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 Supreme Court Affirms Umo Eno As Akwa Ibom Governor

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By Boma Al Humphrey
The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Pastor Umo Eno as the validly elected Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
The apex court has accordingly struck out all three appeals filed by Governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Akanimo Udofia, New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Sen John Udoedehe and the Young Progressives Party, (YPP) Sen Bassey Albert Akpan.
This follows the withdrawal of the appeals by the respective appellants when the matters were called up for hearing on Thursday in Abuja.
When the appeal filed by John James Udoedehe(NNPP)came up, Mr Liman Hassan, SAN, Counsel to Mr Akanimo Udofia of the APC, told the Court that the crux of their appeal was the eligibility of the 2nd respondent(Pastor Umo Eno) and the 4th respondent on the basis of their having been convicted prior to the elections.
He said while Pastor Umo Eno was convicted by the Magistrate Court, Abuja Division, Senator Albert who came second, was also convicted by the Federal High Court and upheld by the Appeal Court, hence  his client APC should be granted victory at the polls.
“My lordships, the purported verdict upturning the conviction of Pastor Umo Eno by the same Magistrate Court, is not tenable”, Udoedehe’s counsel raised.
https://thebossnewspapers.com/2024/01/01/akwa-ibom-is-rising-the-golden-era-is-here-governor-umo-eno-reveals-on-new-year/
“If it is true that the conviction has been set aside, you can’t just bring it up again”, the Supreme Court fumed.
But Hassan argued that the conviction ought to have been upturned at a higher court.
“If there is no appeal against the setting aside of the conviction of the 2nd respondent, then you have no reason to introduce it here. You are wasting our time because that is purely an academic issue. Without an appeal, there is no basis to challenge a judgement”, one of the Justices roared.
On that score, the APC Counsel went on to speak on the case of certificate forgery against the Governor.
“It is not every matter you bring here to bother us. Since you couldn’t invite WAEC to disown the certificate you claimed was forged, then stop wasting our time. The tribunal did a good job, we read the judgement and it was a perfect judgement.“
Consequent upon this, Hassan Liman, SAN, counsel to APC & Akanimo Udofia applied to withdraw the appeal.
Following no objection from the other parties, the five man panel, presided over by Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji struck out Mr Udofia’s appeal.
Surprisingly, when the second appeal, between Senator Albert Akpan and Governor Eno came up,   Counsel to Sen.  Bassey Albert, Mr. Ahmed  Raji, SAN,  who was in court, declined to make an appearance hence the appellant was represented in court by Barr. Tunde Falola.
The apex court agreed to jointly handle the two cases including that of NNPP’s candidate, Senator John Udoedehe.
“The decision we take on one will be binding on the other case,” the parties were told.
“We have seen your petition and we read your processes. How is your case different from that of APC”, the Supreme Court asked Tunde Falola, appearing for Bassey Albert.
The Court frowned at Bassey Albert’s counsel for repeating the same argument presented by APC’s Akanimo Udofia on the arrangement of names on the WAEC certificate of Pastor Umo Eno and urged him against further waste of the court time.
At this point,  Ahmed Raji, the senior counsel to the Appellants quickly rose to apologize to the Court and consequently announced the withdrawal of the appeal, with none of the parties objecting.
Senator Bassey Albert had filed his initial petition before the lower court on two main grounds, the purported non qualification of the 2nd Respondent (Governor Umo Eno), to stand election based on alleged forgery of his senior school certificates, as well as not scoring the highest number of lawful votes in the March 18 Governorship elections in Akwa Ibom State.
However, in the appeal Number SC/CV/1230/2023 before the Supreme Court, the YPP governorship candidate failed to appeal against the decision of the tribunal which upheld the overwhelming victory of Pastor Umo Eno in the 2023 governorship elections but focused only on the allegations of forgery and fake certificates.
Gov. Umo Eno was represented by Paul Usoro, SAN, Essien Udom, SAN, Uwemedimo Nwoko,SAN, Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN.
INEC was represented by Offiong Offiong, SAN, the PDP legal team was led by Tayo Oyetibo,SAN and Barr. Francis Ekanem represented Udoedehe.
The defeated Governorship candidates had earlier filed petitions, separately, challenging Governor Umo Eno’s election at the Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal in Uyo
In its composite Judgment, comprising the decisions on the preliminary objections as well as on the substantive petition issues, the Tribunal dismissed the petitions on their merits based on the preliminary objections of the Respondents.
The Tribunal consequently declared the Governor Eno as “eminently qualified to contest the” Election and as “duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the Election.”
 Aggrieved by the Tribunal’s Judgment, the appellants went to the appellate Court.
The appeal was however thrown out for lacking in competence at the Appeal Court,  Lagos judicial division.
Dissatisfied with the lower Courts’ judgment, the Udoedehe, Akpan, and Udofia went upstairs to the apex court, which has finally put an end to all the doubts surrounding the elections.
The Supreme Court had last week, dismissed the appeal by the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, Engr. Emem Coffie and Akpan Abraham, Action Alliance, after the parties withdrew their appeals.
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70th Birthday: Davido Gifts Timi of Ede Brand New Luxurious GAC Car

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Renowned musician and pop star, David Adeleke, also known as Davido, has presented a brand-new GAC GS8 4WD car to HRM Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal, the Timi of Ede, in celebration of his 70th birthday.

