The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the conviction and sentencing of a pastor, Apostle Basil Princewill for raping a 14-year -old girl and attempting to abort the resultant pregnancy.

Reading a unanimous judgment of a panel on three on Tuesday, Justice Stephen Adah said the appellate court found nothing wrong with the judgment given on June 25, 2019 by Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Justice Baba-Yusuf, had in the judgment, convicted Princewill, Founder and General Overseer of the Mountain Mover Fire Ministry of International, Nyanya, Abuja, on two out of the four counts contained in the charge on which he was tried.

Princewill was sentenced to seven years for rape and five years for attempting to procure abortion, a decision he appealed to the Court of Appeal.

Lawmakers at the Lagos State House of Assembly have passed into law the Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission (Amendment) 2020 which backed creation of additional five deputy clerk positions.

As stated, the law was to give legal backing and operational modules to the new financial autonomy granted state Legislatures and judiciary by President Muhammadu Buhari in May in line with Section 121(3) of the 4th Alteration of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Speaker, Mudasiru Obasa, said that the bill which was an amendment to the Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission Law of 2015 was unanimously passed into law by all members present at the plenary session of the assembly yesterday after the third reading.

Through a statement released by his media aide, Tolani Abati, Obasa revealed that the newly amended law that was awaiting Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s assent consists of 12 amendments and seven new sections.

According to him, among the new amendments was Section 4 which deals with the tenure of the chairman and members of the commission, and Sections 24 and 29 which deal with funds of the commission and payment of salaries, pensions, other remuneration, and allowances payable to members, and staff of the House of Assembly respectively and that the two items were now domiciled in the budget of the House of Assembly.

“The Chairman and members of the Commission shall hold office for a term of five(5) years and may be eligible for re-appointment for a further term of five (5) years only.

“Section 21 deals with the tenure of the Clerk of the House and states inter alia that the Clerk shall hold office for a period of four years and may be eligible for re-appointment for a further term of four (4) years only.

“Section 22 creates five Deputy Clerk positions including Deputy Clerk(Legislative Matters), Deputy Clerk (Legislative Drafting and Legal Services), Deputy Clerk (Publication), Deputy Clerk (Administration and Human Resources), Deputy Clerk (Finance and Accounts),” the statement said.

The Court of Appeal Ibadan Division has struck out the appeal against the judgment of an Ibadan High Court and reaffirmed Victor Oye-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA as the authentic NWC.

Recall that on the 28th of May 2019, the High Court of Oyo State sitting in Ibadan entered a judgment in favour of APGA and the National Chairman, Victor Oye in which the court ordered APGA and its National Chairman, Victor Oye, to organize and conduct ward congresses, local government congresses and state congresses across the country for the election of the party’s officers before the expiration of the tenures of the incumbent officers on 15th May 2019.

The High Court in Ibadan further ordered and directed APGA and its National Chairman, Victor Oye, to organize and conduct a national convention for the election of new national officers of the party before the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent national officers on June 4th, 2019.

However, the three-man panel of the Appellate Court in Ibadan, in a unanimous judgment which was made available to newsmen on Tuesday morning, ruled that the lower court was on the side of law and reaffirmed the APGA National convention that elected Ozonkpu Oye, as party’s national chairman and other elected members of the National Working Committee of APGA.

The appeal was filed by aggrieved members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, led by a factional National Chairman of the party, Edozie Njoku.

Parties joined in the appeal as respondents included, Ozonkpu Victor Oye, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has rejected a motion by members of the James Femowei-led factional National Executive Officers (EXCO) of the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP), seeking to be included in the appeal by Bayelsa Governor, Duoye Diri against his sack by the election tribunal.

In a ruling on Monday, the court described the motion as frivolous and a ploy to waste its time and delay its hearing of pending appeals.

The Bayelsa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had on August 17, this year, in a split decision of two-to-one, voided the outcome of the gubernatorial election that held in the state on November 16, 2019, over the exclusion of ANDP’s candidate, a decision Diri appealed.

On September 10, 2020, the Femowei-led EXCO, through their lawyer, Dominic Anyiador, filed the motion, arguing among others that they were the authentic owners of the party and did not authorize the challenge of the outcome of the last governorship election.

The Court of Appeal heard the motion on Monday and in a ruling, rejected it on the grounds that those who filed it were without the requisite locus standi to approach the court in an election-related case.

In the court’s unanimous ruling of a three-man panel, upheld the preliminary objection raised against the motion by a lawyer to the ANDP, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN) to the effect that the so-called members of the Femowei-led EXCO are not necessary parties in the case.

The court agreed with Ogunwumiju that by the provision of sections 133 and 137 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), the applicants are not one of the persons entitled or ordered an election petition or appeal.

It added that there was no room for executive members of a political party to be joined in an election petition.

The court described the motion as an attempt to waste its time and proceeded to order the applicants to pay N200, 000 each as the cost to the first, second, and third respondents.

Those identified as the applicants are James Femowei; factional Chairman of the ANDP, Barnabas Nwaguma (National Vice Chairman); Fortune Oyadonghan (National Publicity Secretary); Fred Ikhaghu (National Director NGO/Volunteers), and Linda Nyam (Director Admin/Records).

The Court of Appeal subsequently adjourned till September 23 for the hearing of six pending appeals in relation to the August 17, 2020 judgment.

The court said on the said date, it will first, hear the application filed by Diri’s lawyer, Gordy Uche (SAN) seeking the consolidation of the six pending appeals, before proceeding to the hearing.

A High Court in Benin on Monday admitted the Iyatsere of Warri, Johnson Atseleghe, to N2 million bail after being charged with murder.

Justice Efe Ikponmwoba also ordered the defendant to produce one surety in like sum, who must own a property with a Certificate of Occupancy.

The judge held that the court’s decision to grant the defendant bail arose from the absence of facilities to manage his diabetes, hypertension and cataract ailments in police custody.

The judge ordered that the defendant be available to face trial as averred in his affidavit in support of the motion for bail.

The defendant and 11 others were charged with conspiracy, kidnap and murder.

They were alleged to have murdered Sunny Etchie, the Okhaigele (youth leader) of Kolokolo community in Edo.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.