General News
LG Polls: Oyo APC drags governor, OYSIEC to court
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to court over its exclusion from the forthcoming local government elections in the state.
Also joined in the suit was the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission(OYSIEC).
Oyo State Caretaker Chairman of APC, Chief Akin Oke, confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday in Ibadan.
Oke said the APC, through its lawyers, had prepared the originating processes and forwarded same to the state’s Chief Judge.
He expressed the hope that the case would be attended to timeously by accepting it for filing and assigning it to a judge for hearing.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Makinde had on assumption of office in 2019 sacked the elected local government chairmen and councillors on the platform of APC, a year into their tenure.
The sacked chairmen and councillors had approached the court to challenge the dissolution, which the Supreme Court ruled in their favour on May 7, 2021
NAN recalled that the OYSIEC had before the judgment commenced electoral processes for the conduct of local government elections for May 22, in which APC did not participate on account of the pending judgment.
Oke said that the courts were imbued with extensive powers under the High Court Laws of Oyo State, Nigerian Constitution and High Court Civil Procedure Rules of Oyo State.
“Gov. Makinde and OYSIEC are planning to go ahead with the conduct of the local government elections slated for this Saturday (May 22) without the APC and other registered political parties.
“This action of the governor and OYSIEC is a waste of the state’s resources. The action is aimed at making mockery of democracy and the rule of law,” he said.
Oke described APC’s exclusion from the elections by OYSIEC as deliberate and unconstitutional, adding that OYSIEC goofed by commencing the process while there was pending litigation.
He also noted that OYSIEC had in its guidelines imposed a nomination form fee of N250,000 and N100,000 to be paid by the chairmanship and councillorship aspirants, respectively.
“These fees are illegal because election processes cannot be monetised. The OYSIEC having realised this illegal imposition of fees have now decided to refund the candidates.
“But not after OYSIEC had closed every avenue for participation in the electoral processes,” he said.
The caretaker chairman said that the APC said was aware that some Magistrate Courts in Oyo State are sitting over criminal matters considered urgent, in spite of the ongoing JUSUN strike.
“If the Oyo State judiciary could permit criminal matters to be heard in a strike, we trust his lordship, the chief judge would mandate the necessary units and personnel to effect filing, as well as assigning timeously before election day,” Oke said. (N0AN)
General News
Clergy Urged To Put Members’ Welfare Above All Else
At a solemn ordination service in Abuja, senior church leaders have called on pastors to make the well-being of their congregations a top priority, following the example of Jesus Christ.
Speaking during the priesthood ordination and installation of a Sub Dean at the Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Okene, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ajulo, described pastors as shepherds charged with the care of their flock. He urged them to shun worldly distractions and focus on meeting the spiritual and material needs of their members.
Bishop Ajulo also encouraged the newly ordained priests to remain faithful to their calling by teaching God’s word without compromise.
In his charge, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged the new clergy to preach the undiluted gospel and foster religious harmony wherever they serve. He expressed confidence that their new roles would help promote peace and unity in society.
The service also featured prayers for national leaders and divine intervention in addressing the current global economic challenges.
General News
1,000 Prayer Warriors Storm Ilorin for Tinubu, Nation’s Deliverance
In a dramatic show of faith and patriotism, over 1,000 fiery prayer warriors from across Nigeria will descend on Ilorin, Kwara State, this Saturday, lifting their voices in intense intercession for President Bola Tinubu’s success and Nigeria’s survival in the face of biting economic woes and mounting insecurity.
The spiritual siege, themed “Walking in Domini”, is the maiden convention of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), with its Kwara State Chairman, Evangelist Thomas Adeboye, vowing that “heaven will hear and respond to Nigeria’s cry.”
Aside from marathon prayers, the gathering will roll out free medical outreach to locals across Kwara’s LGAs, a gesture aimed at touching both body and soul.
Adeboye, lamenting Nigeria’s “troubling economic and security realities”, called for a nationwide prayer uprising, insisting that Tinubu has shown the will to revive the nation but needs massive divine backing to succeed.
“Banditry, a collapsing economy, and political tension demand we seek God’s face like never before,” he declared. “We will storm heaven for wisdom for the President and governors to steer Nigeria to safety.”
The convention will also feature awards to distinguished personalities, soul-lifting worship, fiery sermons, and unity-driven lectures—all capped with thunderous prayers for Nigeria’s redemption.
Adeboye urged the President to ensure every policy has “a human face,” stressing that Nigerians must not only endure but also enjoy the fruits of governance.
With the OAIC promising to reaffirm believers’ authority in Christ and rally spiritual boldness in the face of national challenges, Ilorin is set to become the epicentre of a powerful spiritual warfare for Nigeria’s destiny.
General News
Nigerian Anglicans Condemn Lesbian Archbishop of Wales, Deepening Global Anglican Rift
…Church leaders accuse Welsh counterparts of “spiritual decadence” and “abandonment of faith”
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued a forceful condemnation of the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the Archbishop of Wales. The move is the latest in a series of developments that have deepened divisions within the global Anglican Communion over sexuality and doctrine.
In a statement from Primate The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, the church denounced the election as a “serious departure from biblical teaching” and a sign of “spiritual decadence” and “an outright abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints.”
Archbishop Ndukuba warned that Bishop Vann’s elevation compromises the Anglican Church’s global mission and could obstruct evangelism. He compared the situation to the controversial tenure of Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, who also faced intense criticism from conservative Anglicans for her progressive views.
The Primate accused Bishop Vann of being complicit in the “ongoing crisis” around same-sex issues, stating that the election is a “clear revelation that many who claim to be members of the body of Christ cannot endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).
The Church of Nigeria called on Anglicans worldwide to reject “rebels” and “apostates” and to instead support conservative bodies like the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).
“The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects, and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales,” Ndukuba declared. He concluded with a solemn warning that without repentance, the Church in Wales risks losing “complete relevance” and its leaders will face judgment.
