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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled its plan to deploy a substantial workforce of 46,084 ad-hoc staff for the upcoming gubernatorial elections scheduled for November 11 in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo states. This announcement was made by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, during a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners held in Abuja.

Prof. Yakubu also highlighted that a significant number of national and international organizations will engage 11,000 observers to monitor the off-cycle elections, ensuring transparency and credibility. Furthermore, the 18 political parties participating in the governorship elections are set to deploy 137,934 agents, including 130,093 polling agents and 7,841 collation agents.

Mahmood Yakubu underlined the Commission's efforts in various aspects of preparation for the upcoming elections. He mentioned that 80 media organizations have applied to deploy 1,203 personnel, comprising journalists and technical/support staff, to report on the elections. INEC is actively addressing logistical arrangements, including the provision of vehicles and boats for transportation, both on land and across water bodies.

However, the INEC Chairman expressed deep concern about the increasing insecurity and election-related violence witnessed in the three states, emphasizing the need for a secure environment to ensure the safety of all involved. Prof. Yakubu assured that the Commission is closely collaborating with the security agencies, and further engagements are planned in the coming days.

Despite the challenging security situation, INEC has already delivered all non-sensitive materials to the three states, and preparatory activities, including staff training, are proceeding as planned. The lessons learned from the 2023 general elections are being applied to enhance the Commission's performance in the forthcoming elections.

The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja made a significant development on Tuesday by admitting forms as exhibits in a petition challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu. Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 election, along with his party, presented the exhibits known as Forms EC8B. The petition, labeled as CA/PEPC/03/2023, was filed against President Tinubu, his deputy Alhaji Kashim Shettima, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

During the proceedings, Mr. Obi and his party, represented by Mr. Ben Anichebe, SAN, submitted Forms EC8B from the 17 states they contested. These states include Adamawa, Bayelsa, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Sokoto, Delta, Ekiti, Imo, Kaduna, Oyo, Cross River, Edo, Akwa Ibom, and Lagos. The forms contained the collated presidential election results from various local government areas (LGAs) within these states.

However, the respondents' counsels, including Mr. Kemi Pinhero (representing INEC), Mr. Wole Olanipakun (representing Tinubu and Shettima), and Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (representing the APC), objected to the tendering of the Forms EC8Bs by the petitioners. They reserved their reasons for objection until their final addresses.

Nonetheless, the court admitted all the documents submitted by the petitioners as their schedule of documents and marked them as exhibits. The five-man panel, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, subsequently adjourned further hearing of the petition until Wednesday, allowing both parties to present their arguments and counterarguments.

This development signifies a crucial step in the ongoing presidential election petition, as the court acknowledges the relevance of the collated results from the contested states. The admission of these exhibits paves the way for a thorough examination of the electoral process and the validity of the election results. As the proceedings continue, all parties involved eagerly await the court's final decision, which will determine the fate of President Tinubu's election victory.

The Osun state governorship election has been a subject of controversy since its inception on July 16, with allegations of over-voting in some polling units. The Osun governorship election tribunal ruled in January that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Gboyega Oyetola, was able to prove that there was over-voting in some of the polling units. Consequently, the tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Ademola Adeleke of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and issue a fresh one to Oyetola as the duly elected governor of Osun.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Adeleke appealed the judgment. On March 24, a court of appeal sitting in Abuja reinstated Adeleke as the duly elected governor of the state. In its judgment, a three-member panel of justices held that the election tribunal erred when it ruled that Oyetola and the APC had proved their allegation of over-voting.

However, the controversy is far from over, as the Supreme Court in Abuja has fixed Tuesday, May 9, to deliver judgment on the disputed governorship poll in Osun state. A five-member panel of justices led by John Okoro fixed the date on Monday after all the parties involved adopted their written briefs in the matter.

In his appeal, Adeleke argued that there was no majority judgment as the second judge on the panel, Rabi Bashir, failed to write her opinion as required by section 294(2) of the constitution. He also challenged the jurisdiction of the tribunal to preside over the petition on the grounds that it failed to consider the preliminary objection he filed against the petitioners.

