Politics
Tinubu: Presenting fresh evidence at Supreme Court difficult — Lawyer
According to him, the rules admitting fresh evidence at the Supreme Court are very stringent.
Erokoro stated this on Sunday in Abuja in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
He said the general rule is that additional evidence is not encouraged at the apex court.
“The general rule is that additional evidence at the Supreme Court or any Court of Appeal is not encouraged at all, but that doesn’t mean that it is totally forbidden.
“However, the rules for admitting it are very stringent.
“The first is that such evidence is going to be extremely material to the resolution of the issues in the case. That’s one of the hurdles to be crossed.
“The second hurdle is that such evidence could not have been procured during the trial at the trial court by reasonable diligence.
“So it is either the evidence was not available at the time of the trial or it could not, by any kind of due diligence or any reasonable effort, be made available.
“For evidence to be admissible at the Supreme Court or in any Court of Appeal, it has to, at a very minimum, satisfied those two conditions,” he said.
On whether there are provisions in the constitution allowing a party to tender additional evidence at the apex court, the senior lawyer noted, “Most of these rules are case laws and the Evidence Act does not specifically make these provisions.”
He stressed that it is only backed by the rules of the court.
“In the case of election petition, the constitution requires that the proceeding be concluded within 180 days at the election tribunal which, in the case of the presidential election, is the Court of Appeal.
“So the Court of Appeal which may have the power to admit additional evidence cannot have any jurisdiction if the jurisdiction of the trial court has expired.
“For instance, if a Court of Appeal has within six months to hear and conclude a presidential election matter and the six months have expired, even if the Supreme Court wanted to admit additional evidence, it doesn’t seem to me that it would be able to admit such evidence after the expiration of the six months,” he added.
According to him, if such evidence becomes available, it is very likely that it cannot be admitted on appeal.
“This is because it may not meet the jurisdictional requirement which is that a court which has jurisdiction to do it, will it have done it at this time?
“And if the period available for the trial court has expired, there is nothing the Appeal Court, in this case, the Supreme Court, can do,” he said.
Erokoro said that the Supreme Court or any appellate court in the country had 60 days within which to hear and conclude election matters.
“The fact that the Supreme Court has only two months within which to hear the appeal will not revive the jurisdiction of the trial court,” he added.
On whether there is a period within which a Supreme Court can admit additional evidence, Erokoro said, “Except when it is dealing with matters that have come before it under its original jurisdiction, the Supreme Court doesn’t, generally, admit evidence.
“It is an appeal court and its function is to see whether the matter was properly tried at the trial court, and not to admit additional evidence.
“It’s just that there are few exceptions to the rules regards that and those exceptions, I have already explained to you.
“But outside that, the Supreme Court, generally, doesn’t like to admit additional evidence because it is not fair to the trial court which did not hear that.
“Two, you will not give the other party the chance to, maybe, gather evidence that could have contradicted that one.
“So that is why the rules are very strict and that’s why you don’t see it happening all the time.”
He said though the move could succeed, he described it as “an uphill task.”
When asked about grounds that an already decided case can be reviewed at the Supreme Court, he said though the grounds are not determined by law, there are rules of trial that are universal in Nigeria.
“One of them is whether due process was followed, admissible evidence rejected or inadmissible evidence admitted, if the trial court failed to act fairly to both sides if the lower court made a mistake as regards the law to be applied, etc.
“So there are so many possibilities that the grounds of appeal can be built around,” he said.
Erokoro said though it was reported in the media that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate in the Feb. 25 poll, planned to file new evidence at the apex court, it was still in the realm of speculation.
“This is actually within the realm of speculation because I have not seen the evidence beyond what the press has reported and I don’t know whether those who issued the documents are prepared to come to court, otherwise, there is a risk of what is called, ‘documentary hearsay,’” he said.
NAN reports Abubakar on Friday sought the leave of the Supreme Court to bring in fresh additional evidence to prove that President Tinubu submitted a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission in aid of his qualification for the presidential election.
The documents Atiku sought to tender are Tinubu’s academic records, which were handed over to him by Chicago State University on Monday, October 2, 2023.
The 32-page documents were released to the former Vice President on the orders of Judge Nancy Maldonado of the District Court of Illinois, Eastern Division, Illinois, U.S.
NAN.
Political economist and former presidential candidate, Professor Pat Utomi, has warned that Nigeria could be plunged into civil unrest, potentially escalating into a civil war, if political leaders attempt to manipulate the outcome of the 2027 general election against the wishes of Nigerians.
Utomi raised the alarm on Sunday, October 18, 2026, following an impromptu town hall meeting in Manchester, United Kingdom, where he attended a luncheon to which former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was invited.
In a post on his X account, the professor disclosed that what was originally planned as a social gathering unexpectedly turned into an extensive discussion about Nigeria’s political future, particularly concerns surrounding the credibility of the 2027 elections.
According to him, participants expressed deep anxiety over what they perceived as the growing audacity of public officials who speak about the forthcoming elections as though the results had already been predetermined.
