Supreme Court upholds Tinubu’s victory; dismisses Obi, Atiku’s petitions
Nigeria’s supreme Court, sitting in the nation’s capital of Abuja, has affirmed the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Independence National Electoral Commission or INEC had declared President Tinubu the February 25 presidential election winner, which many Nigerians and observers said was marred with irregularities.
Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party came second and third, respectively, in the February vote but rejected the result and called for Tinubu’s win to be annulled.
The two opposition leaders had appealed a September 6, 2023, tribunal judgment that endorsed Tinubu’s victory.
With controversies trailing the judgment, the opposition approached the Supreme Court to overturn the tribunal ruling.
In delivering judgment on the petitions brought before it on Thursday, October 26 2023, the highest court in the country affirmed the lower court’s decision and upheld Mr Tinubu’s victory.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Inyang Okoro described the petitions filed as not lacking “merit”.
“On the whole, having resolved all the issues against the appellant, it is my view that there is no merit in the appeal, and it is hereby dismissed,” Justice Inyang Okoro said.
“The judgment of the court below delivered on September 6 2023, affirming the election of the second respondent as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is hereby affirmed.”
After 9,000 deaths, Sudan ceasefire talks resume
After more than 9,000 people have been killed and more than 5.5 million displaced since fighting broke out in April in Sudan, ceasefire talks have resumed in Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia confirmed that negotiations have resumed in the city of Jeddah to end the conflict in Sudan.
In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry welcomed the resumption of talks between representatives of Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces or RSF group.
It also urged them to adopt a ceasefire and protect civilians. Additional source: BBC News
Israel- Palestine war: 3 Africans held hostage in Hamas
At least three Africans are among the 135 of the 224- the largest number, 54, are from Thailand are being held hostage in Hamas, says the government of Israel.
The Israeli government says that two Tanzanians and a South African are also held captive by Hamas after the October 7 attacks in Israel.
None of the three has been named.
The Tanzanian authorities had previously confirmed that two of its citizens were missing. The BBC has spoken to the family of one of them, Joshua Mollel, who was an agriculture student on a kibbutz that was targeted.
Hamas is holding foreigners from 25 countries in all, Israel says.
The South African authorities have not commented on the report that one of its citizens is among the hostages.
They were taken when militants from Hamas – which Israel, the UK, the US and other powers class as a terrorist organisation – crossed into Israel from Gaza, killing at least 1,400 people.
Israel has since retaliated with air strikes on Gaza, which the Hamas-run health ministry says have killed almost 6,500 people.
Inquiry lodged into 77 Johannesburg fire incident
An inquiry has been lodged into the fire that killed 77 people in Johannesburg on August 31, 2023; throwing a spotlight on gangs that seize abandoned buildings in the city’s centre and illegally rent them out.
The tragedy is viewed as one of the worst disasters in South Africa’s economic hub memory.
The inferno broke out on August 31 in a dilapidated building crammed with mostly foreign migrants, with many of the victims burnt beyond recognition.
At the time of the incident, witnesses, including residents, said the building had been taken over by criminal syndicates who charge fees to occupants, exploiting them but also offering more affordable housing to those who might otherwise be left homeless.
Residents of such buildings also rely on illegal electricity connections, gas burners, and – when the country’s rolling power blackouts hit – candles, all of which increase the risk of fires.
According to Reuters, Johannesburg is one of the world’s most unequal cities with widespread poverty, joblessness, and a longstanding housing crisis. It has about 15,000 homeless people, according to the government of Gauteng, the province that includes the city.
The city authorities had leased the gutted building to a charity providing shelter for women in 2016. But the charity ran out of money and stopped operating, residents said.
Restaurant shut down in Lesotho over South Africa bird flu
Following the outbreak of bird flu that has affected thousands of birds in South Africa, KFC restaurant has closed its stores even as the government of Lesotho has banned all poultry imports from the country.
Lesotho is a mountainous country entirely surrounded by South Africa.
South Africa has been struggling to contain bird flu for several months and has culled more than seven million egg-laying hens – 20-30% of the country’s entire stock.
KFC also announced it is closing all its restaurants in Lesotho amid a severe outbreak of bird flu in neighbouring South Africa.
KFC says its chickens come from farms in South Africa, which are certified as being free of bird flu.
Last week, neighbouring Mozambique slaughtered about 45,000 infected hens it had imported from South Africa, BBC News gathered.
Namibia also banned the import of South African poultry in September.
The outbreak has led to a shortage of eggs and chicken meat in several countries in southern Africa.
KFC Lesotho said it was committed to finding a resolution and assured customers its restaurants would be opening their doors soon.
