Judgment on a suit seeking the de-registration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), over alleged constitutional breaches.m, was deferred Friday due to absence of the presiding judge

It would be recalled that Justice Lifu had on May 20, adjourned to June 5, to decide whether the affected parties should be allowed to participate in future elections in the country, having failed to win any seat in previous elections.

However, the judgement could not be delivered as scheduled due to the absence of the judge.

At the scheduled date, litigants and lawyers were all in court, including journalists and after waiting for nearly two hours, one of the court’s registrars announced to the court that the matter would not go on as scheduled due to the judge’s engagement with other official duties outside Abuja.

The registrar added that a new date for the delivery of the judgement would be communicated to parties in the suit, once it has been fixed.

Justice Lifu had last month fixed June 5, for judgement after taking arguments from all parties in the suit seeking the deregistration of the above political parties over alleged constitutional breaches.

He had also dismissed an application for stay of proceedings as well as applications seeking to be joined as an interested party.

The court had predicated the refusal on the grounds that granting a stay of proceedings at that stage would cause hardship on the litigants, especially as political parties were already expected to submit names of candidates ahead of upcoming elections.

Lifu had recalled that the Supreme Court had repeatedly cautioned lower courts against granting undue stay of proceedings, adding that since the applicants had already approached the Court of Appeal, the trial court should be allowed to conclude hearing of the matter unless otherwise directed by the appellate court.

“It is my considered view not to grant the stay except otherwise decided by the upper court,” the judge said, adding that all issues raised by the applicants lacked merit and were accordingly dismissed.

On the joinder applications, Lifu explained that most of the political parties seeking to be represented were already defendants in the suit, making the inclusion of individual members unnecessary.

Justice Lifu consequently dismissed the applications seeking to be joined in the suit by 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th defendants.

The applicants included incumbent governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke and a governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Oluwafemi Abayomi Adebambi both of the Accord party, and Hon Sani Yakubu Noma of the ADC.

The court also heard arguments on an application by counsel to the APP, Peter Abang, seeking dismissal of the suit on grounds that issues raised had already been argued before the appellate court.

In a brief ruling, Justice Lifu stated that the court would consider the decision of the Court of Appeal as relates to this matter alongside issues raised by parties before delivering judgement.

He subsequently directed parties to amend and adopt their final processes in line with the accelerated hearing earlier ordered by the court.

The suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and several political parties, including the ADC, Action Alliance, APP, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party.

One of the most recent of the many  strategic partnerships is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) NiMet signed with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on data sharing which took place at the apex bank’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

While NiMet’s team was led by Prof. Anosike, Dr. Mohammed Sani Abdullahi, Deputy Governor, Economic Policy Directorate, was head of CBN’s side.

Speaking at the event, Prof. Charles Anosike highlighted the importance of integrating weather and climate data into economic research, especially in sectors such as agriculture, energy, and transportation. He noted that extreme weather events can reduce agricultural productivity and threaten food security.

He added that the collaboration aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, which prioritizes food security through major agricultural investment, including the cultivation of 10 million hectares of land and the distribution of mechanised equipment.
Prof. Anosike cited the World Bank (2026), which reports that extreme weather driven by climate change is significantly affecting global food security, with more than 87 million people facing hunger in East and Southern Africa and 52 million in West and Central Africa. He also referenced the Berkeley Earth Report (2026), which projects that 2026 is likely to be the fourth warmest year on record, a trend that continues to shape agricultural and energy market projections.

In his remarks, Muhammad said the signing of the MoU marked an important step in strengthening the partnership between two key national institutions whose mandates intersect in data, research, and policy support. He emphasized that, in an increasingly complex and dynamic economic environment, timely and reliable data remain essential for effective policy decisions.

He further noted that the Economic Policy Directorate relies heavily on timely and credible statistical information from NiMet. Such data, he said, are critical for inflation monitoring, agricultural sector assessment, and broader economic policy advisory functions. He described the initiative as both timely and important, adding that strong institutional partnerships are essential for strengthening evidence-based policymaking and improving the robustness of national data systems.

By Bonaventure Phillips Melah

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, under the leadership of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has warned the public of the circulation of campaign posters beating the photos of former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, saying such posters are fake and should be ignored completely.

The PDP raised the alarm Saturday in a statement signed its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong and sent to Nationwide Reports.

The party also said that Jonathan remains a full-fledged member of the PDP and that he personally registered in his ward, during the recently concluded digital membership registration exercise carried out by the PDP.

The statement reads- “Campaign posters bearing the photographs of President Goodluck Jonathan, either alone or paired with other notable Nigerians as running mate, have emerged and are being circulated widely on social media platforms.

“These posters also falsely portray him as a member of the various political parties whose logos appear on them.

“We state categorically that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is a registered member of the Peoples Democratic Party under the capable leadership of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN. He duly registered personally in his ward during the recently concluded digital membership registration exercise — a fact he personally confirmed to members of the Interim National Working Committee during a meeting with him yesterday.

“This clarification has become necessary in view of the provisions of the extant Electoral Act, under which double registration is not only prohibited but also punishable.

“We are aware that mischief makers may not only design and circulate fake campaign posters, but may also, in concert with highly placed collaborators, attempt to input the details of President Jonathan and other prominent members of our party and the opposition movement into the databases of different political parties.

“We therefore put the public, especially the Independent National Electoral Commission, on notice of this malfeasance and urge them to countenance any such fraudulent activity,” PDP concluded.