“I am in the middle of an accidental town hall meeting in Manchester in the UK. I came to a Lunch to which Peter Obi was invited. I found food I looked forward to deferred for questions on the trouble with Nigeria,” he wrote.
Utomi explained that much of the discussion centred on fears of electoral manipulation and the determination of Nigerians to resist any attempt to undermine the democratic process.
“Many of the questions suggest worry about the boldness of public officials in projecting rigging with results of elections of 2027 considered in the pocket,” he stated.
The political economist warned that the level of determination expressed by participants suggested that Nigerians might no longer tolerate attempts to impose electoral outcomes on them.
“The determination to do whatever will prevent election malpractice suggest we may see a civil war if power tries to muscle the will of the people this time,” Utomi cautioned.
His warning comes amid increasing political activities ahead of the 2027 general election, with concerns over electoral transparency, institutional credibility and public confidence continuing to dominate discussions about Nigeria’s democratic future.
Utomi’s remarks underscore the potential consequences of electoral malpractice and the need for authorities to guarantee a transparent, credible and peaceful electoral process that reflects the genuine choice of Nigerians.
Former South-East campaign spokesman to President Bola Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has dismissed claims that Peter Obi and the Obidient movement are obstacles to the emergence of a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction in 2027.
Onoh, who is Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, described the position credited to political commentator Segun Sowunmi as misleading and inconsistent with Nigeria’s democratic realities.
Reacting to Sowunmi’s comments on the Selah Meditate Podcast in a statement made available to journalists in Lagos, Onoh insisted that the South-East required no permission from any political bloc to pursue its presidential ambition.
He argued that Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election had already demonstrated that the Obidient movement enjoyed nationwide acceptance beyond ethnic and regional considerations.
Citing Obi’s victories in Lagos, Nasarawa, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory, Onoh maintained that portraying the movement as an exclusively Igbo political platform amounted to a distortion of electoral facts.
“Peter Obi did not run a regional or ethnic campaign,” he declared, stressing that the movement attracted Nigerians across religious, ethnic and geographical divides.
Onoh also accused Sowunmi of double standards for attempting to hold Obi responsible for the activities of some Obidient supporters while allegedly ignoring similar conduct among supporters of other political parties.
According to him, the Obidient movement is a decentralised, citizen-driven political force whose millions of independent supporters cannot reasonably be subjected to the personal control of one individual.
He further rejected suggestions that the entrepreneurial success of Igbo people across Nigeria should weaken their demand for political inclusion and equitable representation.
“An ethnic group’s resilience, entrepreneurial drive, and ability to survive in a hostile economy do not strip them of the right to demand good governance,” Onoh stated.
He maintained that the contributions of Igbo entrepreneurs to banking, aviation, real estate, commerce and other sectors of the Nigerian economy should not be used as justification for denying the region its legitimate political aspirations.
While acknowledging that some individuals from the South-East occasionally conduct themselves inappropriately in their host communities, Onoh argued that such isolated actions should not be deployed to undermine the collective political rights of the region.
He insisted that the South-East must not be compelled to apologise for its democratic choices or abandon its ambition to produce Nigeria’s president.
“The South-East does not need a permission slip from political actors who are stuck in old ways of doing things,” he declared.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general election, Onoh urged political stakeholders to recognise the momentum generated by Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign as an opportunity to strengthen national alliances rather than portray it as a threat to Igbo political advancement.
He maintained that the region’s presidential ambition must be pursued through democratic engagement, competence, strategic partnerships and the ballot box, rather than political concessions dictated by individuals or sectional interests.
By PETRUS OBI
That Enugu has become a construction site is no longer news. That Governor Peter Mbah is determined to turn promises into tangible projects is increasingly evident in the scale of infrastructure development across the state.
When Mbah promised to tackle urban roads across Enugu, many were sceptical. Today, road construction and rehabilitation have become prominent features of the state’s development drive. In three years the governor has extinguished whatever record in road rehabilitation and overall infrastructural developments.
Now, the governor has pledged to rehabilitate the remaining 1,022 urban roads, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to improving connectivity, reducing travel time and easing the burden on motorists and commercial transport operators.
Mbah gave the assurance on Saturday at Okpara Square, Enugu, during the grand finale of the Tricycle Riders Association of Nigeria’s “One Million March,” where Keke riders endorsed him and President Bola Tinubu for re-election in 2027.
Beyond the road promise, the governor announced the abolition of the N750 daily ticketing fee for tricycle operators, extended their operating hours from 9pm to 10pm and reaffirmed their free access to the state’s modern transport terminals.
According to Mbah, the measures are designed to reduce operating costs and increase the disposable income of riders whose services remain essential to the movement of workers, students, traders and other residents.
He explained that poor roads impose additional costs on operators through frequent repairs and lost working hours, adding that areas such as Emene, Abakpa, Trans-Ekulu, Awkunanaw, Coal Camp, New Haven, Thinkers Corner and Uwani have roads that are already paved or undergoing construction.
“I can assure you that there will be no road in our city that will be unpaved. We are going to pave all the remaining 1,022 roads,” the governor declared.
