping, impounding or confiscating vehicles on the roads and imposing fines on motorists.

Marshal Abubakar, an Abuja-based lawyer, had filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, claiming that some DRTS officials confiscated his Honda car without affording him fair hearing.

Abubakar sued the DRTS, the Director of Road Transport; the Area Commander, Jabi, and the Team Leader, Jabi, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

In the October 2, 2024 judgment, Justice Maha upheld Abubakar’s case and granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiff.

Justice Maha agreed with the plaintiff that no law empowered the respondents to stop, impound, confiscate and seize vehicles or impose fine on motorists.

The judge held that the first to the fourth respondents, who were under the control of the fifth respondent (FCT minister) were not empowered by any law or statute to stop, impound or confiscate vehicles and/or impose fines on motorists.

She issued an order restraining the 1st to the 5th respondents either through their agents, servants and or assigns from impounding, confiscating the vehicles of motorists and or imposing fines on any motorist.

Justice Maha held that doing so was wrongful, oppressive and unlawful.

The judge also issued an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents, whether by themselves, agents, privies, allies or anybody acting on behalf of the first respondent from further violating the rights of Nigerians to freedom of movement, presumption of innocence and right to own property without lawful justification.

She proceeded to award a cost of N2.5 million against the defendants.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, the DRTS appealed the judgment and asked the appellate court to upturn the judgment.

Delivering the judgment on Thursday, Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi, who read the lead judgment, held that the appeal, marked: CA/ABJ/CV/1243/2024, filed by the DRTS was without merit.

Justice Oyewumi awarded a cost of N1 million against the appellant (DRTS) and in favour of the respondent (Abubakar).

Source: NAN

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A three-member panel of justices, in a unanimous judgment, held that the appeal lacked merit and had become academic following Kanu’s conviction for terrorism offences.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, FHC, in Abuja, on November 20, convicted and sentenced the IPOB leader to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of terrorism offences charged by the Department of State Services, DSS.

Kanu had claimed, in the instant appeal, that his fundamental rights to human dignity, right to quality healthcare and religion were being breached by his continued detention in the facility of the DSS.

He had prayed the appellate court to upturn the judgement of the FHC in Abuja delivered by retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo on July 3, 2022, which dismissed his suit against the Director General, DG, of the DSS and the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, on the grounds that he failed to prove his case.

The convicted IPOB leader had named the DG DSS and AGF as 1st and 2nd respondents.

Justice Boloukuromo Ugo, in the lead judgment, held that the appeal was no longer feasible since his conviction, life imprisonment sentence and remand in prison correctional centre.

Justice Ugo held that the substance of the case had become academic because, since Kanu’s lawyer, Maxwell Opara, confirmed at the proceedings on Friday, that his client was being held in Sokoto Correctional Centre, the court could no longer order him to be moved to Kuje Correctional Centre to which he had sought to be relocated from the DSS custody.

Justice Ugo further held that, having earlier exhibited preference for prison custody, the court could no longer grant his prayers since he had been convicted and sent to the correctional centre where he had wanted to be kept.

Source: NAN

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Justice Mohammed Danjuma, who delivered the lead judgment, also reversed the directive by the PSC, requiring him to refund eight years’ salaries with effect from August 1, 2025.

The appellate court, in the appeal filed by Idachaba’s lawyer, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, set aside the decision of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN.

Justice O.O. Oyewumi of the NICN had, on 15 May, 2024, dismissed Idachaba’s originating summons challenging his compulsory retirement from the force.

At the trial court, Idachaba stated that, following his promotion to the rank of assistant commissioner of police in 2023, he noticed that his salary was stopped by the PSC and the police after a decision was made to compulsorily retire him without a “fair hearing.”

He added that the PSC failed to provide him with any documents containing the allegations brought against him or the record of the proceedings of the plenary where the purported decision to summarily retire him was reached.

His lawyer, Ojukwu, sought 11 reliefs.

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He argued that the compulsory retirement and salary refund directive constituted a violation of his right to a fair hearing and were therefore null, void, and of no effect.

He urged the court to compel PSC to reinstate his client immediately and unconditionally, restoring him to the rank of ACP with all rights, entitlements, and emoluments from August 18, 2023, among other reliefs.

However, the NICN, on May 15, 2024, dismissed Idachaba’s suit on the grounds that the appellant failed to prove his case or justify why the court’s discretionary power should be exercised in his favour.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, the appellant filed his appeal on September 24, 2024.

But the police opposed the appeal.

Delivering the judgment on Friday, the three-member panel of justices held that the issues formulated for determination were resolved in favour of Idachaba and against the respondents.

“It follows that this appeal is meritorious and hereby succeeds,” the judge said.

The judge ordered that the judgment of the lower court, in suit number: NICN/ABJ/288/2023, was thereby set aside.

The appellate court also awarded the sum of N2 million against the 1st and 2nd respondents to be paid jointly and severally.

