News

Plateau PDP ex-chairman, five others drag INEC to court over 2023 presidential election

Published

3 years ago

March 30, 2023

vicky

Professor Haruna Dabin, a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, and five others have approached a Federal High Court, Abuja to commence a civil suit against the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and three others over the conduct of the 2023 presidential election.

The others on the list of plaintiffs in the suit titled Order 3, Rule 9 of the Federal High Court (civil procedure) rules, 2019 are Joseph Enan, Joseph Inya Agha, Afeez Adeyeye, Lawrence Oloko, and Kuyembo Danjuma.

Listed as 1st to 5th respondents in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC Chairman, INEC Commissioners, 177,506 polling officers and the Inspector General Of Police respectively.

Through their counsel, Logosphere Attorneys, the plaintiffs asked the court to compel the IGP to arrest Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, for failing to adhere to the 2022 Electoral Act and the Election Guidelines as approved by the Commission.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/426/2023, the plaintiffs asked the court to determine whether the defendants had an obligation under the law to electronically transmit or transfer from the Polling Units across the country the results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections conducted on February 25, 2023 after the votes had been counted and recorded by the Polling Officers before collation at the Ward Collection Centres.

Among others, they also asked to be determined “Whether by the true construction and interpretation of Sections 60(4), 145, and 47(1) of Electoral Act 2022 and the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of the 2023 Election, particularly Clause 38, failure to transmit the results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections conducted on Saturday, February 25, 2023, after the votes have been counted and written in the prescribed form is not a violation of the Electoral Act?

“Whether subject to the interpretation of Sections 60(4), 148, and 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of the 2023 Election, particularly Clause 38, the failure of the Polling Officers to transmit the results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections conducted by the defendants on Saturday, February 25, 2023 is not a crime punishable upon conviction under the Clause 38 of the Regulation and Guidelines for the Conduct of the 2023 Elections?

“Whether by the true construction and interpretation of Section 60(4), 148, and 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of the 2023 Elections and Section 4 of the Nigerian Police Act, 2020, the Inspector General of Police, through the relevant Police Officers, does not have an obligation to prosecute the 2nd to 4th Defendants for commission of a crime for not transmitting to the IReV portal the results of voting of the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday, February 23, 2023, after the votes have been counted at the Polling Units across the country”.

The plaintiffs therefore prayed the court for the following reliefs, “a declaration that by the provisions of Sections 60, 64(4), and 148 of the Electoral Act 2022 and the Regulations and Guidelines for the 2023 Elections it is mandatory for Polling Officers to electronically transmit election results from the Polling Units to INEC’s IREV portal immediately after results of votes have been counted and entered in the result sheet provided by INEC

“A declaration that failure to electronically transmit or transfer results of voting during the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25, 2023, from the Polling Units to the INEC IReV portal before collation at the Ward Collection Center is a violation of the Electoral Act 2022 and Regulations made to the Act.

“A declaration that failure of the Defendants to electronically transmit or transfer the results of the votes of the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on February 25, 2023, from the polling units to the INEC IReV portal is a crime punishable under the electoral law”.

They further prayed for an order compelling the IGP to take necessary action under the law to prosecute the 2nd to 4th defendants for not transmitting electronically results of voting from the Polling Units to the INEC IRev portal as required by the Electoral Act and the INEC’s Guidelines.

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News

NIGERIA HAS LOST ITS WOMEN’S FOOTBALL ADVANTAGE — AND AFRICA IS CATCHING UP FAST

Published

20 minutes ago

August 14, 2026

Preport

For more than three decades, Nigeria’s Super Falcons were the standard of African women’s football.

Ten Women’s Africa Cup of Nations titles. Every FIFA Women’s World Cup from the beginning of the competition. Generations of players who dominated the continent.

But that era has now reached a disturbing turning point.

For the first time in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Nigeria will not be at the tournament.

South Africa’s 2–1 victory over the Super Falcons in Casablanca on Thursday ended Nigeria’s final route to the 2027 World Cup.

But perhaps this should not be viewed simply as a failure of the Super Falcons.

Perhaps it is the clearest evidence yet that the rest of Africa has finally caught up.

Look at Malawi.

The Scorchers were appearing at the WAFCON for the first time in 2026. They did not come merely to make up the numbers. They reached the semi-finals and secured Malawi’s historic first-ever Women’s World Cup qualification.

Look at Morocco.

The country has invested heavily in women’s football, and AS FAR has become a continental force, winning the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2025 and earning the right to represent Africa at FIFA’s inaugural Women’s Champions Cup.

Look at South Africa.

Banyana Banyana have transformed themselves from challengers into African champions and have now defeated Nigeria when a World Cup place was on the line.

And across the continent, CAF says women’s football is being strengthened through coaching education, better administration, grassroots development, refereeing and more structured domestic leagues.

This is the part Nigerians must understand.

Africa did not wait for Nigeria to remain dominant.

Other countries started building.

For years, Nigeria had an enormous advantage because many of our best players grew up playing together for long periods, particularly through the domestic system and national-team pathways.

The Super Falcons of previous generations were not simply eleven talented Nigerians assembled for a tournament.

They were products of a football culture that continuously produced players.

Today, that advantage is much smaller.

And there is another uncomfortable reality: Nigerian players are increasingly finding opportunities in women’s leagues outside Nigeria, while African leagues are becoming more organised and competitive.

CAF’s Women’s Champions League has also created a continental platform with meaningful financial rewards; participating clubs received at least $150,000 in the 2024 edition, while the winners received $600,000.

So perhaps the question is no longer:

“Why did the Super Falcons fail?”

The bigger question is:

“Why did Nigeria stop developing faster than the countries chasing us?”

We should support the Falcons.

We should respect the players.

We should recognise their achievements.

But we must also recognise what this moment represents.

Nigeria has won ten WAFCON titles. That history is extraordinary.

But history cannot qualify a team for the next World Cup.

Systems do.

Leagues do.

Academies do.

Coaching structures do.

Investment does.

Player development does.

And if Nigeria does not rebuild those foundations, the Super Falcons’ absence from Brazil may not remain a once-in-history event.

THE SUPER FALCONS HAVE NOT SUDDENLY BECOME A BAD TEAM. AFRICA HAS SIMPLY STOPPED WAITING FOR NIGERIA.

The real alarm is not that Nigeria lost to South Africa.

The real alarm is that the countries Nigeria used to look down on are now building football systems capable of defeating Nigeria when it matters most.

This should not be a blame game.

It should be a wake-up call.

NIGERIA DID NOT LOSE WOMEN’S FOOTBALL IN ONE MATCH. WE MAY HAVE BEEN LOSING THE ADVANTAGE FOR YEARS.

Business

Sovereign Trust, Guinea Insurance, 5 Others Join Verified List in Final Recapitalization Clearance

Published

1 hour ago

August 14, 2026

Preport

BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc and Guinea Insurance Plc are among seven additional underwriting firms officially cleared and verified by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) as compliant with the Minimum Capital Requirements stipulated under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.

This final batch of approvals formally completes the nation’s insurance recapitalization exercise, bringing the total roster of fully capitalized operators in Nigeria to 48 insurance companies and two reinsurance companies.

See details below:

List of Additional Insurance Companies that Complied with the MCR Prescribed by NIIRA 2025

The post Sovereign Trust, Guinea Insurance, 5 Others Join Verified List in Final Recapitalization Clearance appeared first on Business Today NG.