The riders’ endorsement, according to the association’s Enugu State Chairman, Comrade Kingsley Edeh, reflects their assessment of improvements in security, infrastructure and social amenities. He also highlighted the 267 Smart Green Schools and the completion of previously abandoned projects, including the International Conference Centre, Nigergas Limited, Sunrise Flour Mills and Hotel Presidential.
The association’s National Secretary, Comrade Sunday Enang, commended the administration’s investments in roads, modern transport terminals, Enugu Air and an asphalt plant, describing them as initiatives aimed at improving transportation and supporting economic activities.
Mbah also reiterated his administration’s zero tolerance for political violence, warning that no individual or group would be allowed to undermine the peace and security of the state. He vowed that anyone found attempting to disrupt public order would be dealt with in accordance with the law.
The governor urged eligible voters to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the 2027 elections, while the association declared its intention to support APC candidates.
With the promise to rehabilitate the remaining 1,022 urban roads, attention now turns to the delivery of the projects and their impact on residents, businesses and commuters.
With Peter Mbah, the deal is as good as done and the roads will soon be delivered.
For Enugu residents, the expectation is clear: better roads, lower transport operating costs and sustained security. As the administration presses ahead with its infrastructure agenda, the governor’s latest pledge adds another major commitment to the state’s ongoing urban transformation.
Politics
2027: Your votes do not count, the Courts Will Endorse It Unless We Do Something-Dele Farotimi warns
Human rights lawyer and political activist Dele Farotimi has called for a revolution to save Nigeria, urging citizens to unite behind a common national vision and push for fundamental changes to the country’s political and governance systems.
Farotimi made the remarks while expressing concerns about Nigeria’s democracy, the credibility of its electoral process and the role of the judiciary in resolving electoral disputes.
According to the activist, Nigerians risk losing confidence in democracy if their votes are not adequately protected and electoral outcomes are not respected. He warned that public passivity could create conditions for authoritarian rule.
“Your votes do not count and the judiciary will endorse it unless we decide to do something about it, because we are sleeping whilst a dictatorship is being installed in our country, demon-cratically,” he said.
Farotimi argued that Nigeria needs to be restructured and reimagined to address its persistent political challenges. He maintained that meaningful change would require citizens to come together around a clearly defined vision for the country’s future rather than placing their hopes solely in individual politicians.
He said a critical mass of Nigerians who are dissatisfied with the existing system must be mobilised to support an alternative approach to governance.
“The one thing I have never been shy about is to tell you what it will take to save Nigeria. It will take a revolution to save Nigeria,” Farotimi declared.
The activist suggested that such a revolution could be achieved through the ballot box, although he expressed doubts about whether the current political process, on its own, could deliver the transformation Nigeria needs.
He stressed that a credible national vision, backed by purposeful leadership, could encourage greater citizen participation and strengthen public resolve to defend electoral choices.
Farotimi’s remarks highlight broader concerns about electoral integrity, judicial accountability and the need for structural reforms in Nigeria. His call for a democratic revolution centres on collective action, political restructuring and the emergence of a shared vision capable of mobilising citizens towards meaningful change.
As the country approaches another general election cycle, debates over electoral credibility, institutional trust and the future of Nigeria’s democracy are likely to remain central to the national conversation.
By PETRUS OBI.
Veteran journalist and ARISE News presenter, Dr Reuben Abati, appeared uncertain about the name of Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, during a live television interview with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state, Chief Ifeanyi Odii, popularly known as Anyichuks.
While questioning Odii on the political situation in Ebonyi ahead of the 2027 general elections, Abati, in a video which has gone viral on social media remarked:
“…Are you aware that Governor Nwifuru, I think that’s the name of Ebonyi Governor…”
Popular Ebonyi Guber Candidate ANYICHUKS
The remark, which appeared to be an attempt to confirm the governor’s name, has raised questions about Nwifuru’s visibility beyond Ebonyi State, particularly amid growing criticism of his administration over allegations of poor performance.
During the interview, Odii accused Governor Nwifuru of allegedly intimidating opposition parties in the state, claiming that incidents involving attacks on opposition supporters had been reported to security agencies.
He also criticised an alleged threat by the governor to sack local government chairmen who allow opposition parties to campaign in their council areas, describing such a move as unconstitutional and an affront to democratic principles.
Odii urged his supporters to remain peaceful and law-abiding, stressing that the governor has a constitutional responsibility to protect all residents, irrespective of their political affiliations.
Speaking on the PDP’s support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, the governorship candidate explained that the arrangement formed part of a broader political understanding involving factions of the PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He dismissed suggestions that supporting Tinubu could undermine his governorship ambition, insisting that the presidential and governorship elections were separate political contests.
On his economic agenda, Odii pledged to attract ₦2 trillion in investments to Ebonyi within his first six months in office if elected governor.
He identified solid minerals, manufacturing, real estate, healthcare and hospitality as key sectors through which his administration would stimulate economic growth, attract investment and generate employment opportunities.
The PDP candidate maintained that his business experience, grassroots connections and record of community interventions had adequately prepared him to attract investors, create jobs and improve the living standards of Ebonyi residents.
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