The forthcoming judgment by the Supreme Court will have significant implications for the political landscape of Osun state and the country at large. All eyes will be on the apex court as it makes its final decision on the disputed governorship election.

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has stated that he would not accept any offer to be part of Bola Tinubu’s Government of National Unity. Tinubu, the president-elect and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have been dragged to court by Obi over the outcome of the February 25 election. The camp of the APC candidate had hinted that the former Lagos Governor would form an all-inclusive government to carry all his opponents along in his government.

Obi was asked what he would do if he was called upon to be a member of Tinubu’s Government of National Unity while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday. Obi responded by saying that he was still challenging the process of the election and the declaration. He added that the process of the election should be put right first before anyone could talk of the Government of National Unity.

According to him, the process of the election was more fundamental than what follows after the election. He stated that he was challenging the process and the declaration and that until things were done rightly, he could not encourage what should not be encouraged. Obi said that he would be shocked if the court upholds Tinubu’s election when asked whether he would accept the outcome if it was not in his favour.

Obi believes that the judiciary will do the right thing. The former Anambra State governor stated that issues about the election would be sorted out in court. He added that the country could not continue with the situation and that it would stand that it is a corporate criminalized country if the court upholds Tinubu’s election. He stated that people were talking about structure when they talked about fraud and criminality. He emphasized that the country needed to unbundle criminality for the sake of its children.

Obi concluded by stating that the first thing he wanted to see was that the process was right. He added that until they got it right, then they could talk about a government of national unity. Otherwise, they would be encouraging what they should not encourage. He stated that he was challenging the process and declaration, and that until they got it right, he could not talk about Tinubu’s Government of National Unity.

However, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Sanwo-Olu allegedly evaded service of the petition on him by the court's bailiff. Rhodes-Vivour and his party's lawyer, Olagbade Benson, informed the election petition tribunal that the governor refused to collect the document from the bailiff when the court official arrived at his office to serve him.

As a result, Rhodes-Vivour and the LP asked the court to grant them permission to serve the petition and other processes to the governor and his deputy through alternate means, such as DHL courier services or any other recognized courier service company. They suggested posting the documents to Sanwo-Olu's official residence at Lagos House, Marina, Lagos.

The Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has now approved Rhodes-Vivour's ex parte application to serve Sanwo-Olu with the petition documents through a substitute. This means that the LP candidate can serve the governor via an alternate means, as requested.

The use of alternative means to serve legal documents is not uncommon. It is a process that allows parties in a legal dispute to serve documents on the other party if they cannot be physically located or if they evade service. This alternative method ensures that parties in a legal dispute can proceed with their case without being held back by a refusal to accept service.

In conclusion, the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has granted Gbadegbo Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party's request to serve Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu with petition documents through an alternate means. The plaintiffs had claimed that the governor evaded service of the documents by the court's bailiff. The use of alternate means to serve legal documents is not uncommon, and it ensures that parties can proceed with their case without being held back by a refusal to accept service.

Senator Ishaku Abbo, who represents Adamawa North Senatorial District, has commented that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not authorized to declare the collated results of the Adamawa State governorship election null and void. During an appearance on the ‘Sunrise Daily’ breakfast show on Channels Television, the senator referred to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and stated that the electoral body’s announcement was insignificant.

According to Senator Abbo, the result of the election has already been announced by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), and it is out of INEC’s hands to nullify it. He also referred to Section 149 of the Electoral Act of 2022, which states that any defect or error arising from any actions taken by an official of the Commission remains valid unless it is challenged and declared invalid by a competent court of law or tribunal.

The lawmaker emphasized that challenging an already announced election result would be futile, while accusing the ruling party in the state of electoral infractions. Senator Abbo’s statements suggest that he believes INEC has limited powers in nullifying the election results in Adamawa State, and that any defects or errors arising from actions taken by an official of the Commission would remain valid unless otherwise challenged and declared invalid by a court or tribunal.