The luxurious vehicle was presented at an eleborate ceremony by the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, on behalf of Davido.

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Meet Nigeria Customs National Public Relations Officer, ACC Abdullahi Maiwada

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They come as ready as they are prepared. They are the efficiency of paramilitary and security endeavours. They secure border integrity. They are the Nigeria Customs Service, and one man is at the forefront of projecting their hard earned glorious image. He is Assistant Comptroller of Police Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada.

In December 2024, Maiwada, who is the National Spokesman of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) was elevated to office Assistant Comptroller of Customs. His promotion was a consequence of efficiency, doggedness, hard work and ability to exhibit all the qualities of one with an eye to details.

Maiwada was among many officers who benefitted from the recent promotion by the Customs board.

His trajectory in the Service and beyond, is captured as follows:

A prolific image manager, AC Maiwada was born on January 12, 1987 in Katsina State.

He attended his primary and secondary school education in Bayero University Kano.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education/Geography and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from Bayero University Kano.

He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in mass communication from Crescent University Abeokuta. He is currently a Doctorate Researcher specialising in Internal Communication at the University of Abuja.

AC Maiwada was enlisted into the Nigeria Customs Service as Cadet ASC II in 2011. He had a long stint as the Zonal Public Relations Officer Zone ‘B’ Headquarters, Public Relations Officer Ogun Command (now Ogun I & II Area Commands).

AC Maiwada was deployed to Headquarters in 2020 as the pioneer Liaison Officer of Nigeria Customs Broadcasting Network and later deputised the immediate past National Public Relations Officer from January 2022 to February 2023. He was appointed substantive spokesperson of NCS in April 2023, a position he holds to date.

To fully embrace the service of Public Relations and its dynamics, AC Abdullahi Maiwada is a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and a member of the African Public Relations Association (APRA).

He also holds full membership with the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), and the Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).

He has attended numerous courses relating to Customs Operations, Trade Facilitation, Public Relations, Strategic Communication, and Leadership.

As a consummate and seasoned Officer, he is a recipient of the 2020 World Customs Organisation (WCO) meritorious award. He recently bagged the Best Spokesperson of the Year award organised by Image Merchant Limited.

Under his watch, the Public Relations Unit recently received the WCO Meritorious Award during the 2024 International Customs Day Celebration (ICD). He also received the 2024 Best Spokesperson Award from the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.

He has several published conceptual and empirical papers relating to Public Relations in Customs and other areas in the field of communication.

He is happily married with three kids.

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Glo Partners Samsung to Offer Customers the Exclusive Galaxy S-25

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Digital solutions company, Globacom, has teamed up with Samsung, world’s leading manufacturer of electronic devices, to bring a new offer to Glo subscribers. This tantalising deal allows Glo customers to pre-order the highly sought-after Samsung Galaxy S-25 smartphone and enjoy unique benefits.

Samsung Electronics unveiled its newest flagship smartphones: the Galaxy S25 series which comes with cutting-edge advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and was designed to elevate user experience and set new standards in the industry on January 22, 2025.

The pre-ordering exercise kicked off on January 22 and closes on February 18, 2025 at Gloworld shops across the country. It gives customers the opportunity to select from the Galaxy S25 lineup, including the S25 Ultra, the top-tier and most sophisticated model, as well as the S25+ and the standard S25. They, however, come with different processors and storage options.

Customers who pre-order the Galaxy S25 or S25+ will receive complimentary gifts, including a Buds FE, a suit cover, and Samsung Care, while those opting for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, will receive a free Buds 3, a standing grip case, and Samsung Care.

Globacom is also delighting customers who purchase any model from the Galaxy S25 series with 18GB bonus data for 6 months under smartphone festival data plans, while they can also secure their pre-order at any Gloworld shop with an advance payment of ₦500,000. Pre-ordered phones will be delivered to customers from February 19 onwards.

“We are thrilled to bring this offer to our subscribers, who will enjoy unparalleled benefits, including innovative packaging. This partnership with Samsung reinforces our commitment to providing value-added services that cater to the evolving needs of our customers”.

The company advises other phone lovers who are yet to pre-order the new device to visit any Gloworld outlet close to them and join the list of the new owners of the Samsung S-25 phone before the expiry date.

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