The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Court

  • Court Fixes December 2 For Judgment In El-Rufai’s ₦1bn Suit Against ICPC, Police

    Court Fixes December 2 For Judgment In El-Rufai’s ₦1bn Suit Against ICPC, Police

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed December 2, 2026, for judgment in a ₦1bn fundamental rights suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and two other respondents.

    Justice Joyce Abdulmalik set the date on Tuesday after lawyers representing the parties adopted their court processes and presented their arguments.

    El-Rufai’s lawyer, Ubong Akpan, was initially absent when the case was called. The judge subsequently deemed the former governor’s filed processes adopted before Akpan arrived and apologised for his lateness.

    Counsel to the ICPC, Abdul Mohammed (SAN), the Inspector-General of Police’s representative, ACP Ezekiel Rimamsomte, and the Director of Civil Litigation and Public Law, Maimuna Lami-Shiru, who represented the Attorney-General of the Federation, urged the court to dismiss the suit.

    El-Rufai is seeking ₦1bn in general, exemplary and aggravated damages over what he described as a violation of his fundamental rights during a search of his Abuja residence in February.

    The former governor asked the court to declare that the search of his home at 12 Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, violated his rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36 and 37 of the Nigerian Constitution.

    He also sought an order compelling the ICPC and the police to return items seized from his residence and provide a detailed inventory of the recovered property.

    In its response, the ICPC said it initiated an investigation after receiving a petition against El-Rufai. The commission maintained that its operatives conducted the search under a valid warrant issued on February 18 and executed the following day.

    According to the commission, the operation took place between 1:37 p.m. and 3:56 p.m. at the former governor’s residence and was conducted alongside police personnel. It added that El-Rufai’s wife, Hadiza, and son, Mohammed, witnessed the exercise.

    The Inspector-General of Police also defended the operation, arguing that it was carried out under a valid court-issued warrant. The police further maintained that they had the statutory authority to detect, arrest, investigate and prosecute offenders.

    The Attorney-General of the Federation, in his response, argued that the ICPC and police acted within their lawful responsibilities and that the seized items were needed to complete the investigation.

    He also urged the court to dismiss the case, describing it as an abuse of court process because El-Rufai had two other pending suits concerning the same subject matter before the FCT High Court.

    Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until December 2 for judgment.

  • Wiretapping Trial: Court Orders El-Rufai To Open Defence

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed Nasir El-Rufai’s no-case submission, directing him to enter his defence in the alleged wiretapping trial.

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a no-case submission by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and ordered him to enter his defence, if he so desires, in his ongoing trial over the alleged unlawful interception of the telephone communications of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

    Justice Joyce Abdulmalik issued the order on Monday while ruling on the no-case submission filed by El-Rufai.

    The judge held that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to warrant calling on the former governor to enter his defence.

    The ruling means El-Rufai has been given the opportunity to respond to the allegations against him as the trial progresses.

    In a related development, an FCT High Court presided over by Justice Sylvanus Oriji had, a week earlier, dismissed El-Rufai’s ₦120 million fundamental rights suit against the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation.

    The court held that the agencies’ actions, including invitations, an attempted arrest at the airport and the seizure of his passport, did not violate his fundamental rights. It also awarded costs of ₦200,000 against each respondent.

    El-Rufai is also facing other ongoing cases, including corruption and money laundering matters linked to the ICPC in Kaduna.

    Further details of Monday’s ruling are expected to emerge. Arise News

  • 2027: Appeal Court Upholds NDC Registration as Political Party

    2027: Appeal Court Upholds NDC Registration as Political Party

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party, overturning a Federal High Court judgment in Lokoja, Kogi State, which had nullified its registration.

    The appellate court reached the decision in a split judgment, with two members of the three-member panel ruling in favour of the NDC and one dissenting.

    Justices Mohammed Danjuma and Muslim Sule Hassan, who formed the majority, set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court and upheld the Independent National Electoral Commission’s recognition of the NDC.

    The majority held that the Lokoja court erred by revisiting its own earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which had directed INEC to register the NDC as a political party.

    The appellate court described the lower court’s action as an abuse of judicial power and hierarchy.

    The judgment also rejected a dispute over the NDC’s logo, which an association operating under the name Peace Movement Party had claimed belonged to it.

    The appeal followed a ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which had set aside the court’s earlier decision directing INEC to recognise and register the NDC.

    The reversal followed an application by the Peace Movement Party, which argued that it had a legal interest in the matter but was not joined in the original proceedings.

    Justice Dashen had agreed with the argument and held that all parties with an interest in the case ought to have been given an opportunity to participate before the earlier order was made.

    The Federal High Court consequently ordered that the matter be heard afresh with the relevant parties properly joined.

    Dissatisfied with the decision, the NDC appealed to the Court of Appeal.

    In the latest ruling, the majority allowed the party’s appeal and restored the effect of the earlier judgment recognising its registration.

