The Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Benue State, Idu Christopher Onyiloyi has been sacked by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Onyiloyi who was billed to participate in the March 11, 2023 governorship election was replaced with Ochechi Godwin Adejor by justice Inyang Ekwo.

In the suit instituted by Adejor, the presiding judge, Justice Ekwo held that Onyiloyi who personally wrote the Labour Party on the withdrawal of his candidacy and deposed to an affidavit as a legal backing ceased by law to hold the same status.

Relying on sections 221, 222 of the 1999 Constitution and sections 29, 31, 32, 33 and 84 of the Electoral Act 2022, the judge replaced Onyiloyi’s name with Adejor as the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the party.

Justice Ekwoalso ordered the Labour Party to immediately forward the name of Ochechi Adejor to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for publication as the lawful Deputy Governorship Candidate.

An order compelling INEC to publish Adejor’s name and also restrained INEC from accepting any name other than that of the plaintiff as the Deputy Governorship Candidate was issued by the court.

A coalition of civil society organizations has called for the removal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa from office following his alleged disobedience to court orders

The over one hundred and twenty- civil society groups after rounding off a weeklong protest in Lagos addressed journalists during a town hall meeting.

They accused the EFCC of greater corruption and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately put machinery in motion to sanitize the commission in line with the fight against corruption by the present administration.

They later issued a seven-day ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari directing the Inspector General of police to effect the arrest order on Bawa and commit him to prison.

Meanwhile, the Spokesman of EFCC Wilson Uwujaren in his response said the protests by the CSOs against Bawa and the EFCC were sponsored by persons under investigation by the anti‐graft agency.

The angry protesters had earlier stormed the Lagos state House of Assembly, Alausa Ikeja with their petition to the speaker, Mudasiru Obasa for onward delivery to the National Assembly in Abuja.

The Federal High Court Abuja will on Wednesday commence hearing of the suit filed by Men Against Rape Foundation (MARF), seeking to compel Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and members of the House of Representatives to comply with their resolution to conduct an investigative public hearing into the rape and death of a – 14-year-old boarding student of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, Keren Akpagher.

Following public outcry and protests led by the Men Against Rape Foundation (MARF), the House of Representatives, vide a motion moved by Mark Gbilah, resolved on December 7, 2021, to conduct a public hearing into the circumstances that led to the rape, and eventual death of the 14-year-old girl.

Keren died on the 22nd of June 2021, following medical complications caused by a condom left inside her by a killer-rapists.

The condom infected her with sepsis and spiked her blood sugar, which led to her death.

However, in a curious twist to its resolution, the Speaker and 108 members abandoned their resolution, refusing to conduct the public hearing despite several correspondences from MARF, reminding them of their obligations.

On the 17th of November, 2022, MARF approached the Federal High Court, vide an exparte motion, filed by its counsel, John-Bull Adaghe, praying for leave to commence proceedings against the lawmakers.

In her ruling, Justice Evelyn Maha granted the application and fixed the 25th of January 2023 for the commencement of the hearing.

Among others, the plaintiff wants an order of mandamus compelling the respondents to carry out their constitutional role of an investigative public hearing into the immediate and remote cause of the death of Keren Happuch Akpagher, a boarding student of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, who died at the Queen’s Hospital, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, on the 22nd day of June 2021.

The Executive Director of Men Against Rape Foundation (MARF), Lemmy Ughegbe, on why the foundation took the lawmakers to the court said legal precedence needs to be established in the country.