The Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Enugu has affirmed the victory of Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the gubernatorial election held on March 18, 2023, throwing out the suits against him.

The Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, and Chris Agu of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) had filed a petition with the tribunal challenging the election outcome. They alleged that Peter Mbah was ineligible to contest the election due to an alleged forgery of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and cited instances of over-voting in Udenu, Nkanu East, and Enugu East local government areas as grounds for their challenge.

In its verdict, the tribunal, presided over by Justice Kudirat Murayo Akano, dismissed all the grounds of the petition. It ruled that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate is not a prerequisite for running for the office of the governor, and there was no evidence of the NYSC certificate being attached to the documents the governor submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In the judgment, the tribunal addressed various claims made by the LP candidate:

Wrong Computation of Results in Udenu Local Government: The panel ruled that the petitioner, Chijioke Edeoga, failed to substantiate this claim. It noted that the witnesses called by Edeoga provided identical testimonies for different polling units and wards in various local governments, undermining their credibility.

Additionally, the panel stated that the LP’s witnesses were not properly accredited agents according to INEC’s regulations, rendering their testimony invalid. The tribunal deducted 51 votes from the PDP and added them to the LP based on the testimony of witnesses from the correct agents in three polling units. However, the panel determined that this deduction was insufficient to overturn Peter Mbah’s election.

Amagu Polling Unit in Nkanu East: The panel canceled the votes for all parties in the Amagu polling unit in Nkanu East because the witness (PW10) provided evidence that he was present and the right person.

Remaining 11 Polling Units: The tribunal found that the witnesses in the remaining 11 polling units did not sign the result sheets, and they were unable to prove their status as party agents. Consequently, their testimony was disregarded.

After addressing these issues and evaluating the evidence, the tribunal dismissed the petition for lack of merit.

Reacting to the ruling, Governor Mbah said it was a victory for the people of Enugu State.

“It is a victory for Ndi Enugu. It is also a victory for democracy,” the governor said. “It is a victory for massive development for Ndi Enugu. It is a victory for exponential growth, it is a victory for Enugu’s greatness.”

Poor Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State. Very strange that the tribunal fired you for an internal party matter. Yes, in all these rulings, they have been consistent that what happened in the party stayed in the party. But strangely they opened the veil for you: “The tribunal noted that Yusuf was not officially a member of the NNPP when he contested in the governorship election”.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Oluyemi Akinatan-Osadebey, cited three key reasons for their decision:

• Membership Issue: The tribunal noted that Yusuf was not officially a member of the NNPP when he contested in the governorship election.

• Overvoting Concern: The election was marred by overvoting, which cast doubt on the legitimacy of the results.

• Voting Margin Discrepancy: The margin of victory between the NNPP and APC candidates was smaller than the number of canceled votes.

The argument has been that if the party nominated and sponsored the candidate, that the opposition party has no basis to question it. That was the basis of returning the former senate president back to the Senate. Indeed, even though he did not win the primaries, the party sponsored him, and that invalidated the elections in which he did not participate. In other words, you are covered once the party sponsors you to the general elections. But here in Kano tribunal, they moved 180 degrees, questioning an internal party matter.

Fellow Citizens, whether your party or candidate is winning or losing, every Nigerian should be concerned that our judiciary is dropping the ball. Nigeria cannot advance until we bring fairness across the board. How do we want this Kano politician to feel? They also knocked him down due to “overvoting”. Really? It is his fault that INEC failed on its duty.

Poor Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State. Very strange that the tribunal fired you for an internal party matter. Yes, in all these rulings, they have been consistent that what happened in the party stayed in the party. But strangely they opened the veil for you: "The tribunal… pic.twitter.com/a453y8ytPL

— Ndubuisi Ekekwe (@ndekekwe) September 21, 2023

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced a new online platform called the CBN Licensing, Approval and Other Requests Portal (CBN LARP) for the submission of microfinance bank (MFB) license applications.

This digital platform aims to streamline and facilitate the process of applying for licenses and seeking approvals related to microfinance banks in Nigeria.

In a circular signed by Isa AbdulMumin, Director, of Corporate Communications, and issued on Wednesday, the apex bank said the new online platform will eventually replace the current manual process wherein prospective applicants for MFB licenses physically submit their applications to the CBN. It added that “the Bank will extend the platform to other categories of licenses” in due course.

The online application system offers numerous benefits, including a simplified process, time savings, enhanced communication, and robust security measures. By digitizing the application process, the Bank aims to improve accessibility, reduce paperwork, and expedite license approvals, benefiting both applicants and the economy.

“Consequently, with effect from September 25, 2023, MFB license applicants are required to submit both hardcopy and online applications (via the CBN LARP) as part of a parallel run.

“The cover letter submitting the hardcopy application must also note a valid application reference from the online submission to be accepted.

“The parallel run will end on December 31, 2023. Thereafter, manual submissions of hardcopy MFB license applications will no longer be required and accepted,” the CBN said.

The apex bank noted that from September 25, 2023, prospective MFB applicants are urged to log on to www.larp.cbn.gov.ng to submit their respective MFB license applications. The portal offers assistance and detailed guidance to users for navigating the application process. Additionally, a user guide can be downloaded from the platform to aid applicants in using the new online system.

Applicants are encouraged to reach out to the dedicated helpdesk via email at cbnlarp-helpdesk@cbn.gov.ng for additional information and assistance regarding the MFB license application process through the CBN Licensing, Approval and Other Requests Portal (CBN LARP).

It’s important to note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will continue to accept manual applications for all other license types until further notice.

NCC Makes changes to fixed lines

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has introduced a new numbering format for fixed lines, in accordance with its responsibilities outlined in the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) of 2003, which empowers the NCC to oversee Nigeria’s numbering resources.

As part of this change, Nigeria’s fixed lines numbering format has been expanded from eight digits to ten digits. This modification involves the addition of the “02” prefix before the existing fixed number, according to a statement issued by the NCC.

The Director of Public Affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Reuben Muoka, stated on Tuesday that this announcement aligns with a fundamental duty of the NCC. Furthermore, it is in accordance with the practices endorsed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is the United Nations body overseeing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

“The Commission hereby informs the public of the changes and also clarifies that existing numbers will continue to operate concurrently till the cut-over date of 31 December 2023. From 1 January 2024, the new numbering format beginning with “02” prefix will be operational.

“In other words, the old and new number formats are allowed to run concurrently till the cut-over date (31 December, 2023). Thereafter (from 1 January 2024), the new fixed-lines format will assume full recognition across all networks,” the Commission said.

The NCC provided examples to illustrate the numbering format change. For instance, the previous number 09461700 should now be dialed as 02094617000 in the new format.

Here are additional examples for major cities:

Lagos: The current number format of 014630643 will now be 02014630643 in the new numbering format.

Abuja: The current number format of 094630643 will now be 02094630643 in the new numbering format.

Port Harcourt: The current number format of 084460643 will now be 02084460643 in the new numbering format.

Kano: The current number format of 064460643 will now be 02064460643 in the new numbering format.

These examples demonstrate the shift to the updated ten-digit numbering format.

It’s important to note that the change in numbering format announced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) solely pertains to fixed telephone numbers. There is no alteration to the existing numbering format for mobile phone numbers.