    However, Justice Okon Abang, the third member of the panel, dissented.

    In his judgment, Abang upheld the Federal High Court’s position, holding that there was no basis to fault the lower court’s decision and that it had acted in accordance with the principles of justice and fair hearing.

    The ruling comes as the NDC prepares for the 2027 general elections, having already nominated candidates for the polls.

    The judgment provides the latest development in the legal dispute over the party’s registration, which began with the Federal High Court’s December 2025 order directing INEC to register the NDC.

  • Court Rejects Suit Seeking Oduah’s Disqualification From 2027 Senate Race

    Court Rejects Suit Seeking Oduah’s Disqualification From 2027 Senate Race

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking the disqualification of former Senator Stella Oduah as the All Progressives Grand Alliance candidate for the Anambra North Senatorial District in the 2027 election.

    Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in a judgment delivered on Friday, held that failure to possess a National Youth Service Corps certificate does not constitute a ground for disqualifying a candidate from contesting a senatorial election.

    The suit was filed by an APGA aspirant, John Okechukwu Emeka, who challenged the nomination of Oduah by the party.

    Oduah, APGA and the Independent National Electoral Commission were joined as the first, second and third defendants respectively.

    Emeka, through his counsel, A.C. Ozioko, had alleged that Oduah provided false information to INEC in her Form EC9 in connection with her qualification for the 2027 election.

    The plaintiff claimed that Oduah had stated in her 2026 INEC form that she had never presented a forged certificate to the commission, while allegedly stating in an earlier affidavit that she had lost her First School Leaving Certificate and NYSC certificate.

    He further alleged that the authorities responsible for issuing the certificates had indicated that Oduah was not issued the documents.

    The plaintiff also challenged Oduah’s NYSC record, alleging that she had not completed the mandatory national service and had relied on a letter from the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association in presenting her qualification to INEC.

    The court, however, rejected the suit and held that the allegations of forgery raised by the plaintiff could not properly be determined through the originating summons procedure.

    Justice Abdulmalik noted that forgery constitutes a criminal offence and would have to be established to the required standard of proof.

    On the NYSC issue, the court specifically held that non-possession of an NYSC certificate was not a basis for disqualifying a candidate from a senatorial election.

    The court also upheld arguments by Oduah’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, and APGA counsel, Ifeanyi Mberi, that issues concerning the former senator’s qualification to contest public office had previously been determined by an election petition tribunal in 2019.

    The court further found that the suit was statute-barred because it was filed outside the 14-day period prescribed by law for challenging the nomination.

    APGA submitted Oduah’s name as its candidate for the Anambra North senatorial election on July 7, 2026, while Emeka instituted the action on July 24, three days beyond the statutory period.

    The court consequently dismissed the case for lacking merit.

    The judgment comes as political parties and candidates prepare for the 2027 National Assembly elections, with INEC listing the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027.

  • PFIPC: Court Orders IG, AGF to Grant Adeyemi Access to Lawyers

    PFIPC: Court Orders IG, AGF to Grant Adeyemi Access to Lawyers

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to grant detained political figure Adeniyi Adeyemi immediate access to his legal counsel.

    Adeyemi, who portrays himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), secured the order on Thursday, September 3, 2026, through a fundamental rights enforcement suit ruled upon by Justice Obiora Egwuatu.

    While the judge granted the request for legal access, he declined to approve Adeyemi’s immediate requests for release, bail, and specialized medical treatment without first giving the state a chance to respond.

    Consequently, the court ordered the IGP, the Nigeria Police Force, and the AGF to show cause within 72 hours why the remaining demands should not be granted, adjourning the matter until September 9 for the respondents to state their case.

    The applicant had filed an ex parte application seeking six distinct reliefs, including a mandate for his release from custody, bail pending the determination of the main suit, and an order allowing him unhindered access to medical practitioners of his choosing.

    He also sought an injunction to stop the police from interrogating him or collecting statements without a lawyer present. His sixth specific request asked for:

    “An Order that, for so long as the Applicant remains in custody, the Respondents do permit the Applicant unimpeded access to legal practitioners of his own choosing at all reasonable hours.”

    The court ultimately approved this sixth relief, directing that Adeyemi must be allowed to meet with his chosen legal team at reasonable hours while he remains in state custody.

    Adeyemi was arrested in Osun State in July after the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant following his repeated failure to appear for his formal arraignment.

    He currently faces an eight-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, fraud, and impersonation stemming from his claim to lead the PFIPC an organization the Presidency has officially disowned and categorized as “fake.”

    According to the state’s prosecution team, Adeyemi allegedly forged an official appointment letter closely mimicking a document issued by President Bola Tinubu and signed by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside several other state documents.

    Adeyemi has consistently denied the criminal allegations, maintaining that the council is a legitimate entity. Ahead of this latest ruling, Justice Mohammed Umar had previously ordered security agencies to ensure Adeyemi’s arrest and produce him in court on September 30 for his formal arraignment.