Nigerian Concord Newspaper
This newspaper can authoritatively report a delay tactics by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the Senate President, Mr. Godswil Akpabio and the National chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Professor Nentawe Yilwadta in the pre- election litigations which arose across the country after the National Assembly primaries of the ruling party.
According to credible Judiciary sources,the SGF and the Senate President met with some top members of the Nigerian judiciary over the weekend with a proposal to delay all judgements in the cases till after the January 16, 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.
This newspaper gathered that they are relying on Section 285(13) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) that “An election tribunal or court shall not declare any person a winner at an election in which such person has not fully participated in all stages of the election.”
According to sources, the SGF has made plans to use Section 285(13) to shut out all the candidates who genuinely won at the May, 2026 National Assembly primaries of the All Progressive Congress in Benue.
“Some judgements will be delayed and won’t be delivered until January next year bases on technicality” a source said.
The source said it is a delay tactics to keep postponing most of the judgements in order to ensure that all the candidates who won the May, 2026 National Assembly primaries do not participate in the general elections, and as then, Section 285(13) will be used to shut them out.
Recall that this newspaper had at the weekend reported plots by Senators George Akume and Godswil Akpabio to remove the Chief judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Honourable Justice John Tsoho from office if he failed to instruct all the judges handling the cases to dance to their tune.
Meanwhile, Nigeria For Good Governance has called on the Chief judge of the FCT, Justice Tsoho to ensure that there are speedy judgements in all the cases so that those that genuinely won the primaries can actively participate at the general elections.