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The court, in a judgement by a three-member panel led by Justice M. A. Danjuma, dismissed an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, to challenge the election outcome.

The appellate court held that it found no reason to dislodge the May 15 judgement of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which validated the declaration of Governor Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as winner of the poll.

However, Ighodalo has vowed to appeal the judgement at the Supreme Court.

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Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member panel had dismissed the petitions by the PDP and its candidate; the Action Alliance, AA, and its National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje; as well as a case that was brought before it by the Accord Party, AP, and its own candidate, Dr. Bright Enabulele.

The tribunal described the petitions as “lacking in merit.”

The tribunal held that it found no reason to nullify the outcome of the governorship election declared in favour of the APC and its candidate, Okpebholo.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared that Okpebholo of the APC secured a total of 291, 667 votes to defeat his closet rivalry, Ighodalo of the PDP, who got a total of 247, 655 votes.

Dissatisfied with the result, the petitioners approached the tribunal, alleging that the election was not conducted in substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.

In the petition marked: EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, PDP and its candidate alleged that governor Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of lawful votes that were cast at the election.

It was equally the contention of the petitioners that INEC failed to serialise and pre-record some of the sensitive materials that were deployed for the poll, a situation they said aided the rigging of the election in favour of the APC and its candidate.

Specifically, PDP and its candidate alleged that there was wrong computation of results in 765 polling units in the state, even as they produced 19 witnesses that testified and tendered exhibits before the tribunal.

Source: NAN

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Recall that Justice K. A. Adedokun of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ogbomoso had, on October 25, 2023, nullified the selection and installation of Olaoye as the Soun of Ogbomoso.

The lower court asserted that the procedure of Olaoye’s nomination was “irregular, null and void”.

It added that the process did not comply with the provisions of the Soun Chieftaincy Declaration of 1958.

Delivering judgment on the appeal filed by Olaoye, Justice Yargata Nimpar, who led a three-member panel of justices, resolved the appeal in favour of Olaoye.

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Nimpar said that the lower court had no jurisdiction to entertain the case.

According to the judge, the respondents failed to comply with the administrative procedure of writing the government about their dissatisfaction with the selection before approaching the court.

Nimpar, therefore, set aside the lower court’s judgment and affirmed the selection and installation of Olaoye as the Soun of Ogbomoso.

Speaking with newsmen after the judgment, the respondents’ lead counsel, Mr Abiodun Ogunjumi, said his client was dissatisfied with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

Ogunjumi said he was ready to file notice and grounds of the appeal to attack the judgment of the Court of Appeal at the Supreme Court.

The respondents are Prince Muhammed Olaore and six others.

Mr Kolawole Fatoye stood in for Olaoye’s counsel, Mr Yusuf Ali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Source: NAN

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The Appeal Court made the declaration on Thursday, affirming the judgement by the Osun State High Court which sentenced Adedoyin to death.

It would be recalled that the Appeal Court had reserved judgment on October 29, 2024.

The judgment reads in part: “The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part. The Court of Appeal held that Adedoyin was properly convicted and sentenced to death.”

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“Order of forfeiture of Hilton Hotel quashed and set aside. Order of education scholarship to children of Timothy Adegoke by Adedoyin and others quashed and set aside,” the court ruled.

Adegoke was found dead in November 2021, at Hilton Honours Hotel, Ile-Ife, where he had lodged.

The hotel is owned by Adedoyin.

The post Adegoke’s murder: A’Court upholds Adedoyin’s death sentence appeared first on Frontpageng.

The court overturned Onnoghen’s conviction citing resolution of key issues surrounding his trial.

Delivering judgment, Justice Abba Mohammed, adopted the settlement terms reached between the federal government and Onnoghen.

Justice Mohammed ordered that the former CJN’s four bank accounts, which had been previously frozen and marked for forfeiture as part of the judgment, be released back to him.

The case involved allegations that Justice Onnoghen failed to properly declare the accounts among his assets while serving as CJN, which led to his prosecution by the CCT.

The judgment underscores an evolving position on the matter of judicial independence and asset declaration requirements for public officials.

Speaking after the judgment, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, counsel to Onnoghen expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, for their roles in ensuring a resolution.

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Awomolo noted that the outcome represented a significant moment for both the judiciary and the principle of justice in Nigeria.

He acknowledged the efforts made to restore Onnoghen’s dignity and reputation, which had been called into question during the prolonged legal process.

Onnoghen’s case highlighted the importance of fair treatment for judicial officers and the integrity of asset declaration processes within Nigeria’s public service.

At the last sitting, on September 19, the appellate court approved the federal government’s and the former CJN’s request to settle the matter out of court.

The two parties in the suit informed the three-member panel that they were already in talks on a peaceful resolution of the dispute.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2019 removed Onnoghen as the CJN following a charge levelled against him bordering on false declaration of his assets where the CCT had found him guilty and removed him from office.

Source: NAN

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